“You’ll remember your last match at the Paris-La Defense-Arena, rewarded with a fine dive at the scrum-half position after Nolan Le Garec and Antoine Guibert came out.
Against Clermont (26-10 win)… It was very moving. I knew it, I felt things coming and when I got to this stadium, I shed a few tears. Finish this match (His last at home in the racing colors he wore for thirteen seasons) Against Clermont at No. 9 in 2016 at the Camp Nou(In the final of the championship won by Racing against Toulon in Barcelona
), it was incredible. It was a great last time. I know that tomorrow, in a year, in twenty years, I will be talking about this match. I leave this stage with lots of love, lots of jokes. Walking between the hotel and the arena, I was thinking about so many memories and I actually sent a message to Dan Carter saying that I remember some incredible moments with all these people, how we were able to “light up”. This stadium, let people get up from their seats.
And what did Dan Carter tell you? He hasn’t replied yet. This is how the stars are
(Laughs).
You spent the first part of your life racing in Columbus, the second in the arena. Which of these stadiums is your stadium? Both, I don’t like. When I signed up for racing, my father forced me to read the history of this ancestral club. So I read the history of this Yves-du-Manoir stadium, that of the 1924 Olympic Games, I think I’m going to play there. Well, in the winter in Columbus, when we were playing in that mud, having Juan Imhof on the wing didn’t help much.(laughing)
. This is why I thank Mr. Lorenzetti and his wife Françoise again for making me this arena. I was able to express myself in this stadium. I was able to be the real Juan Imhoff that I wanted to be. Every time I entered, I felt free.
Are you telling us this stadium was built for you? (He bursts out laughing)
Yes for sure! “JuanArena” sounds good, right? But be careful, I don’t have enough money to pay for the naming of the stadium.
“We got team cohesion again”
You’re thirty-five, will this last home match with Racing be over for you?
No, for me, this is not the end. I am about to leave racing at the end of the season and this club is my life. There are stories that never end, mine is with racing. But I still want to play rugby.
You certainly beat Clermont, winning third in a row, but it was ASM who held the ball and decided the game…
We agree. It’s not at the desired level but getting a third win in a row is really important. We will create something very beautiful, I am sure of it. When you experience five consecutive defeats like what happened to us this winter, you ask yourself questions, you doubt. But no one put their ego first. And now we have team bonding again. »(TagsToTranslate)Rugby
