"I want to think we've grown": RCT fly-half Paolo Garbisi speaks out ahead of the play-off against Castres

A few minutes after the defeat at Jean-Dauger and just before jumping on the plane home, Paolo Garbisi agreed to return, for Var-matin , to this last match of the regular phase. Defeat in Bayonne, two complicated last months, play-off against Castres, memory of La Rochelle, collective experience, the Italian international fly-half (25 years old, 47 selections) confides.

In this Bayonne match, your coach wanted to see "intentions" in the game. Do you feel you delivered in this area?

(He pouts) No. We were quickly put under pressure by Bayonne. We never managed to impose ourselves physically, especially in attack. And that's the first rule of rugby. Without it, you do nothing. We weren't able to find a way around their aggressive defense. Yet, we had worked on it this week. But the reality is that, on the field, we weren't able to adapt. Overall, if we look back at our last two months, there are a lot of things to review before the play-off.

You came looking for continuity and confidence. Ultimately, after a match like this, do you leave with frustration and doubts?

That's what we came for, yes. That was the goal. We wanted to win here because, depending on Bordeaux's result, we could still end up directly in the semi-finals. Even if it was almost a miracle, there was something at stake. But no, I'm not leaving with any more doubts. I think we have all the weapons to make a good play-off at Mayol against Castres. We all remember last year. Just because we're playing at home doesn't mean we're already qualified. We know that.

Toulon will host Castres in the play-off on Saturday evening at Mayol. How would you describe this team?

They're very solid in all the fundamentals of rugby. It'll be difficult. We'll have to be strong in the ruck zones, in the combat zones, where we weren't against Bayonne. We'll have to rectify that. If we can win the physical battle, it'll be easier to play at the back. I'm not making this up; it's like that for all rugby matches. But I want to say that, against Castres, we have to be even better in those areas.

You've been playing in the Top 14 since 2021. Have you seen Castres evolve? From a team often categorized as tenacious and difficult to play against, to a much more coordinated, more attacking team?

It's true. They're a team with a lot of quality up front, with X-factors in many positions. They're complete. We'll have to manage to lock them down if we want to impose our style. And then, it's a knockout match, it's always... something else.

Last season, Toulon was eliminated at the same stage, at Mayol, by La Rochelle. How can we not think about that?

We have to show that we've digested it. Castres is a completely different team. It's a different situation, a different context, a different season. We've changed a lot, too. We have to manage not to think about it.

Do you feel the group is stronger than last year, at the same time of the season?

I think so. We've kept the same squad, but we've had an extra season of collective experience. That's important. It can only do us good. Even if I'm not certain, I want to think we've grown since last season. It's up to us to show it now.

You've discussed the past two months, where there are "a lot of things to review." How can you manage to avoid overthinking and doubting yourself?

By staying calm, working hard during the week, and trying, as much as possible, to maintain the confidence we've gained all year. The season was magnificent until these two months. We had a lot of chances to finish in the top two, but we didn't manage to do it. That's how it is, it's done. We have to shift and move forward. There's no time to look back. The final phase is starting.

Before diving into the play-off, what is your assessment of the regular season? Is it positive, given that you only had the top two in mind?

It's still pretty positive, yes. We finished third, we're qualified. We obviously have regrets about not going straight for the semi-finals. We missed some chances, in Vannes or Pau, for example. But we also did some good things, some good runs. I repeat: that's the past now. We must focus solely on the home playoff.