Like his club, which intends to validate its qualification as quickly as possible, Mathieu Hirigoyen is about to take off with a team he discovered this season.
If criticism has been raining on the level of play at Stade Français for a few weeks, it is clear that the capital club is still, behind Stade Toulousain and La Rochelle, the best placed to qualify for the final phase of the Top 14 Obviously, this is not trivial. And if a player symbolizes this observation a little, it is Mathieu Hirigoyen. The former third line of Biarritz Olympique, who arrived last summer with his partner Lucas Peyresblanques, had a difficult start. To date, he has only four starts in the Top 14. A starving figure for the one who landed with the label of one of the greatest hopes of French rugby and second best tackler in the Top 14 for the 2021-2022 season. . As such, it was expected. On the evening of the first friendly match against Massy, the technical director of rugby Gonzalo Quesada declared: “I absolutely wanted the two little “Biarrots” (Lucas Peyresblanques and Mathieu Hirigoyen, Editor’s note) join us. »
However, during the first weeks, the first months, these two played little, having to be satisfied with a few minutes on the right or on the left. A choice that Mathieu Hirigoyen claims to have understood today. “I understood the choices of the staff. I knew when I came to the Stade Français that there was strong competition for my position. Leaving Biarritz, I also knew that I was leaving a cocoon, it was a challenge for me. I accepted the choices, while telling myself that I had to prove that I could play. When you put in the effort, you end up achieving your goals. » Only, sometimes, he expressed his disappointment to his coaches. “I actually had discussions with the coaches, but today I feel like I have built my season to get in shape, maybe at the right time. » And to add: “I had to acclimatize to a new club, a new environment, which I find new landmarks. I have a little more playing time in the last matches. And I try to take advantage of it. »
A leader lies dormant within him
Facing Clermont, this native of the Basque Country will honor his fifth tenure in the Top 14. He will even be responsible for the Parisian touch, the sign of a growing influence in the workforce. “I came to the Stade Français to play in the final stages, he assures. Mathematically, I don’t know what is possible. But I feel like we’re on the right track. A victory in the last three games should allow us to be in the top six of the championship. We expect a big challenge against Clermont but our objective is to qualify as soon as possible. An unambiguous message that also reveals the leader that lies dormant in this 24-year-old boy, ready to take flight.
2023-05-04 14:08:38
#Paris #Hirigoyen #ready
