Lyon (AFP)

"I do not go to New York on vacation but to win something," said Friday the 3rd line of Lyon, Mathieu Bastareaud, who plays Sunday (12:30) his last match with LOU Rugby against La Rochelle.

"Joker World Cup" with the Lou, the player will join the British Barbarians for three weeks then the United States to play Rugby United New York in Major League Rugby.

Q: Mathieu Bastareaud, what is your state of mind before your last match with Lyon?

A: "I prepare the game like everyone else, the context is different for me, for the team it's the first in a long series, it's important to start well. the European Cup, I wish them good luck ".

Q: What do you remember from your visit to Lyon?

A: "Lyon is a nice city, which I did not know, I am pleasantly surprised by the club, it is structuring itself to reach its ambitions ... In the future, it will really have to rely on Lyon. that the infrastructure and the environment around the club were also square and developed.The LOU is an old club historically, but new in the Top 14. I'm not surprised that it remains on two semi-finals in a row ".

Q: Can Lyon go to the finals this season?

A: "We must not catch fire!" We have benefited from an almost complete squad since the start of the season, Clermont, Toulouse and others have been much more penalized than us by the World Cup. We have accumulated a lot of confidence and certainty about our game. "To finish the season, we have to continue in this way, twelve games are coming in. The elevator can come back down quickly".

Q: What is your personal balance sheet?

A: "It was not easy, I discovered a new job, a new club, a new environment, I stayed in a single club for eight years, I had my own routine. I knew most of the guys here, and the band is healthy, there's a good atmosphere, it's been pretty fast, I've tried to give the best of myself to a job that I did not know, I took pleasure in doing it, after that, it's more for the coaches to talk about it ... "

Q: This change of position, 3rd line center, did you like it?

A: "Yes, I was coming out of a year where I did not have fun, rugby-speaking, and discovering a new job made me change my job over four months. Nothing to do, it's not the same effort, I take the opportunity to do my mea culpa, and behind, we're used to shouting on the front when they forget each other, I understand better now! I did not try to make everyone laugh, I did it seriously, and my teammates helped me a lot. There were a lot of parameters to manage.

Q: What are you going to look for in New York?

A: "Maybe a little more tranquility, enjoy more of my family, and I want to try a new experience in an unknown country, I only went once there to sign my contract. I'm going a little bit to blow, I've been playing in the Top 14. I've started quite young, it's been a lot of pressure, energy ... My family situation has changed, I want to take advantage of it I do not go to New York on vacation, I'm a competitor, I'm going to be on top and win something. "

Q: What do you know about the club and the championship?

A: "There is the ambition to develop rugby in the United States, and why not organize a World Cup ... I go there with a lot of curiosity, I do not expect to find the same level 'In the Top 14 or in the European Cup, that plays a lot in rugby, like in Super 15, at a lower level, there are not many static phases, it's a great experience to live in.'

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