Back at his best level after having experienced a few difficult months, Max Spring (23 years old, 1 selection) returns to his homeland this weekend. Will he silence Jean Dauger?
After being trained at Nafarroa (Fédérale 1), you played for several years at Aviron Bayonnais before signing for Racing in 2020. Does it still mean anything to you, playing for Jean Dauger?
My family still lives in the Basque Country and that always means something, yes: my mother, my two brothers and my father will all be in the stands on Saturday. But to be frank, all this generates much less stress for me than in the past: I remember for example that the first time I played Jean Dauger in the Racing jersey, I was very anxious. […] Over the years, it has become a trip like any other. The only thing that changes a little is that I’m going to stay there after the match…
Your little brother, Tom, is often a member of Rowing Bayonnais. Is this Bayonne-Racing heartbreaking for your mother?
The first few times, it was complicated for her… But in my opinion, Tom will not be in the group this weekend so I hope it will be easier to choose, for my mother.
If she still chooses to support Rowing Bayonnais, you will be entitled to ask yourself questions…
Yes ! (laughs) But I know she will choose her eldest son!
You ultimately look very little like your brother: he is tall and strong, you are short and lively…
(He cuts) We are completely different, it’s true. Tom and I already have two opposite sizes and then he is fast over long distances while I think I am more explosive over thirty or forty meters. From a character point of view, we are also quite dissimilar. My other brother, who plays three-quarter center at Nafarroa, is a bit of a mix of the two of us.
What’s his name, your other brother?
Sat ! (he laughs) Our parents didn’t get along…, eh: Max, Tom, Sam! One syllable goes well in Basque, French and even English (his father, Sean, is of New Zealand origin, Editor’s note)!
You were talking about your race length: at the opening of the championship, in Castres, you were caught two meters from the goal by a fighter plane named Christian Ambadiang…
(He sighs) I charged, behind that… The video went around social networks and the match wasn’t even over when my group of friends, I was already taking coins. […] I didn’t have a great time that day… I struggled in the last meters of my race before being caught by a bomb: Ambadiang went up to 37 km/h during this action.
Despite everything, you have personally had a very good start to the season. How do you explain that after having been selected with the XV of France in the summer of 2022, you experienced some difficulties?
After the Japan tour, I was irregular. I played less and I especially played less well. This season, I feel better in the system and on the pitch, I am more liberated and also more solid, I think. (He cuts) Well, I only gained two kilos, eh… But I feel better.
Racing has been better for two matches. How do you explain it?
It wasn’t that bad. In Castres, on the first day, we had a great match before losing it in the last action. Behind that, we beat Clermont before taking a beating in Bordeaux. People concluded that Racing was not there but I find on the contrary that the team is progressing and working well in recent weeks. […] Saturday, against Toulon, we won thanks to the forwards even though we had lacked that a bit in recent years. We are more complete, I think.
What to expect from Aviron Bayonnais?
For two seasons, we have had rather good matches at Jean Dauger: we lead by fifteen points before catching up, then beating… The Bayonnais are talented and we fear them. But we have to deliver a big performance there.
