the essential
On October 17, 2001, Toulouse and three young unknowns defeated Diego Dominguez’s Stade Français in Jean-Bouin. A prestigious result for which Nicolas Sestaret, 19 years old at the time, opened the memory box.
It was written that this meeting would be different. Different because it did not take place on the date initially scheduled, September 22, 2001. The explosion of the AZF factory the day before forced the postponement of the match to October 17. A Wednesday. Incongruous for such a poster. The clash between two Stadiums. The Toulouse of Lacroix, Labit, Garbajosa. Against the Frenchman Dominguez, Dominici, Marconnet. But it will have been even more particular in its outcome.
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With three matches in one week (travel to Montauban, to Paris then reception of La Rochelle), and quite a few injured, Guy Novès, coach of the “rouge et noir”, had lined up three young people: Julien Rivier (center), Mathieu Maillard (opener) and Nicolas Sestaret (wing). “The press was not kind, saying that the Stadium was throwing away this match that everyone was waiting for,” remembers Nicolas Sestaret. “But when you look at the lineup, it wasn’t disgusting!” However, hell was promised to them. But instead of going down to Jean-Bouin’s purgatory, they went up to Parisian paradise.
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Novès’ questions
Under the capricious weather of the capital, the Haut-Garonnais defied the predictions (20-18). “In the stands, it was an explosion of joy. René Bouscatel came to kiss me and hug me. We felt a kind of wonder,” says Sestaret, who celebrated, at 19, his first tenure with the pros in official competition.
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The performance was significant for this group, without being a surprise. The young guard set out in complete relaxation, reassured by the presence of old veterans on the meadow. “You’re in a calm climate in fact,” explains the former Exeter player. And then, we used to train together. On Wednesdays, it was 15 against 15 opposition between the team chosen for the weekend and a mix of Hopes and pros You took Finau Maka in the face… Frankly, you came out chopped once, Garba (Xavier Garbajosa, Editor’s note) sent me into the fence!
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The habit of work, the osmosis between young and old – “I was always impressed by the capacity for transmission that guys like Lacroix or Labit had. He knew how to do it. Labit told Julien (Rivier): “You gave us tampons in training, now you’re going to put them on the Parisians”, smiles the ex-winger -, “luck” also with Parisian clumsiness, guided the Toulouse residents towards this success of prestige. Like the science of Guy Novès, wisely prickling his players. “He had placed several newspapers next to me as he took me out: ”Well now, it’s up to you.” All with that air and those raised eyebrows characteristic of the former Stade coach. And add another layer later. “He came back on the plane to go to Paris. He was talking to me about Poulain (Raphaël), my opposite number. He was asking questions: ‘How much does he weigh?'” ”And he Go quickly, right?”. Then he left. He knew very well that it was going to annoy me and potentially trigger something positive in me”, laughs today a Sestaret “admiring” the quality of management of his former coach.
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The pre-match laid the foundations, the match built the story, and the aftermath finished adorning the whole. With Julien Rivier, his roommate, Nicolas Sestaret remained calm, “just a quick outing to rue de la soif”. But the winger especially kept the image of Fabien Galthié, Parisian player at the time, during the post-match meal: “He was next to Max Guazzini. I can still see his face. He was looking at the three of us young people He seemed to be saying to himself: ‘But who are these guys?'” From that day on, the names Sestaret, Rivier and Maillard were no longer unknown.
