Thomas Bordes (Gujan-Mestras): “May this union last as long as possible”

At Gujan-Mestras, the union with La Teste was never a given, but it became a necessity. On the pitch, it clicked straight away: five wins from six rounds of Fédérale 1 and a losing bonus point snatched at the death in Soustons. At 36, Thomas Bordes captains this new side. Speaking to It’s Rugby, the hooker, whose career has taken in Mont-de-Marsan, Lyon, Oyonnax, Massy, Suresnes and Bassin d’Arcachon among others, talks about the union of the two clubs, a turbulent summer, building the club and the results on the pitch, and about the situation at his boyhood club Stade Montois, which “saddens” him.

Gujan and La Teste, a union that became a necessity

IT’S RUGBY. – How do you see this union between Gujan and La Teste?
Thomas Bordes: It’s an important step for the area. Together, you’re often stronger. But that doesn’t take away any of the respect for the history written by the people who came before, in both clubs. It’s not easy, that’s for sure, to bring two clubs together, especially when you know all the derby stories and all the rivalries there could be. But today, I think it was important for the Bassin to come together.

It was quite a turbulent summer though, wasn’t it?
Yes, it was. It took a huge amount of work from the directors who put it in place. Obviously, if everyone isn’t pulling in the same direction, it can’t work. There’s still a huge amount of work to do. It’s a project under construction, and that takes time. It also matters for the youngsters, who were part of a joint youth set-up. Within the club structure, they had to choose between the two at the end of their development. Now there’s a real pathway. I think that’s brilliant. For now, our results are good. We’ve won five out of six. The defeat in Soustons came down to the last minute, but we still took a losing bonus point.

On the sporting side, it looks like things clicked straight away…
Today, everyone involved in the project wants it to succeed. From that moment on, we all share the same goal. On both sides, whether at La Teste or at Gujan, we’d had up-and-down seasons. Now we’ve got our competitive edge back and competition for places in every position. Everyone is fully committed and I think that’s behind our good start to the season.

Our only goal is to have a massive season and qualify.

Thomas Bordes

Wasn’t there some frustration that the club is called Gujan-Mestras, and not Gujan-Mestras–La Teste, like a real union?
As La Teste hadn’t been liquidated, you couldn’t create a new entity. Then again, everyone involved in the project sees it as a union, even if it isn’t called “Union du bassin d’Arcachon rugby” but Gujan. We’re fully committed. We play one match at La Teste, one at Gujan. Coming together, we’re already doing it, it’s done. The resources have been pooled. The name, the colour of the jersey, what you see on it, that matters because it’s tied to our ground. But it’s secondary, because our only goal is to have a massive season and qualify.

The end of the RCBA and a 100% amateur project

So the RCBA’s liquidation has been fully confirmed?
The club’s liquidation was finalised in August. It has been put on hold and is starting again as a new entity called UST / SAA. That was the previous union between La Teste and Arcachon. For now, there’s no team at this level. They’re going to submit a new application to the federation, so I think there will be a delay before it’s presented, to get the Union du bassin d’Arcachon project off the ground.

In your view, was this union the best possible decision?
It was the right solution. For two or three years, we kept losing one, two, three players from the core of the squad. Guys who were really good. This time, it meant we kept everyone.

So each club needed the other…
Yes, completely. As I said at the start, the Bassin and the area really needed to build a club that would last. You know the current economic climate: finding partners isn’t easy. They tell you: “I’ll give you this much.” And in the end, they might give you less, but there’s nothing they can do about it. If their turnover is down, it’s complicated. This time, we’ve built a project on much more solid foundations, meaning a 100% amateur club, and that’s important. It relies on a very strong base of volunteers, directors and supporters. At first, some had reservations, but now they see it’s working, they want to come along too. It felt strange for them, no doubt, coming to La Teste and vice versa. But without that trio of supporters, volunteers and directors, who get involved and want the project to succeed, we wouldn’t manage it.

You said there were still big areas to work on. Which ones? The structure?
That’s it. Everything had to come together. Everyone had to find their place in the new set-up. And more and more, it’s settling in. It will never be perfect, but it keeps moving in the right direction. And as I said at the start, the results on the pitch also keep this project alive and help it hold together. If we’d lost the first four or five matches, it would have been a different story.

Top-six target in Fédérale 1

On the sporting side, did you set clear targets at the start of the season?
Yes, our target is the top six. We really want to get there before the Nationale restructuring that’s coming. That said, we’re two squads brought together. We knew each other a little, because we’re neighbours, but no more than that. So we’re being patient. We’re taking it one game at a time.

