Against Gaillac in the Fédérale 1 quarter-finals, Saint-Sulpice-sur-Lèze booked their ticket for Nationale 2. The Haute-Garonne club also confirmed their place in the semi-finals, where they will take on one of the division’s ogres: Floirac.

For It’s Rugby, Franck Tebaldini, the club’s scrum-half and captain, looked back on the derby won against Gaillac but has his eyes on what comes next. Promotion is in the bag, granted, but Tebaldini and his team-mates want more. Interview.

IT’S RUGBY. – Franck, how do you feel a few days after that win over Gaillac, which means promotion?
Franck Tebaldini: For four years we had been reaching the quarter-finals regularly, and it was the third time in a row that we had come unstuck in that promotion match. Beyond going up to Nationale 2, the real challenge was getting through that quarter-final. There was quite a bit of pressure in the group. We told ourselves it was now or never. The first feeling is relief. Then comes pride. We didn’t have an easy season. At the start of the campaign we had lost a few players. We brought up a fair number of Espoirs and we weren’t quite sure where we were heading. In the end, it all came together. We managed to finish top of our pool, which allowed us to skip the play-off match and arrive fresher for the play-offs. I’m really proud of the group.

How did you experience that derby against Gaillac?
It was a match for promotion, a quarter-final, but above all it was a derby with a huge atmosphere. Gaillac are a team we know well. They have been in our pool for two or three seasons now. It’s always special against them. On top of that, they often win at our place and we often win at theirs. We knew each other inside out. Their strength is their very big pack, with some massive players. But they play good rugby as well. It was a good match. I’d like to take the chance to congratulate Gaillac, who were good losers. Over the two legs, they deserved to go through as much as we did. It came down to a few details, and also to their kicker’s off-day. Well done to them. I think that next year they will be hard to handle in Fédérale 1.

Having failed several times at that same stage, is that something that has toughened you up?
Yes, definitely. We have a group with a lot of shared history. We have been playing together for several seasons. There is always a player or two joining to strengthen us, but as I said in the changing room before the second leg of the quarter-final, we had made a date with each other this time last year, telling ourselves that this would be the year. For us, it was unthinkable not to get there. We also gave ourselves the means throughout the season. We worked on things that aren’t very visible. We tried to prepare as well as possible for the intense heat we had on Sunday. I think the coin fell our way, but we did put in the ingredients for it to fall that way.

You were talking about the Espoirs who have come into the group. What is your view on them?
Let’s not hide it: we don’t have the biggest budget in Fédérale (laughs). We certainly don’t have the biggest town. We might even be the smallest. We have to find solutions and go through our academy. It’s a source of pride to see these youngsters who were in the Espoirs last year now stepping up to this level. Unfortunately, the Espoirs didn’t qualify this year. It was important to us that they did so every year. But when you see that five of last season’s starting pack now play with us every weekend… They bring freshness and energy. The vast majority of them came through the club. And you can feel it.

Promotion is a bonus, but it wasn't at all what was driving us

There is one match left, maybe two. Are you thinking more about promotion or about the title?
What drives us is the title. I’ve been thinking about it since the start of the season. We have Benjamin Roquebert, one of my best friends, who is retiring at the end of the season. It’s my wish to send him off through the grandest of doors. We’ll do everything for that. We know we aren’t favourites. Those who know Fédérale 1 a little had Floirac and Annonay down as the two big favourites. We’ve got Floirac in the semi-final (smiles). That’s the first mountain to climb and we’re going to try to do it. Promotion is a bonus, but it wasn’t at all what was driving us.

Does that underdog status suit you well?
Absolutely. I grew up 10 kilometres from Saint-Sulpice, in Carbonne (Haute-Garonne, editor’s note). I have always followed the club’s results. I came to play at Saint-Sulpice with Narbonne in 2018 and we lost. That evening, I told myself that this was where I needed to be. I stayed with them for the third half and then signed for Saint-Sulpice the following year. Historically, we have always had that status. We have always had that ability to bring down the big sides at home. That same year, Saint-Sulpice-sur-Lèze had beaten Narbonne and Albi, and weren’t far off doing it against Valence-Romans. All of that thanks to our mindset, which gets the supporters and the officials buzzing. That status suits us well.

Have you already discussed going up to Nationale 2 with your club officials?
The officials have been preparing for three or four years, since we came close every time. You see articles everywhere talking about promotion. But what has to be said is that all the teams in Nationale come from big or medium-sized towns. We have 2,300 inhabitants. What the town hall gives us, even if it’s the maximum for them, is tiny compared with those teams. We have to go looking elsewhere, to the spectators and the sponsors. The presidents have worked a lot on that. Yes, we have talked about it. I think we’ll go up. But we are really focused on the semi-final. The idea is not to talk about it beforehand. We’ll follow whatever the club wants to do.

I think they'll turn up on tractors! They've promised us something never seen before

Against Floirac, is the aim also to bring the whole village to the match?
(smiles) Yes, we’ve talked about it with the old boys. This is farming country. Benjamin (Roquebert, editor’s note) is a farmer and a lot of former players are too. I think they’ll turn up on tractors! They’ve promised us something never seen before. We already can’t wait to be there. There is going to be a great atmosphere and it will be a huge party for the club and for the village.

Bedlam in the stands. Photo credit: Axel Derewiany.

What do you make of this Floirac side?
They weren’t in our pool. We followed their results from a distance. We started watching their match against Bagnères. It’s a team built for Nationale 2. They are tidy, they play very well, they have a very good kicker and excellent backs. Against Bagnères, who were a big obstacle, they also held up in the set piece and the scrum. It’s going to be a real test for us. There aren’t too many weak points in that team. They are favourites and that’s normal. We are the outsiders. We’ll try to go and find resources beyond rugby to stand up to this fine side.

So you have been at the club for eight years. Do you feel you have always been part of the team?

Yes, completely. For a start, I grew up 10 kilometres away. People often talk about how rugby is changing. Here, we try to keep alive a mindset where the celebration matters as much as training, where spending time together counts as much as what happens on the pitch. We only train twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, contrary to what some people think and say (laughs). They should come and see for themselves! On Thursday evening we all eat at the club. Some of our officials or volunteers are 80 years old and the head chef is 86 or 87! They always cook us great meals. We try to make the most of the time we spend on the pitch, because it’s limited. We try to keep that village rugby spirit, even though we’re in Fédérale 1. We run like a Régionale club, in the end (laughs). But when we’re on the pitch, we train very hard. We’re lucky to have coaches who know what they’re doing, and a top-class strength and conditioning coach. It’s great.