Romain Ntamack (Toulouse): “Assume our status and defend our title as it should”
Through Simon galinier
Published on
News: You had some difficulties in controlling the game against UBB, can Stade Toulousain start the European Cup under these conditions?
Romain Ntamack: Yes of course … I think it’s always good to try to bounce back from a loss, especially after a setback like the one suffered in Bordeaux last weekend. It is true that we were not up to our level and our game, so we are all questioned. We are approaching the European Cup with a lot of ambitions, we have a title to defend. We know what has not been in Bordeaux and what it will take to hope to win in Cardiff. Of course, if we use the same ingredients as against UBB, we will not win in Wales. We know what to do and we’re going to do it with a lot of conviction and commitment, which we didn’t do last weekend.
Beyond the intensity, what really changes between the Top 14 and European Cup matches?
IA: It goes faster and it hits harder! The pace is higher. Even if our championship is of a high level, the European Cup, it is still a step above and it approaches the international level. We face foreign clubs, in this case the province of Cardiff, with many international Welsh and foreigners. These are players who are used to playing international games and are preparing for it all year round, so it’s going to go faster and know better. We are ready for that, because we are also used to playing these games. It will just be necessary to put in mode European Cup and international matches.
We will face players from Cardiff who will be starving to death, regardless of the context.
What has the Cardiff health misadventures changed in your preparation?
IA: For us, that doesn’t change anything. We prepare properly, as usual. We are going to face players from Cardiff who will be starving to death, whatever the context, so we just have to focus on ourselves, especially after last Saturday’s game in Bordeaux. We refocused on us to be the best possible this weekend. We focus very little on the opponent, even if we watch videos and analyze how they are doing.
How do you cope with all the health constraints that will force you to be cloistered and prevent you from walking around Cardiff and experiencing the event from the inside?
IA: It’s a bit of a shame, but, unfortunately, it’s been almost one and a half that we played the European Cup in a rather complicated health context. In the end, it’s not going to change us too much compared to our adventure last year, so we’re used to that. It is only the fact of refocusing on ourselves that matters and the external context, we should not take too much care of it.
You are going to play on a synthetic field on Saturday, a surface which has not been successful for you this season in Lyon and at Racing 92, what does that change in the conduct of the game?
IA: No, that doesn’t change much … After that, since it’s not real grass, things go faster and the downforce is stronger. Obviously, we have to be prepared for this and be vigilant in everything, because a team like Cardiff, which is used to playing on a synthetic, can play from anywhere. We saw that it had a lot of strengths and players who go very fast, so we have to be careful of that, but I think we have a team that likes to play on synthetic with strong individualities that can really be expressed on a synthetic, so it will be up to us to use this surface to improve it as much as possible.
The Cardiff club evokes a lot of things in the history of Stade Toulousain, what does that mean to you who are a child of the club?
IA: We know the whole story between Cardiff and Toulouse. It was at Arms Park that Toulouse won its first star (in 1996, Editor’s note), so obviously, it’s a lot of memories and archive images. It is always a pleasure for us to face Cardiff. We know that these are big European posters. There is a story between these two clubs, but we will try to write a little more history for us on Saturday.
It would be logical for Antoine to win the trophy for the best player in the world 2021. I do not see how it can be otherwise.
Can the international experience gained with the XV of France be profitable during these European deadlines?
IA: It is certain that the fact of leaving in Blue allows us to play big international matches, especially the recent tour which allows us to acquire still a lot of experience. In a club, we are also lucky to have very experienced players who have had the opportunity to experience great international moments, such as Charlie Faumuina or Joe Tekori. We have a lot of players who are no longer international, but who have lived through all these moments. We feel that the group is focused on the European Cup. Since the end of the Bordeaux match, we quickly switched to this competition and we are preparing to play a big match on Saturday.
Does being the reigning champion change anything when entering this competition?
IA: Honestly, I don’t think it changes much for us, we have a group that is very far from all of that. Admittedly, on one more star and a title to defend, but all the counters are reset. We will play every game to win this European Cup, but I think all the teams will expect even more from us, starting with Cardiff. We know that we will be expected and watched, so we will have to assume our status and defend our title as it should. The objective is to win this competition, so we will do everything for it. A big trip to Cardiff this weekend. We have to start with that, before looking elsewhere, because if we lose this weekend, it will already be a little more complicated for qualifying. The objective is to win on Saturday and after that, we will see the steps that will have to be taken to keep this title, but the competition is long and all of this is still a long way off.
Antoine Dupont is in contention for the award for the best player in the world in 2021, recorded on Friday. What can you tell us about this player you rub shoulders with in club and in the national team?
IA: I don’t have much to add … Everyone sees what they are doing in the field every weekend. It would be logical for Antoine to win this trophy on Friday. I don’t see how it can be otherwise. I think all the rugby fans around the world voted for Antoine, which makes sense. We would all be proud of him. In any case, we try every day and every weekend to be behind him, because he makes us move forward a lot. But he’s also in collectives that make him shine, so it’s a real bonus for us and for him to have him with us. He’s going to be the best player in the world this year, so it’s definitely a pleasure to play alongside him.
Has this article been useful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Rugby in the Mon Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.