Top 14 – In a crazy atmosphere, Castres was a party for the derby

Will Collier, more than two hundred games with Harlequins and an England international, thought he had seen just about everything in his already more than decade-long career. However, he was struck by the fervor of the support of the Castres supporters and the importance that this derby against Stade Toulouse could take on, in the hearts of the Bleu et Blanc. “It was crazy! Incredible! Arriving at the stadium with all the spectators present provides great emotion. I had never experienced that and quite honestly, for a small town like Castres, it’s incredible to have such fervor. I feel like the whole town was there. There was also my wife and my parents. I feel like if we had lost, I would have had a difficult week at school. Fortunately, the victory is there and I am very happy.”

You had to see the fury as the players left the bus, this dense and massive crowd that the gladiators of the day were passing through, to better capture the energy. We also had to see this same crowd, more than 12,000 strong, pushing as one man at the height of the storm, at the height of the Toulouse fury.

Xavier Sadourny, the current coach of the Castres attack, did not recognize the Castres-Toulouse derby which no longer has anything to do with the one he knew when he was on the meadow, opener of the CO . The oldest will remember that he was the author of the drop-goal for the Castres victory during the 2003-2004 edition of this immutable shock of the championship. “Saturday was my first derby as a coach and frankly, times have changed. In terms of fervor, it has nothing to do with when I was a player. It’s really different , we feel that this is taking on crazy proportions for the supporters and the players. It’s incredible to experience!

Fear to the end

And the players on the pitch needed this fervor and the unconditional support of their audience. Because yes, even if the Castres crushed the Toulouse pack in a closed scrum (six penalties obtained), nothing was easy for the men of Jeremy Davidson and Xavier Sadourny, who were quickly led and who were still nine points behind. half-time. Toulouse will always remain Toulouse and each balloon can turn into a fatal banderilla. Xavier Sadourny said no less: “We were afraid until the last moment and Paul Costes’ forward. Honestly, when we know the offensive strength of this Toulouse team and we see them return to “-5” with one last possession to manage , it’s difficult to be calm, but the self-sacrifice of the team made the difference. Our conquest was truly sovereign and our defense was supported by our conquering spirit.

Next week, the Tarnais will travel to Pau without too much pressure. Their start to the season is perfectly in line with their expectations and they are well underway in their season. If they continue at this pace, whoever can tell where they will stop is very smart…