Three days on, Narbonne are still partying. Reached by phone, full-back Boris Goutard makes no secret of it. He took the time to look back over Narbonne’s title against Nice, and with it promotion to Pro D2. A happy man, the Béarn native revisits that tight final and tells the story of the celebrations. Interview.

IT’S RUGBY. – Have you come back down to earth yet, or not at all? Is the party still going?
Boris Goutard: A bit of both! We are starting to take in what happened to us, but we are still on a high. It is too good, we are making the most of it, we are loving it. Moments like these are incredible. That is why you play rugby.

What has been on the celebration programme?
We are doing the rounds of the bars, taking it easy. We are going to thank the people who supported us all season, the partners, the ones we had our little routines with, whether over a coffee or a beer. We also got a walkabout yesterday with the town hall, that was great. We are seeing pretty much everyone and enjoying every moment. And then we are going to organise a trip to Ibiza with the players. We are busy planning it all, to mark the occasion properly.

How is the shield holding up?
(laughs) To be honest, we are at the Makila, a steakhouse in Narbonne. The shield is sitting there like a plate, like a serving dish. We do not let go of it, we mess about with it. We broke it, but someone kindly repaired it for us, so let’s say the stupidity has been cancelled out. But no, we never leave it.

After a gruelling semi-final against Albi and then an intense final against Nice, how do you feel physically? Have you recovered?
No, really not. I am not going to lie to you, the bodies are a bit battered. Personally I am in a sorry state, physically and mentally (laughs). But with the euphoria of it all, you do not think about it too much. We are enjoying ourselves. There will be plenty of time to rest and get back to everyday life.

We did not expect to take that kind of storm for that long

How did you experience that game against Nice, with Nice completely dominating the first half?
Not very well, to tell the truth. Not because I did not believe, mind you. But inevitably, when you are dominated like that, you have to face facts. We were taken apart in every area of the game, whether at the ruck or physically. We were aware of that. We had talked about it, about the freshness they might have more of than us. We were coming off a gruelling semi-final that went to kicks at goal. We knew they would lean on that freshness and physical power. We knew the first 20 minutes would be tricky, but we did not expect to take that kind of storm for that long. We were in trouble. But that is what forged us. We told ourselves that if we did not believe it ourselves, we were not going to do it. At some point you had to lift your head and go, because we were more than capable of it.

In the second half, did you feel you were getting back on top?
Yes, honestly, I felt it. I was replaced a little after the 65th minute because I was cooked. But emotionally and physically, you can feel it when you start getting on top of your opponent. I spent my time firing the lads up because I felt there really was something to be done. Maybe that is also why I tired more quickly. And sure enough. In the end, we swung the match. It is hard to explain, if not impossible. You have to live it to understand it. But we believed, and it smiled on us.

I felt like I was playing that match in Narbonne. A whole people was behind us, whether in front of the television or in the stands. And when we got back to Narbonne, the whole town was there

At the final whistle, what went through your head?
It is different for everyone. Some lads react differently. Me, I let everything go. I am not a very emotional person, but that time it was too much. Maybe also because I was stressed on the touchline after coming off. A lot of the lads cried. It is natural after that kind of joy. Right now we have been on the party trail for three or four days and you do not necessarily take it all in. But when you watch the videos going round, it all comes back. It is monstrous. On the pitch you are hugging blokes you have never seen before. Everyone is congratulating everyone. It is a huge communion with the crowd. I felt like I was playing that match in Narbonne. A whole people was behind us, whether in front of the television or in the stands. And when we got back to Narbonne, the whole town was there. You are kissing blokes you do not even know, but you are so happy that you feel like you have always known them.

Do you have a little party anecdote for us?
There are plenty, but I cannot tell you everything. It stays between us. If it is any reassurance, we did what needed to be done (laughs).

There is some uncertainty around your future. Do you know where you will be playing next season?
I have no idea, I do not know a thing about my situation. Right now I do not have a contract at Narbonne. I have had some contact recently, but nothing very concrete. Now is not the time to think about it. Whether at Narbonne or elsewhere, we will see what the future holds for me.

Are you thinking of taking the shield back to your home patch?
We have thought about it. There are around 50 of us, so we would have to draw up a rota with everyone keeping the shield for two days maximum. It is complicated, but it would be really cool to go back home and show it off, whether at the rugby school where I started or to my family and friends.