National – “I don’t think there has been a derby with so much enthusiasm”: Julien Seron and Jean-Marc Aué launch the Classic’Aude between Narbonne and Carcassonne

To get straight to the heart of the matter, who is the favorite for this meeting?

Julien Seron : It is a semi-final so I think there is no favourite. Firstly, I’m not pretending to say that Narbonne is the favourite, and given the confrontations between us this season, it makes me say it’s 50/50. The mental dimension is much more important than strategy, and I don’t know how leaders will act and react. Take the example of Suresnes, it is one in a thousand who saw them win in Albi. But mentally they were more wired.

Jean-Marc Aué : I think that in a playoff game anything is possible for both teams. Now about the numbers and the home advantage, for me Narbonne is the favourite. With a large crowd behind Narbonnais and their last win in the championship at Suresnes with the offensive bonus, not all of this is neutral.

Feeling more usual tension in your ranks?

JM.A : It’s an elimination match, the loser will be on vacation. Personally, I have a mixed group of experienced guys and young players, some of whom haven’t experienced this kind of tense, smart matches. There is a rugby match on Saturday, but there are mental and environmental pressures to deal with beforehand. I remember the last game in Narbonne that we had a lot of pressure. I know the players are looking forward to it, the truth is on the field.

JS : I feel my boys are involved. There is excitement, there will be a lot of people and those who have the chance to participate in this half know that these are special moments. That no matter what division you play in, you won’t experience ten in your life, unless you play at Stade Toulouse. It’s adrenaline, but it shouldn’t stress us. We prepare for it, but it remains a rugby match: when the whistle goes, you hide what is happening in the stands, the preparations, you only think about your match.

Is this one of the most important derbies of recent years?

JS : I think so. It’s been around ten years since the two teams have competed against each other almost all the time in the same division and I don’t think there has been a derby with as much excitement, effort and fervor. It is great for the territory, for the Aude country. The context is super exciting.

JM.A : There are two cities in the same department that want to look higher. It is this superiority that everyone wants to achieve, this desire to win. There will be no second chances. Today is the culmination of an entire season. There is a lot of work, sweat, passion, and in all degrees. When you win, you are the greatest, and when you lose, they want to cut your head off.

Did the episode of the match that was about to be replayed change anything in the approach to this match and in your personal relationships?

JS : No, it didn’t count. When the decision was made, I never thought about it because it’s not in my character. Everyone uses it however they want, but I didn’t try to cheer the guys up because that’s what happened. In our relationship with Jean-Marc, I clearly have no problems, even though we don’t know each other very well. Whenever we could see each other, it was cordial and friendly. I don’t have the same opinion about his partner, but that’s ego and what I feel. But I don’t want to create controversy. It was facts, decisions made, people that determined the fate of these cases. We achieved our goal of being in the semi-finals just like Carcassonne and that’s the most important thing.

JM.A : There was this episode, but both teams won at home. In the end there was no impact on the ranking, it was more affected by Blagnac’s withdrawal. In any case, I don’t use that to motivate my guys, otherwise there would be very little stopping it. The relationship we have with Julien is classy. There is respect for each other, for our roles in our respective clubs. We have to gain perspective from all that, because when the fight starts we are powerless. We all want to win, we stand behind our colors and our clubs, but it stops there. I respect Julien’s work and I think he respects mine. I know that he, like me, does not want to lose (laughs).

What do you admire most about the opposing team?

JM.A : Specialists often point out: Narbonne probably has the best three-quarter line at Nationale. They hurt us every time we played them. It is a certainty. It’s a complete, consistent team. It is also against them that we lost the only one of our last 7 games.

JS : Where I am personally surprised, and even more so because I know the Carcassonne club by heart, is that it is not easy to work there. To do the season that “Carca” did after a year of descent while knowing the environmental context of USC demonstrates the work done by Jean-Marc. Being able to stay focused on your goals with your team and get to the halfway point in a season where you have to mourn your decline, where you lose players, where you have to rebuild quickly with impacted financial resources. This is clearly commendable. First of all, I didn’t expect him to have a season like this. It illustrates the qualities he has.

Which player is the most dangerous, the one you distrust the most on the opposing team?

JS : I know several of them across the street, but Romain Manchia, André Ursache, Raphaël Carbou. I really like Gaëtan Pichon too. I’m not saying I’d trade them for my players, but they’re good players.

JM.A : I like his helmeted three-quarter center (laughs) (Peter Betham, editor’s note)

Is this kind of match, a derby, a good showcase for the National?

JM.A : Yes, it’s a great showcase. My only complaint is that there is no video, that there are many things we are still missing. Taking the semi-final against Narbonne, in a derby like this, of course gives a good image for the championship. All this proximity craze is great because everyone is hooking up and on Saturday night everyone is going to party together. It gives a lot of emotion at the end of the match when you see all the people happy. I’m not sure that many people experience as much emotion as we do. I hope the best guy wins and no matter what happens, life won’t end on Saturday night.

JS : I agree with Jean-Marc, this kind of moment helps to bring people together. We are privileged because we will experience moments with a lot of adrenaline from the inside. It is a beautiful showcase, a beautiful image of Nationale. We all hope not to be there next year, but this game will be fun. I’m happy to be here, happy to play against Carcassonne. It’s going to be a great day with 8 to 10,000 people, it’s fabulous.