With that broad smile of hers, it is hard to believe Marie Ibañez is getting ready for Sunday’s showdown with Stade Toulousain. The young Lionnes de Bordeaux player, crowned champion of France last season with the Gironde club, spoke exclusively to Ruck Zone.

Ducking nothing, the wing-cum-full-back looked back on the World Cup played by most of her team-mates, ahead to the coming season and, of course, at her own ambitions. Just as openly, the Dax native spoke of her “dream of being a professional” one day, having only taken up rugby at 17. A rich interview, to be found on our site.

RUCK ZONE. – How was the close season for you?

Marie Ibañez. : The season finished at the end of May with a French title. It was brilliant. It was the first time I had won it. My head is full of feelings and memories I will keep for life. I was so happy to do it with girls who, for some of them, had won it three times in a row. It launched our internationals into a good rhythm for the World Cup and for their pre-season. And those of us who were not selected trained right through until now and the start of the league on Sunday.

With so many players called up, was the preparation different?

M. I.: We inevitably had to adapt. Almost half of our starting side in the final were part of the France squad, so we had to adapt. We worked hard internally to put ourselves in the right conditions and to work on all our moves and our strategies, so we would be ready when they came back. We had to do that to reconnect properly together. This week, we really felt the girls came back as if nothing had happened. I was pretty blown away by that. It’s lovely.

How did you experience that World Cup, with so many team-mates and friends in the France squad?

M. I.: We, the Lionnes girls, are hugely proud of them. They had an extraordinary run at the World Cup even if we know they were disappointed by the result. I hope they realise everything they did (smiles). They had a real impact on women’s rugby, in France and around the world. 80,000 people came to watch them at Twickenham, and for the growth of women’s rugby that is crazy. And on our side, we sent them a lot of love, a lot of support, we told them to give everything and that is what they did.

Can that enthusiasm filter down to you and to the clubs?

M. I.: For sure. We know that last year already some matches were broadcast on Canal +. That created a real buzz around women’s rugby. It followed on nicely from the World Cup this summer. We hope the momentum will be just as strong this year, starting this weekend with the first league match against Toulouse on Canal +. It promises a big start to the season and we hope to be watched the way we were last year.

That match against Toulouse is also a special one for you…

M. I.: Special, yes, because I joined the Lionnes last year. I spent four seasons at Stade Toulousain. I have been playing rugby for six years but three of them in Élite 1. Meeting your mates on the pitch is always special because I know them and I am very fond of a lot of the girls in that team. But I am delighted to be playing Toulouse and also very ambitious, wanting to give everything.

Marie Ibañez is starting a new season in the colours of Lionnes de Bordeaux. (Photo by Loic Cousin/Icon Sport)

What is the message when you belong to a club that wins almost everything?

M. I.: We know our opponents are very strong too. We know them and at the same time we don’t really know them. Toulouse, for example, are a very unpredictable side. When you play them, you always have to be alert. That is the kind of match we love. Matches with something at stake. We know it is going to be hard but that is also what makes us want to play. When you remember the last final against those same Toulouse players, nothing was settled. The second half was very tight. You wait all year for matches like that. And this time, against Toulouse straight away, it is going to fly! (Smiles)

What targets have you set before the season? Winning the title, no doubt, but do you say it out loud?

M. I.: It is the same for every team. You make sacrifices all year, you train hard precisely to be champions. Yes, we talk about it. A season is long. This one will be even longer, we finish in June. You have to organise yourself well, train well. If we put everything in place for that, we can be part of the top four and then go and chase a final, I hope. And win it, even more so! (Laughs)

How do you judge the way Elite 1 is developing?

M. I.: As with everything, there is inevitably a lot to improve. Elite 1 is a league that grows from year to year. Last season there was a logical step forward with some matches being broadcast. The standard too, with the arrival of young players who have come through the training centres. They are very motivated and impressive. It is a more and more attractive league.

What is still missing in women’s rugby for it to be better structured?

