Gio Aplon gave an interview to SA Rugby, where he talked about his season at the FCG, the struggle for relegation and the Springboks.
His responsibilities at the club
“I’ve Bernard Jackman and Mike Prendergast to thank for giving me the responsibility to play my game and to play what I see. It’s great to have that freedom. I’m enjoying my rugby more than ever, not just because of that, but also because I’m now in my thirties and aware that my career won’t last forever.”
The financial difficulties of the club
“It’s been quite easy to keep my focus. I’m a professional rugby player so my job is to concentrate on winning matches. The coaches and directors kept us well informed of events, and the financial problems were quickly resolved.”
The struggle for relegation
“Relegation is something Super Rugby players have no idea about. If there’s no threat of relegation, there’s less pressure, and players and coaches have time to assess what’s going wrong in a season. There isn’t that luxury in France. The Top 14 is such a tight league that there’s no time for calm analysis. If you’re in the bottom half of the table you have to try to win every game, however you can. Emotions swing from one extreme to the other in the space of a week and mentally that’s hard to deal with. On top of that it’s physically very demanding. That’s why for me the Top 14 is the toughest championship in world rugby.”
The Springboks
“Of course I would love to play for the Boks again! I feel there is some unfinished business for me, and I can assure you the fire burns as brightly as ever. But that’s me speaking from the heart. Speaking realistically, I should only be selected if I am a solution, and not an alternative. What is the point of picking someone at my age if it is just for a few matches? It means I have blocked the progress of a younger player. Am I good enough to play for South Africa for the next three years? I hope so. If the coach thinks so and picks me, it would be a huge honour to pull on the jersey again. But if it’s not to add value, the coach must go with the youngsters because I don’t want to cause more damage than good in the long term.”
The All-Black
“Rugby is about getting the ball over the tryline. In South Africa we’ve become accustomed to just running over people, but New Zealand are showing us there are different ways to score tries.”
Auteur : FCG Rugby