Lucas Oudard will start as flanker against Dax (Friday, 7:30 p.m.). Also capable of playing winger, the Aurillacois reveals his unique profile, even though he had no clubs until the beginning of June.
Lucas, how did you digest this heavy defeat in Agen?
She did harm. We took forty points with a first period where we didn’t exist. We had a meeting the next day to resolve this meeting because we could not dwell on the non-match that we produced. We had to switch to Dax by having a team Christmas with all the players’ families. This helped the group to re-motivate themselves.
So you get Dax, a top 6 contender. What do you expect?
They showed that they are a big team by beating Biarritz and Provence Rugby recently. Dax will come to us to win, we have to expect a big fight but it galvanizes everyone.
Do you look more at the teams ranked ahead of you or at the bottom of the rankings?
Last weekend we were tenth and today we are thirteenth. From one week to the next everything goes very quickly. The club’s ambition is to aim for the top 6 but being realistic, at Aurillac we first fight for maintenance and we look after. We look at all the teams and tell ourselves that we are not far from the top or the bottom. Knowing that Oyonnax is out of place and should wake up once the machine restarts.
Personally, you were making your return after being withdrawn against Valence-Romans, “because” of your graduation. Can you tell us more?
Indeed, on December 6, I had to go to Clermont-Ferrand to receive my engineering diploma. I did my master’s degree in engineering physics, energy option at Polytech Clermont-Ferrand and I couldn’t see myself missing this opportunity, even if we had an important match against Valence-Romans. Especially since I had already postponed an exam at the start of the season because I was honoring my first start against Colomiers.
Why did you choose this path of physical engineering and sustainable development?
The impact that we can have on our activity with renewable energies interests me enormously. It’s fascinating to see how we can have a positive impact in the fight against global warming. I did an internship in Scotland, in Dundee, where I worked on an optimization project with renewable energies, particularly solar, and I continued in this direction afterwards.
Coming back to rugby, you have a fairly unique profile by being able to play third row and winger. Does this come from your past as a seven?
First, the situation of the club propelled me into this situation. In the first friendly match of the season, there were three wing injuries and there were only three wingers left. I was tested in the second friendly match, but there was another injury the following week. And as I had a good ability to move around, the staff tested me against Montpellier and I was on the sheet for the first match of the Pro D2 season. I bring a defensive side which can reassure as a winger. I had my chance at Colomiers, the staff trusted me even if I obviously don’t have all the range of a pure winger. But it is clear that the Sevens helped me enormously on the game at full speed to familiarize myself with this new position.
Do you prefer to play on the wing or battle in the heart of the rucks as a flanker?
Flanker! It’s not the same sport, being a winger or a third line. The weeks as a winger are great but there are few collisions (laughs). In a match I don’t feel like I’m useful because my strong point is the sequence of tasks and at the start, I didn’t really understand what I was doing on the pitch. I did a lot of unnecessary shopping. Against Nice for example, I pushed an opponent who earned me a yellow card, because this match was frustrating for me. I was defending at the ends while we suffered in the center of the field so I wanted to be chocolate (laughs)! This frustration was felt in this action, so I also feel better in the third row.
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What does Romeo Gontineac expect from your profile?
We don’t have any particular instructions, even if before the reception at Nevers, he asked me to carry the ball more. He liked my ability to come out of the front. Mathieu Lescure, the forwards coach, finds that I have a good impact in defense with a high tackle rate and he asks me to be aggressive, especially against big players. Even more this weekend by hosting Dax! We will have to attack them constantly so that they cannot play their rugby.
I would have liked to have the opportunity to just show myself for fifteen minutes with Clermont
You have already played twelve matches this season with Aurillac. Did you expect to have this much playing time?
No way. I didn’t have a club until the beginning of June. My profile can be scary because a 93kg flanker doesn’t make you want to be recruited. I had a lot of refusals from National teams because they told me it was rougher than in Top 14 and that my “light” profile was not a priority. When Aurillac contacted me, I was immediately interested because they play a lot with young people. I knew that I would play four or five games in the season knowing that there were people on the third line. I finally started as a winger and in the end I have already played twelve matches! I’m very happy to have so much playing time.
Why were you attracted to Stade Aurillacois?
I had a few friends who had been there, like Benjamin Boudou, Antoine Aucagne or Juun Pieters. I knew a few people and there was a family aspect and a bit of an amateur club aspect that I liked. These are things that I hadn’t experienced too much in Clermont because I often moved between the Espoirs, the Sevens and the professionals. And above all, I knew I would play.
You spent five seasons in Clermont. What experience do you get from it?
Over the first three seasons I clearly didn’t have the level. I had to weigh 78kgs and I preferred to play in Cournon, in Fédérale 2, and it was very good. But from the fourth year I trained with the professionals. Christophe Urios arrived, I did a good preparation with the professionals in the friendly matches but afterwards I didn’t have any opportunities. Christophe told me that I didn’t meet his criteria because I didn’t have a well-designed profile. I have a bit of a “bastard” profile that touches everything, without being a specialist in tunes or strumming for example. But I would have loved to have had the opportunity to just show off for fifteen minutes with ASM. Clermont was in a less good period last season, I understood that the staff did not want to launch too many young people. But I left with a lot of regrets, because there were a lot of people in the third row. Every week, there were always Dessaigne, Fischer, Kremer, Lee and Sowakula coming in or out of the squad. They were equipped for this position, so it was beneficial to work with this type of player!