M. I.: There is still the question of professionalism. For now, the girls who are not selected, like me, are semi-professional. It is sometimes quite complicated to combine working life and rugby. In my case, I have a dual project, studying to be a PE teacher. I got my degree and I want to sit the exam later on. In truth, with the rugby coming thick and fast these last two years, I had to hang on a bit to get it, but I am proud to have it (smiles). At the same time, it is complicated to carry on in that field while playing rugby, so this professionalisation problem is very real. It will also come down to the number of people who watch us, the sponsors who put money in…

On that dual project, does the club support you?

M. I.: Yes, it does. The club helps me and will help me this year to find supply work as a PE teacher, so that it fits properly around my training hours. That is great for me. They support a lot of girls who have other projects or who are looking for apprenticeships. They are very invested.

How do you organise your week?

M. I.: I am very happy for my international team-mates who can live off rugby alone. For me, that would be a dream too (laughs). Otherwise, our week is fairly similar for everyone. We train Tuesday lunchtime and evening, Wednesday lunchtime and evening, and Friday lunchtime. They are broken-up days and it is not easy for working life because sometimes you have to say you are leaving early, for instance. It is a bit of a hassle. Otherwise, we train, we go to bed at 10pm and we start again the next day at 8am (laughs).

How do you go about picking up game time despite the competition? Does your versatility at full-back and wing help?

M. I.: We were talking about Toulouse earlier, where I spent four years. I was very well coached there. We know that club of course, and it was able to teach me the basics of rugby since I started fairly late, at 17. I gained a lot of confidence and I raised my level at the Lionnes, thanks in part to the standard of the girls around me. They supported me a lot, they gave me positive feedback too. I felt I had raised my level and, on top of that, won that French title. I really gained confidence in myself and I am ready to give everything this year.

You started very late, but you have a grandfather, a father and two brothers who know rugby well… That must help…

M. I.: With my family, there is no way I could miss out on rugby (laughs). I am very proud to be part of this family. We support each other, all the time, in every project we take on. Before, I did dance, so nothing to do with it, but they were there to support me. In rugby, it is true that I am proud to be my father’s daughter but still, I would also like to make my mark as Marie Ibañez and not only as Raphaël’s daughter. I want to perform at my own level too. The torch has to be passed on and that is fine, that is the old generation. The new one is ready to fight (smiles).

I hope to raise my level of play even further to win a France cap one day. It is one of my goals, one I have been able to set myself since I started and even more so since I have been around the Elite 1 level. Being surrounded by all these international girls who make us dream makes you want to be selected

Marie Ibañez

Does making a name for yourself mean winning a cap?

M. I.: Yes, I think about it, inevitably. I hope to raise my level of play even further to win a France cap one day. It is one of my goals, one I have been able to set myself since I started and even more so since I have been around the Elite 1 level. Being surrounded by all these international girls who make us dream makes you want to be selected (smiles).

Does UBB advise the Lionnes? Are you allowed to use their facilities?

M. I.: On Tuesday evenings we train at the CEVA Campus, the training centre for UBB’s professionals and Espoirs. It gives us a lot of comfort and professionalism, with a huge gym, artificial pitches… We have a bridge with UBB that helps us. That said, I think that link could be strengthened a little on communication, for example, with collaborations or adverts we could do together to build the image. With UBB players and Lionnes players, that could be cool.

How do you feel going into the start of the season? It feels like there is no pressure…

M. I.: Pressure, yes and no. Truthfully I don’t much like that word (laughs). I find that when you are in a team where you feel comfortable, in which you feel ready to play, you only want one thing: to be out on the pitch. In fact, I just can’t wait for the league to start, to see how we get on and how we begin this season.

No favours against Toulouse, then…

M. I.: Oh no, there will be no favours on either side, that’s for sure! We know the Toulouse players will want revenge for the final they lost, we know we have our own character and that we want to beat them… There is going to be a big battle, it will take a lot of courage and commitment, and the team that manages to rise above all the little mistakes is the one that will win.