Three days before the Landes derby, Benjamin Gufflet, the president of the board of directors of the US Dax, justified at length his choice to relocate this match to Bayonne, took stock of the start of the season, and recounted how the US Dax had gone through the last days marked by the “Nacika-Naseara” affair.
Why did you choose to relocate this derby to Bayonne?
The idea emerged last spring, during discussions with the National Rugby League (LNR) and Canal +. I wanted to know if it was possible to highlight this exceptional match in a different format and schedule. I wanted it to take place on a Saturday afternoon, so that we could accommodate a larger, family audience. When the matches take place at 9 p.m., it’s more complicated. This is how it all started.
What was the rest of the process?
There were quite precise specifications to be fulfilled for a match on a Saturday afternoon. Doing it to Maurice Boyau did not fit into the criteria. We thought about finding a larger stadium, more up to standard and we turned to Bayonne, which is only 40 minutes from Dax, and which has a stadium which meets all the criteria in terms of gauge, quality hospitality. We have the ambition to fill this stadium. You didn’t need a speaker that was too big either. Bayonne has 13,500 seats. In Dax, we only have 4,500. The goal is to have an important and family event.
Are there other reasons?
During last season’s derby, which took place almost a year ago to the day, places sold out very quickly. We were not able to satisfy all the requests, we were forced to refuse many people. There, we go for a “one-shot” project. It’s exceptional. The idea is not to do the derby in Bayonne every year. We simply wanted to offer a different welcome and satisfy all requests.
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What about the financial aspect?
This is the third criterion. The club needs to create new sources of income. By relocating, this provides us with a significant financial windfall for the club in its development. The idea is really to have an exceptional event with an exceptional schedule. Canal + and the League accepted this. This is quite incredible luck.
How many tickets have been sold to date?
We are at 10,000 (the interview was carried out this Wednesday, early in the afternoon, Editor’s note). We’re looking at between 12,000 and a sellout by Saturday. The bet paid off.
What will be the financial repercussions?
An entry worth several hundred thousand euros (between 250 and 350,000, Editor’s note).
Isn’t it a bit contradictory to play a Landes derby in the Basque Country?
It’s contradictory, yes and I completely accept it. You don’t have to be in denial. It’s exceptional. It’s not like it’s set in stone. This is contradictory on paper, but it is also understandable in relation to the arguments stated previously. Bayonne is not in the same department as Dax, but it is only 40 minutes away. It’s not too far.
What did you say to people opposed to this relocation?
I respect, in principle, all opinions. I hear them, I listen to them. It’s part of my education. Me first, it took me a long time to make the “go/no-go” decision. You also have to know how to break the codes and try things. It’s part of my DNA. We can stay comfortable, but for a year and a half that I have been at the head of this magnificent club, I dared, I tried. Today, we succeeded with a new experience which is being implemented exceptionally, I repeat. The enthusiasm is there. Many people said it would be a failure. The teams invested time and energy to make it a success. That proves us right. To reassure the skeptics – and I understand them – next year, I am committed to ensuring that the derby will be played again at Maurice Boyau. I hope this relocation will remain a good memory in this stadium. Besides, what interested us was the stadium. This derby could have been played in Gironde too. In the Landes, we did not have hyperdeveloped infrastructure. Jean Dauger was the closest solution to having an adequate stadium. I thank, in passing, President Philippe Tayeb and Aviron Bayonnais, for his welcome with quality and comfort. It’s very pleasant and this relocation must remain historic and exceptional. It should not become something trivial.
You will play in front of the Canal + cameras, on a Saturday afternoon, when there is no Top 14. Could you dream of better exposure?
Saturday, the weather will be ultra-favorable. It’s great! We are lucky to have an exceptional system from Canal +. We will be able to highlight Landes rugby, it is a fabulous showcase for the region, it is good for the promotion of Landes rugby. We have to take the positive, that means that Landes rugby remains very attractive. I think that on Saturday, Canal + will do big numbers. It’s important to work on this side.
Moving away a little from the derby, what are your thoughts on your team’s start to the season?
He’s good. We were predicted to have a lot of difficulties after an exceptional season last year. We know that the second season, for a promoted player, is more difficult. Today, we can compete. We have more difficulties at times, because we are more expected, known. I also don’t forget that we had very few breakages last year. There are a few injured people there. Despite everything, it remains very positive. Now we have a schedule that will not be simple until Christmas, but it will also be very interesting. We will host the Basque-Landais derby on December 6, we will play against Aix on the 12th. These are important matches. On Saturday, victory is important to stay in a comfortable position in the standings. Stade Monois remains a great club, we are learning. The Montois will be favorites, because they are well anchored in the division with magnificent results and qualification for around ten years.
In the derby, you lead 2-0 since last year…
We were lucky enough to win twice last year, yes. There, it’s a new season. We’ll see who is the best on Saturday. There will be a lot of supporters who will push behind the team, it’s great. It’s a derby, but it’s still a rugby match with five points at the end. The players have had a great week of preparation, they are re-motivated after the rout in Béziers.
Today, the USD jersey is not yet sold. What can you tell us about this?
Yes, it is sold. We must thank the Grand Mail which has maintained its important commitment as main partner. He gave us the opportunity to move a little on the jersey to leave the front side, which we sell at the match. Partners, for a very attractive budget, can communicate on a match, we rotate. The face is sold for the derby or for the reception in Biarritz. For Saturday, it will be “Thermes de Saubusse” on the stomach. Elsie Santé will feature on the sleeve.
Last week was marked by extra-sporting matters, since two of your players were placed in police custody. How did you get through this period?
It’s been a complicated week, because it’s still very boring, even shocking. Dax is a very calm, serene city. We are not used to this type of business. It happened in a private setting, it was not within the club. We are affected by the image that this may give, it has been a trying week for everyone. We had to manage it locally, in the media, understand why it happened, and also question ourselves. At the USD, we pay attention to the living conditions of the players, their behavior, their well-being. We may have missed something there. We set up a small crisis unit. In the coming days, we will put in place a risk prevention program with medical workers on this, on addictions. There is no way this will happen again. We think of the victims, of the image that this may have given. These are never pleasant moments.
Ratu Nacika will appear in court next Thursday. Jope Naseara will be tried in May. What steps will you take?
We will take action, that’s for sure. We are receiving the players on Thursday to put this in place. We reacted as soon as possible, but I repeat, this is a private matter. We cannot mix everything, there are laws, rules, we must respect them. The players must express a public apology, that’s the least they can do. We must also surround them to understand and help. They are still club players. You have to know how to condemn and help. We will see, in the coming days, what the judgments give and we will react accordingly. There is justice, it is up to her to do her job. We will do the best we can in relation to what happened. The file is in progress.
Nacika absent from the group, Naseara starting?
Interviewed by the police and placed in police custody last Thursday, Ratu Nacika and Jope Naseara were not on the trip to Béziers last week. The two Fijians have since been released and Nacika has been placed under judicial supervision.. He will be judged next Thursday by the Dax Criminal Court of Chiefs.sexual assault by a person in a state of obvious intoxication, violence not resulting in total incapacity for work, committed by a person in a state of obvious intoxication and damage to the property of others”. He trained this week, but is not expected to participate in the Landes derby on Saturday. Jope Naseara, who will be tried on May 5, on charges of “violence resulting in total incapacity for work of less than eight days committed by a person in a state of obvious intoxication” should, according to our information, start on Saturday, against Mont-de-Marsan.
