Disappointed and tired, Siméon Soenen still agreed to answer Ruck Zone’s questions. And we thank him for it. Earlier, the 22-year-old full-back had gone through one of the biggest disappointments of his young career: the elimination of Belgium at the gates of the 2027 World Cup.

Up against Samoa, the Belgians held out for a long time. To the point of not losing the match (13-13), but of being knocked out because of an attacking bonus point missed against Namibia a few days earlier.

Soenen, an outstanding player with Albi in Nationale, looked back on that “disappointment” and tells the story of a match that will stay in everyone’s mind. Interview.

RUCK ZONE: How are you feeling a few days after your side’s elimination? 
Siméon Soenen: A lot of disappointment all the same, after that match, because we did draw with Samoa, and unfortunately that isn’t enough to get us qualified. So we’re very disappointed, personally I’m very disappointed. After that, well, you have to go back to the club and switch over pretty quickly. And maybe think about the next World Cup, if in six years’ time, in 2031, we might be able to qualify. So there you go, very disappointed not to be able to qualify for this World Cup. 

What will you take away from that match against Samoa? 
The draw, I think. It’s still hard not to qualify after getting a draw. Then again, we knew that if we got that result, Samoa would go through. But that’s what I’ll take away. It’s a shame.

In your view, what did Belgium lack to win it?
When we get into their scoring zone, we can score several times but we don’t. Unfortunately, against a big team like that, you pay for it. That’s what we lacked. But we weren’t ridiculous against Samoa either. For Belgium, that’s a decent effort. We deserve that result.

Physically, did the contacts sting against the abrasive Samoans?
Yes, it was pretty heavy. Then again, I’m not the biggest… (smiles) So compared with me, there are plenty of big units! We still competed well. Up front, we responded well. We really made them doubt. They must have asked themselves whether they were going to go through or not. 

There’s disappointment, but pride too, isn’t there? 
Yes, that’s for sure. We’re proud of what we did, of the tournament we put together. We beat Namibia and Brazil, two teams we had never beaten. We’re pleased with our tournament all the same. But it’s true that all that’s left is the disappointment of not qualifying by a single point…

The saddest part is that we had two old hands, 35 and 36 years old, who were playing their last match. I mostly thought about them. It was a real p*** off for them that we missed out on a qualification that could have been historic

Siméon Soenen

What was the mood like after the elimination?
We were all sad. We didn’t talk much. We each kept to ourselves. The saddest part is that we had two old hands, 35 and 36 years old, who were playing their last match. I mostly thought about them. It was a real p*** off for them that we missed out on a qualification that could have been historic. We only spoke to each other again the day after the match, when we had to leave. A few of them said a word. It wasn’t exactly joyful.

Has the young Belgian generation, which you also embody, taken over for the future?
Yes. We have a lot of young players. There are a few older ones who won’t be able to play in the next World Cups. We have enough young players to build with. A lot of people watched us. I think it will make young people want to take up rugby or to carry on. We haven’t “taken over” yet, because we still have older players alongside us with plenty of big matches behind them. We respect them. Our young generation is pretty good.

The Belgian federation is doing good work; what are the main areas in which the national side has progressed? 
That’s a good question. I’m not really involved in that side of things. But it’s true that where Belgium is concerned, I think a few improvements are needed. Then again, that’s for the board and the coaches to look at. We’ll have to raise a bit more money so we can hope for better and keep this momentum going.

World Rugby’s eligibility rule also allows you to bring in good players…
Yes, that’s for sure. We need every player, wherever they play. At the top level, players with Belgian links, we’ll need them if we want to hope for more. Belgium isn’t a big country.

Going back to your club after a setback like that, not too hard?
I think it’s going to be complicated. But unfortunately, that’s life. You really have to switch over, get into “club mode”. That’s how it is.

What was the pre-match message? Play freely and without pressure?
That was it. It was really about playing the way we’ve always played. That means not being stressed, playing at 100%. Those were the coach’s words. Our coaches were certain we were going to win. It was very positive before the match.

Were the Samoans too sure of themselves? Did you sense it?
Definitely. In their first two matches, they had taken the bonus point. Then again, I think they must have expected us to compete a bit. But maybe not to that extent. Being ahead at half-time, I think that really frightened them. And that’s a good thing. 

Have you already started training again with Albi? 
No. We have a week without a match. Then we go into a block of two games. After that we go straight into the Christmas break. 

It’s a shame we didn’t qualify because we’re going to miss the Nations Cup. We’re going to miss some important matches we could have played and that could have opened even more doors for us. The matches were live on Belgian TV. I think there were more than 500,000 viewers across the three matches. That’s pretty good for a small country like Belgium where rugby really isn’t well known

Siméon Soenen

Did your team-mates congratulate you? 
Yes, they congratulated us (him and Jean-Baptiste de Clercq, prop for Albi and Belgium, editor’s note). Then again, I didn’t have time to run into them because they were off to play at Nice. I got a few messages that did me good, even if mentally you don’t think about it too much and you tell yourself you missed out on something. It still does you good to see all the people following us.

Belgium still won quite a few hearts during those qualifiers… 
Yes, and that’s a good thing. We were able to show ourselves to everyone, to Belgium, to World Rugby… It’s a shame we didn’t qualify because we’re going to miss the Nations Cup. We’re going to miss some important matches we could have played and that could have opened even more doors for us. The matches were live on Belgian TV. I think there were more than 500,000 viewers across the three matches. That’s pretty good for a small country like Belgium where rugby really isn’t well known, to be honest.

A match one day against France, do you think about it? 
I thought about it just before Samoa (smiles). I told myself it would be nice to play them because I was born in France and I have dual nationality. I could really see myself playing a match against France at a World Cup. But well, we’re going to have to wait a bit, unfortunately. Even a friendly would be complicated.