Two seasons at Langon, two titles and this one, we had to go for it with our guts, with the climatic elements and even more?
Yes, with the weather too. First of all, congratulations to Marcq-en-Barœul, what a great team, what great rugby played and indeed, the weather changing at half-time. I tell the players “guys, it’s going to rain” but when it starts to rain, we first have the wind against us for a few minutes and then it starts to fall down in torrents, with the wind at our backs and we must admit that it helps us greatly.
In terms of emotions and storyline, it’s perhaps even a little stronger than last year because there, you went through all the states, particularly when there is this drop, this “shot of firecracker” as they say, by Christel Bertrand?
Christel Bertrand is a player with immense talent who is also capable of doing monumental stupid things, he did a little during the season but here, he gave us a perfect match. This drop is magical, I don’t know where it comes from but it allows us to be well ahead in the score and with the conditions there, I knew, well I suspected, that it was going to be very complicated for them to score a try. It’s indeed an extraordinary turning point in the match, strategically, it’s well done, technically, it’s magnificent, it goes to the top of the posts, it’s a piece of paradise.
Often when there is a fire, the embers are said to stay lit for many weeks. When you arrived in Langon, did you blow on the embers a little to re-enchant this Langon furnace and all this identity that there is around Langon?
It’s our pride with Romain, the beginnings were complicated because the guys perhaps didn’t have the same objectives as us. Whether it’s Romain or me, we hate losing but really, we have bad characters and when the team loses, we’re not funny, especially when they lose and the players don’t give their all so we had to manage that. , give them this culture of winning, this desire not to lose, to never lose. I often told them “guys, we don’t leave crumbs”, you shouldn’t agree to leave even crumbs, if you give 40 points when you could have given 50, that’s not good. We’ve been hammering this at them for two years and today, we’re winning because we have guys who died of starvation and that makes me happy (smile).
What did you say to your guys when you found them in the locker room at the end of the match? What were your words?
To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen them all, I don’t know if any of them are in the shower (laughs). I take this opportunity to tell them that I am extremely proud of them, that rugby is just an excuse to experience great human adventures and in Langon, we are experiencing something very, very strong. As I’ve told you several times, there’s a lot of love between this group, really, between these guys and it’s for life. There’s everything, there are big tantrums but I told them before the match that I’m very, very proud of them, before we were champions of France, I told them that whatever It’s happening, I knew they were going to give it their all and they did it, brilliantly.
It is also a story of popular support, of these red and white people who followed you everywhere in France, who were gathered in a room in Langon. That too, must have sparked your passion?
I told the players that we might lose the battle of the supporters today but I think we still won despite everything, although there was distance between Massy and Langon. I know there were a lot of them at the Nougaro Hall and we thought of them before the match, I told them “there are hundreds of them, there are thousands to support us” and I know that next year, they There will be even more of them so that’s great.
Now, there are two challenges for Langon, the sporting one which is to go to the National, which will be discussed with the managers, the players and the staff in “participatory” mode to see if you accept or not the rise but I think I know your answer because you are competitive and you want to move up. But there is perhaps also another challenge, that of getting Romain Cabannes to reconsider his idea to continue this adventure with you?
I don’t know, Romain is even more stubborn than me, sometimes people manage to change my mind (laughs). The question of moving up to the National does not even arise, the guys have earned the right to play on the field and we are going to experience an extraordinary adventure. Of course there will be many more defeats next season but we will hang on, the objective will be different, it will be to maintain and I think that the adage “never two without three”, we will forget it because it will be difficult to repeat the same performances. We are not there yet but the objective will be to maintain, to play good rugby, to be generous on the pitch, to please the people of Langon and if we already do that, we will have had a successful season.
Do you adopt this nickname “wizard of Béarn”?
I don’t know if I adopt it, it makes me laugh (laughs). I am a leader of men, I like to unite, to set objectives and when I see that the guys adhere to them and want to transcend themselves for the group, I like that.
Congratulations to Stade Langonnais, to your men, to the public and to all the volunteers
Thank you very much, it was a pleasure, thank you.
Comments collected by Loïc Colombié
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