It must have changed things for the semi-pro players at Arcachon, who had to find jobs on the side…
Exactly. Five of us were still under contract. Federation rules say that if you’re under contract with a club, you need an employment contract to sign for another club. It was compulsory, so the five of us were let go. There was the Georgian right-hander Sharashvili, who left for Rouen. And then the others: Benjamin Dumas, Andrew Chauveau, Yann Caillat and me.

We’ve gone back to expenses in line with the Fédérale norm, connected to reality. And above all, no promises that won’t be kept.

Thomas Bordes

So it’s been a good transition with this new project?
Yes. We’ve gone back to expenses in line with the Fédérale norm, connected to reality. And above all, no promises that won’t be kept, no money owed and left unpaid. We’re not talking about money here, it’s just that the directors have drawn up a viable plan, without excess.

Old hands, youngsters and a 41-year-old elder statesman

I get the impression there’s a great bond between the older players and the young ones…
We know this amateur level well: there are always a few old warhorses in the middle, who matter for the experience in the group, for the maturity. And it’s important too to have all these youngsters alongside pushing and keeping the old guys on their toes (laughs). It’s a good mix of hot and cold. Wisdom and experience on one side, fire and youth on the other.

What about Fijian Gabiriele Lovobalavu? Whose career has taken in Toulon, Bayonne, Oyonnax, Wasps and Bourgoin, among others?
He’s still playing. He’s our elder statesman. He’s 41 now. He was a bit troubled by some minor tendinopathy in his knees. But he’s in great shape. For a start, you can see all his class when he plays. His technical game is impressive. With him, everything is smooth, easy. Physically, he’s razor sharp! He looks after himself, he goes to the gym. And he’s brilliant at passing things on to the youngsters. He carries a huge amount of weight in the group. It’s a luxury to have experienced players like that in the squad. And such a kind man, too…

You’ve played in quite a few competitions. How do you see this level evolving?
At one point, when we went down from Pro D2, the Nationale didn’t exist, it was Fédérale 1. There was a huge gap. You had two or three tough games a year, but for the rest, you could see there were really big differences. Now, when you look at the results, whether this round or the one before, the standard is high. The packs are big. The set piece, the scrum, the mauls, it’s rugged. The players are powerful. And they play very good rugby too. You’ve got teams that can throw it wide all afternoon and know how to play after contact. We really represent the highest amateur level, even if the Nationale also comes under the Federation.

At 36, “still the fire”

At 36, how do you feel, physically and mentally?
In peak condition! (laughs) I’ve still got the fire. As long as I have that fire, the desire to be up front, the desire to be the best, I tell myself it mustn’t stop. Because the day you close the book, you can’t open it again. I’m making the most of these last years. There’s no secret: I watch what I eat, I don’t drink often, I sleep well, I go to the gym three or four times a week.

Is your leadership role the same as at your previous clubs, or has it changed?
It’s still the same. They named me team captain three years ago, but it hasn’t fundamentally changed who I am, or the way I express myself. It’s a role I feel comfortable in. It comes naturally, I don’t force myself to speak up, to shout at someone or to talk to the youngsters. It’s something that gets passed on naturally. That’s how I was brought up. When I started at Mont-de-Marsan, 17 or 18 years ago now, there were old players, old hookers, who were there to take me under their wing, advise me, talk things through, give me their time. I think that from a certain age, that role is essential. I’m really pleased they’ve given me this responsibility in the team. I feel fulfilled.

To finish, what can we wish for this union?
That it lasts as long as possible! That it keeps thriving, keeps evolving, and that this year it manages to reach its goals. We’re only passing through clubs, but it would be great if we could write a chapter in the history of the union of these two clubs.

Stade Montois, the club close to his heart

When I watched Stade Montois’s access match against Nice last year, once the game was over, I stayed sitting there for a quarter of an hour without moving.

Thomas Bordes

A more personal word. You mentioned Mont-de-Marsan. I imagine you follow what’s going on there…
Yes, it breaks my heart. When I see the difficulties they’re facing at the moment and the lack of solutions, it’s hard, that’s for sure. I understand the supporters’ discontent. On the other hand, you don’t always understand all the nastiness there can be behind it, because there are still human beings in the middle of all that. But it definitely saddens me. When I watched Stade Montois’s access match against Nice last year, once the game was over, I stayed sitting there for a quarter of an hour without moving. I’m really sad about their situation.