“To sit at the big table, you have to win titles,” believes Maxime Lucu

You will experience your fourth final phases with the UBB. What are they different from the very first ones in 2021?

We already have experience of these matches. In 2021, we discovered this for the first time. There was a lot of excitement. On our first barrage against Clermont, there wasn’t necessarily any negative pressure. This time the pressure is a little greater because we have become regulars. Racing 92 qualified on the wire and will come to beat the odds. Many things have changed. This time, if we fail in the jump-off, it would be a failure.

“I have been put to the test this season. But it helps you progress as a player and as a man.”

You’ve been talking about these semi-finals in Bordeaux for months…

We heard a lot about it again last week, we feel that it’s getting closer. It’s definitely an added pressure. We already had an incredible moment at Matmut Atlantique against Toulouse a month and a half ago. That day, we said to ourselves that we wanted to come back. It’s up to us to give ourselves the means. But we said we wanted to do more than a half. This year, the final is in Marseille. It’s ticked off from the start, I’m hanging on to it all. I’ve been a fan of OM since I was little, I’m crazy about this stadium. I went to see the final stages of the Europa League, I said to myself that we had to come back, but this time, without the wig (laughs).

Considering the quality of the squad this season, is this the year where the UBB approaches these meetings with the most confidence, where it is more sure of its strengths?

For sure. Offensively, we have progressed enormously. We score 30 more tries than last season, we play a lot more… But like in previous years, we have air gaps which cost us dearly. That’s why you have to keep your feet on the ground.

With this third place, hasn’t the UBB opened the clearest path to the final in Marseille?

I do not think so. Last year, we were given the losers in the play-off in Lyon. In the end, we went for something incredible. Racing 92 qualified on the wire, which gives them additional confidence. This match will be complicated. There really isn’t an easy table. We had home advantage in the Champions Cup, we were on a prolific European campaign, and in the end, we fell short against Harlequins. We took a big blow to the head. We lacked humility, that put ideas back in place. We became aware of the work that remained to be done. We will see this Sunday if we learned from this match.

What has this season taught you on a personal level?

Many things. I was put to the test, there were periods of less of course in terms of sport. But it helps you progress as a player and as a man. I worked even more on myself, on a technical level… I retreated from that. I told myself that this is the team that would help me progress. The season was mentally difficult. There was the World Cup event to digest, a complicated Six Nations Tournament but in the end, I know that the club always puts you back on the right path.

Was it the most difficult season to experience on a nervous level?

Yes, but that’s the high level. Not all seasons are easy. Either you lower your head and endure everything, or you decide to respond and learn about yourself through difficulty. Not all my matches are perfect but I give my all. It’s difficult to be at your best level over 26 matches. You have to know yourself well, know when to accelerate, know when to use the team, the coaches… I’m happy to have managed that. I am starting these final phases with a lot of mental freshness.

“A lot of people talk about the UBB season but we are quickly put in our place when we talk about the prize list”

In the absence of Matthieu Jalibert, your role as leader will increase tenfold. Do you feel ready to take on all this?

I like this ! I play for that. Things are much simpler with Matt, I love playing with him. He is a leader in the game when he takes initiatives. But we have already played the final stages of the European Cup without him. Matéo (Garcia) has been taking up space for a while with the doubles. We trust him. I’m going to have to help him, I’m going to take leadership naturally.

Do you feel that UBB is missing a title for it to really be taken seriously?

To sit at the big table, you have to win titles. A lot of people talk about the UBB season, but we are quickly put in our place when we talk about the prize list. So far, we have never been further than the semi-finals. We are not yet taken seriously, and that is normal. You already have to make a final to raise your finger.

Not reaching this milestone of the semi-finals, is that starting to weigh on you?

Yes, it weighs. When we think back to our sadness last year at Anoeta (defeat to La Rochelle)… We really thought we could do it. We are fed up. It’s difficult to see the opposing teams lift the Shield the following weekend when we are on vacation. We really want to take a step forward and grow.