Top 14 – Bayonne-Castres: “I hate waiting in my lane…” How CO winger Rémy Baget exploded to the highest level during his adventure with Aviron Bayonnais

The professional world is so cutthroat that you have to stand out to exist. Even more so when you have not experienced the same journey as others, via training centers which, if they do not necessarily pave the way to the top, still pave the way. “In Bayonne, Yannick Bru (manager from 2018 to 2022), told me that if he had the choice between me or a winger who weighed 10 kilos more, he would take the heavier one. If I wasn’t physical, he I had to bring something extra”, relates Rémy Baget, who arrived in Castres this summer, and who will return to the Jean-Dauger stadium, where he spent six seasons (2018-2024), this Saturday afternoon (4 p.m.).

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The Rabastinois quickly found this contribution: rezoning his corridor. “It’s something that I have always loved. Especially since Eric Artiguste, to whom I owe a lot, and Jeff Dubois (two people he worked with on the Rowing staff, editor’s note) always said that I had to go get the ball, in Pro D2, the ball doesn’t always reach the wing, and I admit that I hate waiting in my lane,” smiles the 27-year-old. The deepening of an innate quality made him change dimension within the Basque group, going from “a discreet element to a guy who spoke to others, almost giving pre-match speeches”.

The free electron electrifies the Pro D2

After the defeat in the access match against Biarritz, synonymous with a return to Pro D2 (June 10, 2021), Baget, kept on the edge by Rowing, knew that the following exercise would be that of the last chance. Which he knew how to grasp. The free electron gained the trust of Yannick Bru – “When others had to stay in an established pattern, he told me that I had a joker, that I could do what I wanted,” he says – , and greatly contributed to the rise of the “sky and white” by finishing top scorer in Pro D2 in 2021/2022 with 15 tries, before then delivering two successful exercises in the elite.

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However, this profile and this status, which opened the doors to the highest level for him, were not only built with this ability to dezone. The technical and tactical aspect represents part of the work, but the physical aspect also played a role in the emergence, the explosion, of the Tarnais, three years ago with Rowing. “Yannick Bru was a tough manager, he didn’t fail us. I had and still have a very good relationship with him. He is very intelligent, and even if he was rough, he was fair.” As for the physical deficit of the Rabastinois.

Strength training on rest days

Having passed through the Espoirs du Stade Toulousain, tutored by Gaillac, Rémy Baget did not experience the classic course via a training center, causing a certain delay vis-à-vis others in terms of muscle mass and power. “My first three years in Bayonne were tricky. Because everyone was ahead of me. I didn’t go to a training center, no bodybuilding from the age of 15, no French youth teams. And the guys in my position were pushing double what I was capable of doing,” emphasizes Baget.

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It was therefore necessary to close this gap, or at least reduce it. And working again and again testifies to the one who will be number 11 this Saturday afternoon: “I had to do more than the others. So on my days off, I went to the gym, I worked with the physical trainer. I showed that I made the effort to prove that I had my place And if I had not managed to win in Pro D2, especially during this 2021/2022 season, that meant that I had not done so. nothing to do there.” The rest of his adventure and his start to the season in Castres, where he obviously did not camp in his lane, demonstrated that he had everything to do there.