The exit due to injury of the captain and three-quarter center of Jerónimo de la Fuente (37th) precipitated the entry of Mathieu Acebes whose der to Aimé-Giral was as scrutinized as expected. Last fifty-five minutes in a cauldron which saw USAP put in a great performance, winning 37-30 against Bordeaux.
He had certainly imagined all the scenarios, but when David Marty asked him to take off his bib, Mathieu Acebes only thought of one thing, keeping the cursor where his teammates were placing it (28 -16 to 35e). His first ball carried to Moefana definitely got him into a fight he didn’t want to miss.
With restraint and humility, Mathieu Acebes eagerly took advantage of the last moments on the Aimé-Giral lawn, with his family, thanking the public and his loved ones, before presenting himself at a press conference. An exercise that he carried out even before giving his speech, the denier in the cloakrooms of the cathedral.
What are your first emotions after the last of your career in Perpignan?
It’s just happiness, seeing the supporters happy because it’s a victory against a great team and it’s the most important thing of the evening, even if there were events organized for the starters at the end of the match.
How did you approach the event with the enormous focus on your der throughout the week?
You know, I’m a competitor and I put myself in my bubble, without too much emotion to avoid losing my footing. I didn’t want to miss out on the match against a very big team.
But isn’t the emotion very present at this moment?
I have never hidden the love I have for USAP. I fell in love with USAP. I have made mistakes, but I will keep the same attitude until the last minute, it is my greatest wealth. Ups and downs, that’s life, but II gave without counting, during training, matches and outside. This Saturday evening, I know that I still have one or more meetings to play. I want to be someone of honesty and integrity until the end. I have shared everything in this club, ups and downs, ups and downs, but the most important thing is to stay honest all these years.
“We have suffered too much in the past years to become inflamed, or to take ourselves for others
Do you measure the change in status of this team between January and June?
The contract is fulfilled. If someone had told us that at the start of the year, they would have thought we were crazy. Yes, it’s something beautiful, to find yourself in this position. We have defied all the odds and that is a Source of pride. We don’t ask ourselves any questions, because we have suffered too much in the past years to get fired up, or to take ourselves for others. We continue to work and take care of ourselves.
During this meeting, concerns about the team’s ambition were quickly lifted…
Because it was important to break this negative spiral and what’s more, against a big name. All rugby lovers loved this high-flying half, but the most important thing is the result at the end. We’ll work and see what happens next Saturday, but it would be nice to qualify.
