the essential
Great hope for Stade Toulousain after an impressive 23/24 season, Mathis Castro-Ferreira (20 years old) had a complicated start to the season, the fault of a sinus injury contracted against Perpignan in a preparation match. He looks back on his first months of hardship, his ability to always find himself in a good position to score and also talks about the XV of France.
Mathis, you returned to the field in Bayonne on November 3, did that do you any good?
Yes, a lot of fun because it was missing a lot. When I was injured during the friendly match against Perpignan (on August 30), I immediately thought about the time it was going to take to come back. Then to play again and push back the lawns.
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Did you immediately understand that it was serious?
Yes, at the moment of impact I felt the crack so I knew I was going to have it for a good month at least. It didn’t fail, I had it for eight weeks. But during the week in Bayonne, I only wanted to play on the weekend. It did me a lot of good to get back on the field with my friends.
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Did this start of the season seem very long to you?
Yes, actually what was the most boring was the first four weeks. Because we can’t do anything while the plates consolidate everything around them. So apart from cycling for 30 minutes and light jogging for 20 minutes, I didn’t do anything… The days were long. Riding a bike and watching your friends train through the window… that’s what’s the most frustrating.
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Especially since you had a cannonball end to last season…
I never would have imagined this, not even in my wildest dreams. Initially, last season, I was targeting the World Cup period to try to make the few matches when there were a lot of absentees. Then I stayed in contact with the group, I was able to play again during the boxing day period which allowed me to gain the trust of the staff to play again during the Tournament and the end of the season.
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Especially since beyond your performances on the field, you also have impressive stats for a third row (9 tries)…
These are just stats, it’s not what we look at most in a third line. We rather look at offensive and defensive activity, that’s what we’re asked. Scoring is just a personal and collective plus to help change matches. But it’s true that scoring nine tries at 20 years old in the Top 14 is weird. I could never have imagined that at 20 years old I would score so much and be on 17 match sheets with team 1.
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Have you chambered the wingers?
With Matthis (Lebel) a little because at the end of the season we found ourselves a little bit kif-kif in the rankings (smile). This little room was friendly.
Among the young people, were you already scoring a lot of tries?
In hope I often scored when we were close to the line. Hence the little nickname that Clément Vergé gave me, the croqueur… Because when we were close to the line, I lifted and flattened straight away, so he called me the croqueur.
Given your performances last year, have you imagined a future with the French XV or on the contrary, is it still too early?
Above all, I aimed to play with the club and the Bleuets. But in the back of my mind there was the Argentina tour last summer. That said, I still remain focused on my task and quite lucid about the fact that there are people knocking on the door of the French team. Now that I have finished Les Bleuets, it is true that it is a goal but it first requires work and discipline to establish myself first in the club before claiming selection with the big leagues. French team.
This injury which marred your start to the season potentially deprived you of a first selection during the autumn tour…
This injury happened at the wrong time but it never happens at the right time anyway. After that allowed me to work on the small gaps that I had physically, now I just have to get back to work to get back to the level and even to a better level. And there maybe I could claim and touch the French team with my fingertips.
How do you keep yourself busy when you’re not on the rugby field?
I started playing padel with friends of the hopefuls, Thomas Lacombre, Kalvin Gourgues etc. As we have the fields nearby, when we leave training or on an off day after treatment we have a little padel… During the summer we would do paintball, karting and activities like that to clear our minds. head. Then sometimes we go into town, drink coffee, go shopping etc. Classic.
Do you sometimes return home to Maubourguet?
Last year, it was a bit complicated, I won’t hide it. But as soon as I go there, I go to see the senior team, I go to see my brother with the juniors… And in recent years I went to the rugby school to watch training and give a helping hand to the educators. ‘they needed. It’s there where I learned rugby, where I learned the love of this sport so for me it is essential to give back to them after everything they have done for me.
Considering a career in modeling?
(Laughs) Oh yes, there are some photos on social networks with the Orly store (ready-to-wear boutique located Place Wilson in Toulouse). It’s very good, it allows you to see something else, to see people and to open doors in the area of partnership… But I’m shy all the same, behind the camera, they laugh a little sometimes.
