"Privileged and Honored"

What was your feeling at the announcement of your appointment as captain of the FCG?

"It was a real surprise to be named captain. I feel privileged and honored to represent the FCG for this 2017-2018 season. I expect these challenges on and off the pitch. "

Have you ever been a captain before?

"I've been a captain in the past. I will use these experiences that I learned during my career in rugby. I will also rely on the group of leaders to accompany me. "

Can you tell us what was the process leading to your appointment?

"A group of players and the staff discussed it for a few weeks. I was not aware of this and it was a total surprise to me. I had a call from the managers. They told me that my name had been advanced several times. They asked me if I wanted to represent the team this year and I agreed to take on this mission. "

What, in your opinion, are the qualities that led the group and the staff to appoint you as captain?

"I think I'm hard working, I try to be better as a person and as a player. I look at my teammates as my own family. I show respect for the players, the organization and the club. These are the qualities I want to bring to this team as a captain. "

What makes a good captain for you?

"For me, this is not going to change much. There is a good group of men I can count on: Arnaud Héguy, Fabien Alexandre, Lucas Dupont, David Mélé, Nigel Hunt and, surely the player who knows the club better, Dayna Edwards. My mission will always be the same: I will give everything to the training and in match. When it comes to making decisions, I will look for their support. I know they will support me in my role as captain. I look forward to the challenge ahead of us in this competition. It will be hard, it will be difficult, but we can not wait! "

Are there any captains who inspire you?

"When I was in New Zealand, I had many great captains or great leaders who were not captain, but who took the lead: my childhood friend Liam Messam, who played at the highest level in New Zealand ; the coach of Clermont, Jono Gibbes, with whom I also played for a long time. These two have the qualities of a captain whom I love and whom I wish to be: to lead by example, to lead on the ground by actions, to know how to speak when to speak, and to have the respect of his peers, his friends, teammates, employees of the club, the organization. They are two captains of whom I will use as an example and inspire myself. As I said, I'm part of a good group of players who will support me in this role. Now, I just look forward to being in our first game in Dax. "