UBB-Toulouse, “a match of lords” for Urios
After its brilliant victory at Racing 92, UBB is measuring itself against the best in the Top 14 and perhaps even in Europe. The duel against Toulouse will give its winner first place in the standings. But Christophe Urios hopes that he will also be revealing of the progress of the Union in recent years.
France Bleu: how was this week?
Christophe Urios : Normally fine. We didn’t want to get into the game too early. We are fresh, like the weather. We are pretty good, not tense, not under pressure, it’s quite fluid. On will see tomorrow.
Today, we cannot compare ourselves to Toulouse, it is not possible. You have to be humble. Last year we had an incredible season but there was one. Toulouse is every year. That does not mean that we have no ambition.
Have you come back to the four losses from last season?
No, we haven’t talked about it. We know that it existed, that we did not manage to beat them. But I know we can beat them. This is what we insisted on. The fear is to be taken by the emotions in an arch-packed stadium with strong expectations. It’s an important match for the club, for the staff, for the players of course. It’s a real beautiful meeting. It’s an extremely important game. It’s more than the first against the second, it’s more than a match against Toulouse. After the seasons that we have lived, especially with the Covid where we could not hang people, it’s a match of lords.
Is it becoming a classico?
Maybe … It’s the rivalries.
At the end of this match, on will know if the UBB has reached a milestone?
There will be life after this game. It will validate the very good match we had in Paris. But it is at the end of the season that we will see if we have taken a step forward. It’s a very important game in relation to our history. What happened with Toulouse, the proximity, it creates emulation.
What does Toulouse do better than the UBB today?
It’s a big club. It is the biggest French club and perhaps European. And it is linked to the culture of winning. They won, we have never won anything yet. I see a huge difference there. They inspire us in the way of working, in the way of building their club, in training too. There is the culture of winning from an early age. The young people go through the stages one after the other, there is always terrible competition and when they get to the pros, they are ready. This is the big difference. We still need to continue to progress. Today, we cannot compare ourselves to Toulouse, it is not possible. You have to be humble. Last year we had an incredible season but there was one. Toulouse is every year. That does not mean that we have no ambition.