This Friday, 21 August, Castres Olympique will travel to Montauban for a preparation match, as part of the Ibrahim Diarra trophy (19:30). Interview of the new 22-year-old 2nd line, from Agen.
Seven have joined the ranks of the CO this season. Among them: Gauthier Maravat, from Agen, with 1.98 m below the height, does not go unnoticed. Thanks to his skills as a jumper, the 22-year-old second-row player has already won over Yannick Caballero, the head coach. Gauthier did not choose Castres by chance, he tells us why he was seduced by the city and the supporters of CO.
What were your first impressions when you joined the CO?
It’s going very well, the guys are really nice. The recruits all have the same feeling, joining a group that lives well is easy. There are similarities with Agen’s club in the way of life. There are things that change, in terms of rigor at work, but frankly it went really well.
You mentioned the rigor, is this the difference between the Pro D2 and the Top 14?
I come from a club where we have had two very complicated seasons, with a good number of defeats, and I am joining a Top 14 club that plays in Europe, yes, he works a lot there, all the time. There is a notch to overcome.
Castres and Agen are small towns in rugby, is that good for you too?
When I arrived in Castres, the CO was in the final. I lived the moment when I saw people at the supermarket, fans in blue and white, it’s something strong when you arrive in an unknown city. Seeing this fervor around the club is incredible. Then the countryside is close, a bit like Agen.
You like this?
Oh, I love it! Big cities are not for me. I like nature, hunting and fishing a bit of everything. I come from a small village near Valence d’Agen, it is the whole countryside.
Do you come from a rugby family?
For nothing. Neither my parents nor my sister are athletic. I, I started with judo when I was 6 years old, I stopped and I didn’t know what to do, some friends told me “come to rugby”, and here I am (You smile).
Your line manager, Yannick Caballero, told us he was counting on you, does that surprise you?
No, because I like the aerial game. I’m tall, I love to think about conquest techniques, how we can set up, it’s really an area that I appreciate. Yannick offered me to be part of the line leaders, there are already leaders, I’m okay, later if I have something to say I can express myself. Touch, I think about it all the time, when you get screwed once or twice, you try to think about how to counter it. Last year there were games where I scratched my head, I hope it’s different there.
Do you have a model in this field?
When I started there was Julien Puricelli, considered a key player.
Did he trust you to be among these key leaders?
I just arrived and the management knows the game plans perfectly, first of all I have to assimilate everything. Before speaking you have to try and for the moment I have not proved anything. There, I analyze, I look at what is good, less good, for me and I’ll see later, I don’t know everything perfectly yet. Let’s say that I arrive on tiptoe, I will not teach those who have been there for years. And then it’s not just the rugby touch.
Precisely what is your other log in the game?
I like to tackle, but I’m not one of those who will hit the defenses, I prefer to play with balls, take intervals. The defense of the shot is more the profile of Tom (Staniforth) … (laugh)
