Pierre-Yves Revol: “Toulon? A good test of solidarity for the group” – Castres Olympique

On the eve of a perilous trip to Toulon, our President answered our questions and took stock of the CO’s successful first part of the season in TOP 14.

This victory in the derby against Stade Toulousain should reassure you?

It’s good that the team rose to the occasion and won in style. The elders knew the importance of this meeting and the more recent ones quickly realized our wish not to remain in the shadow of Stade Toulousain. The Occitanie region is not limited to its large metropolis. This kind of event is there to remind us of that and for us, it even goes beyond rugby.

This start of the season reinforces the ambitions of the OC?

After a little more than a quarter of the season, the passage times are good. But it’s very early to draw conclusive lessons from this and count on us to ensure that everyone remains very humble.

We were opportunistic in taking advantage of the calendar to win at La Rochelle without its internationals and we escaped the Palois trap at the last minute. Our performances in Bordeaux and Paris were very average and those against Bayonne, Oyonnax and Toulouse at home were much more successful. Overall, it is correct but we know full well that we must prepare each match as a decisive deadline to stay at the top of the table. The time when certain matches could be enjoyed more peacefully is over. The pack hunting behind us is voracious. To stay on track before the return matches, we need three home wins against LOU, USAP and ASM and to grab a few points away.

The trip to Toulon is not a priority for the club?

I never said that. At Mayol, even if the composition of the team is different from the one that hosted Stade Toulousain, you have to be ready to put up a big fight or risk being corrected. Toulon won in Clermont and hosts twice to move to the top of the rankings. This club has everything, power at all levels, extraordinary individuals, a fervent public. It’s an excellent place to test the strength of a group and its ability to stand together and express itself in the face of adversity. I hope that this match will reinforce the self-confidence that this team is starting to accumulate and for certain players less used until now like Louis Le Brun to showcase all their qualities.

The departures of Rory Kockott or Benjamin Urdapilleta caused concern. Do you consider that they are lifted?

We have never doubted the abilities of Santiago Arata and Jeremy Fernandez and Pierre Popelin shows us that he has the qualities to take over from Benjamin. This is the type of bet that the CO likes: relaunching a talented player whose career was stagnating. But beyond his sporting qualities, I believe that in terms of leadership or human relations, he really lives up to our expectations, as do the other recruits. And we can never say enough, for a club like ours, the importance of these factors in having a successful collective.

What are your other satisfactions this season?

Nathanaël Hulleu brings what we anticipated, velocity, spontaneity and a lot of cleanliness in his game. Adrien Seguret is a powerful element who is gaining importance in the collective and fits very well with our identity, Tyler Ardron shines as Adrea Cogagi. Levan Chilachava, having shed a few kilos, is proving to us that he deserves our trust for the future. And then there are young people who assert themselves like Lois Guerois and Gauthier Maravat or find their level like Wayan De Benedettis. To return to our recruits, we still have to appreciate over time the qualities of Papali’i who is there to give us additional power, while waiting for the debut of Jack Goodhue who must give us the benefit of his very high level experience. . We give the youngest, Yann Peysson and Romain Macurdy, time to adapt before demonstrating their qualities.

But if you add these players to all the club’s historic executives who have proven themselves, this group has the potential to do great things. I see a lot of solidarity and will but also humility and freshness. So even if it is premature to plan and if we will undoubtedly have difficult moments during the season, these arrangements can also portend great satisfaction.

Since his arrival, have Jeremy Davidson’s results met your expectations?

With his staff and David Darricarere, he got us back on track last season. And yes, his investment and his level of demands this season meet our expectations. I also know that he sincerely loves this club and this city and that is a detail that counts.