You will find your friends from Toulon. Did you send each other messages during the week?
Ihaia West:
Yes, a little bit but not much.
I think they keep their tactics to themselves.
I speak with them but we are going there to have a big match.
To discover
Calendar and results Top 14
Ranking Top 14
Are you happy to see Mayol again?
Yes, of course, I had a good season there, I still have a lot of friends there.
So yes it will be cool to come back there, to see the guys.
The people of Toulon are currently in a negative spiral
.
Do you think there is a shot to be made or on the contrary they are going to be difficult to beat
?
They are in a bit of a difficult period, they have lost six of their last seven games.
We expect a big challenge.
It's going to be hot, physically you're going to have to be present.
It's going to be a big challenge for us to increase the intensity, to stay in the match because they are under pressure, and we also want to look for points.
We don't go there just to play but to come back with points.
“It’s always good to leave a club with a title”
Can you tell us how much the absence of Baptiste Serin in the team weighs?
He is very important, he plays a lot, a lot of attack.
He has a special game, he can do incredible things.
The team misses him.
He is a good leader of this team.
It’s true that they miss Baptiste a lot.
Toulon is the team with which you won a title, the Challenge Cup. How were the weeks after the victory?
It was a good week, a good result for the club.
Before, they had played in four or five Challenge Cup finals, which they had never won, so it was special to win it.
They were also the first club in France to win both European titles so it was a special moment for the club.
The week after was special too...
You had a big match in the final...
(
Laughs
) I was on the bench but I came back after four minutes.
It was cool to play this match, to put in a performance like that, it was easy to play.
Above all, Baptiste (
Serin
) had an incredible first half where he scored one or two tries.
It was really fun to play!
Was it special for you to win when you knew you were going to leave? A bit like with La Rochelle the year before...
It's always good to leave a club with a title.
We didn't do the job in the Top 14, we finished seventh.
So winning the Challenge Cup was great.
“There is a bit of disappointment that I haven’t played much”
You left before the end of your contract, why didn't you stay
?
There's nothing serious or anything like that.
They signed Dan Biggar, another big number 10. I was always in touch with Ronan (
O'Gara
), I'm lucky to be with him.
I played for the Babarians with “ROG” and a lot of guys from La Rochelle.
We stayed in touch, the two clubs spoke a little and that's why I come back here.
And how do you judge your return? Because you haven't played much lately...
Everyone wants to play.
There is a bit of disappointment that I haven't played much but I'm 32 now, I still have hope.
I do what I can for the team.
Antoine (
Hastoy
) and Hugo (
Reus
) have had good matches in recent months.
I'm waiting for my turn, it's coming this weekend, so I need to be ready.
Read alsoChampions Cup: in video, the summary of the success on English soil which qualifies La Rochelle
Every time you win a title, you leave. This year you are going to win a title and leave?
(
Laughs
) No, no... I'll stay here.
I hope we will win two titles this year.
So if we win two titles, I’ll stay!
That changes (
Laughs
)!
I signed here for three years.
You have a contract but there is talk of a possible departure...
I saw something like that but I don't expect anything from my agent, the club and everything (
Laughs
).
No, I'm here.
“I think this season I didn’t give my best”
You are in competition with Antoine Hastoy, who is a French international, Hugo Reus, U20 world champion. Does this give you additional motivation against your former club?
Of course !
There is always a motivation to play well, to seize every opportunity, especially this season where I haven't played much.
Every time I have an opportunity to play, I want to show my best level.
I think this season I didn't give my best.
So this weekend is another chance to do better and show some great things.
Toulon rotated their team for the last Champions Cup match, which means that they prepared for the arrival of La Rochelle very seriously...
They are fifth in the standings, so they are in the six and they want to do so. stay.
We know that hosting La Rochelle is a big challenge for them.
It's going to be hot and up front, it's going to be a big battle.
They know we are missing Uini (
Atonio
) and Greg (
Alldritt
) up front.
They will try to win the physical battle.
Do you expect them to come and challenge you?
(
Laughs
) Yes of course!
They'll be looking for me all evening!
But I will be ready.
Maybe I'll send them a little message first.
Precisely, you have two away victories. The goal is to get into the top 6?
That's the point.
We have already blown jokers, matches where we were not performing well.
Every match is important now.
If we win (
against Toulon
), we can get into the six.
The goal is to go there, put in a great performance and come back with points.
Comments collected at a press conference