Bordeaux (AFP)

The clash between Bordeaux-Bègles and Toulon on Saturday (3:15 p.m.) will also be worth the return to his land of the Var half Baptiste Serin, who did not leave Jefferson Poirot indifferent, his friend and roommate for many years.

For AFP, the left pillar and captain of the UBB returns to the ties that unite the two French internationals.

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First meeting

"It was in 2012. I had just arrived from Brive and he made his debut shortly afterwards following the injury of Manu Saubusse. When he chained the matches, he gave the impression of a guy already ready, who , no pun intended, oozed serenity. He was sure of himself, of his game, it could almost seem arrogance so much he was at ease but in the end, after having known him, it was not that. Despite his age (18 and a half), he was already a leader of men, quite enterprising ".

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First connection

"When we arrived almost at the same time, we quickly got in touch with each other, we were a small group of young players of about the same age, fairly close-knit. The real connection is when we came together as a team of France (during the tour in Argentina in 2016, Editor's note) and we did a long way together. That's when we really got closer. Baptiste often had friends who were left pillars. Toulon, he spent a little time in the bedroom with + Séb + Tao (Taofifenua) and he's a good friend with Jean-Baptiste Gros. It's his little cute sin, he loves the left pillars (laughs) ".

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First common room

“It was during the 2014-2015 season and we stayed together until he left UBB (in 2019). We balance ourselves. Baptiste has a rather jovial and open character while I am a little more shy and reserved. In the France team, even if he arrived a little after me, he helped me to reach out to others, to integrate myself more. For my part, I think I helped him to feel comfortable and in an environment of trust. I was behind him when he had moments of doubt, during which it was a little harder for him to stay the course. It's more in the intimate than in the collective. We support each other, we don't call each other every day since he was in Toulon but we know that we are there for each other. true friendships, that brotherly relationship. "

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His legacy at UBB

"He inevitably left his ardor there. It is not for nothing in the game that we have played at UBB for years. On his first selections, he is typically in the Bordeaux style of play. Was it the UBB who did it like that or he who brought it even more? I have the impression that when he really took the game on his own at the UBB, we had a cap. With him, we played the Champions Cup, he highlighted the club through his performances in the European Cup or internationally ".

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His departure to Toulon

"I wasn't necessarily happy to see him leave. I talked to him a lot about it and I think he really needed it. His departure was a loss for us. When you see the performances he does in Toulon, we tell ourselves that he has gone up one, or even two, notches and that he made the right choice. For the friendly side, it's difficult ".

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His return on Saturday

"I hope he won't be happy (laughs). For him, the page is turned. Here, it's no longer his home, it's up to us to mark our territory and we will have to do the job even if He is a friend opposite. I know he is very appreciated within the Bordeaux squad but once we are on the pitch, it will be necessary to make his life difficult. If his life is too easy. , that he is moving forward and confident, it will be very complicated. Baptiste is a player who likes this kind of challenge, who likes to prove. It will not necessarily be difficult for him, he will be galvanized by the event and it would have been even more if there had been an audience ".

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