How do you feel about Lyon’s first European title? Baptiste Couilloud: It’s a lot of happiness and emotions. This remains the accomplishment of seven years of work since we moved up to the Top 14. Honestly, it was important for us to mark the occasion and go for a title. Somewhere, we placed Lyon on the European rugby map. It’s not anecdotal. We know how difficult it is and the seasons are long. We are very happy with our journey. And the best is, I hope, to come.
Was the instruction to asphyxiate the Toulonnais, to play a lot to exhaust them? The objective was to play our rugby. This is something they had not encountered until now. We just wanted our game and to win our duels. Everything had been done so that we were aware of the players we were going to face. We were all ready, we responded present in all areas of the game. What made us win is to have produced the game.
Did the departure of Pierre Mignoni at the end of the season count in your preparation for this final? We were very modest about that within the group. We talked about it very little. But, you have to be honest, it’s also the end of a cycle with the departure of Pierre. He has brought a lot to our club. All the players wanted to offer him this victory. It is the result of the whole club but it has contributed to our progress. We all wanted to do our best to win this title before he left.
During the last semi-finals played by the LOU in the Top 14, your team had been unrecognizable. What has changed mentally? We have a group that has been nourished by its past failures. Our group was quite young this Friday, especially at the hinge. Beyond that, we were joined by experienced players who brought us a lot of peace of mind. I think of Jordan (Taufua) who guided us to find this lucidity in important moments. We mainly used our past failures. Everything has been done so that we grow together and go for this victory in the European Cup.
You put in an impressive individual performance against the RCT. You were at the four corners of the field… What mattered was this title and we must remember the collective performance of the team. Our forwards were irreproachable in the conquest sector, we knew that we were going to be expected against surely one of the biggest packs in Europe. They did a remarkable job, that’s mainly what allowed us to win. Beyond that, we had everything in place during the week to prepare for this match. They had given us a good lesson at home in the Top 14. We had prepared in the best possible way, we were ready for the duel, for the fight. Afterwards, individual performance also stems from what is happening in front and the state of mind of my teammates. It is logical that we are transcended for this kind of event. All the more so for a Lyonnais who plays at the Vélodrome…
Were you surprised by the performance of your winger Davit Niniashvili? We know what he is capable of. He has been impressive since the start of the season. It was a real bet on the part of the club to bring him in. He is still very young (20 years old). We are not surprised by these performances. He excels every time he plays with us. This (Friday) evening, he proved it again. We are very happy to be able to count on a player like him.
