The former SUA hooker (2015-2017) wears Portugal's colors during the World Cup. He is 34 years old and doesn't know yet if he will continue beyond the competition.
Portugal clinched the qualification ticket to the World Cup finals in November thanks to its draw with the United States (16-16). How did you feel when Samuel Marquez scored the decisive penalty in the last minute?
I still have the shivers. I had tears in my eyes, it was something special. Having played Brive with Sam (2017-2018 season, editor's note), I knew he would have a good time. It was my life's dream come true: to play in the World Cup. Playing the World Cup on my home soil, with my home country, is unbelievable!
How did you feel about qualifying in Portugal?
Rugby is not well known or followed much there. It's mostly football. But we received a congratulatory message from Cristiano Ronaldo, that's nice. When we got back to Lisbon, there were a few hundred supporters to welcome us, and there was media…we got some great lights!
It will play in Group C with Australia, Fiji and Georgia, as well as Wales. what is the point ?
We know we won't win the World Cup (laughs). But we don't come to score 60 points in every game, nor just to sing the national anthem. Out of a group of thirty-five players, we have about fifteen professional players playing in France. We also have players playing in Portugal, in an amateur tournament, like our captain Thomas Appleton, who is a dental surgeon.
What does your coach Patrice Laguesquet, former coach of Olympique Biarritz, have to offer?
He's been here for four and a half years, leading this project close to his heart. We were nothing, we were playing in Group C (European third level, editor's note) against Moldova before he arrived… Lajeskit brought professionalism, set a framework that had to be respected and imposed a lot of strength and rigor.
Who do you think will win the championship?
The opening match (which France won 27-13 on September 8) may also be the closing match. I see France and New Zealand in the final with a French victory.
On a personal level, is it an achievement to end your career by winning the World Cup?
I didn't plan to stop my career this year. I gave myself the opportunity to repeat another season in the top 14, but Yusap and Frank (Azima, the new coach, editor's note) did not make me any offers. I might stop playing soccer after the World Cup, but you never know what could happen. I don't close the door, and if the club needs a prostitute as a medical joke, that's something to consider. I feel very bitter that I was not the one who made the decision to stop.
