Julien Candelon's story is a strange one. From the Stade Toulousain training center to winning a title in Catalonia, no one could have predicted such a destiny. A player who was too small to play at the highest level, not serious enough to make his mark... but who managed to convince even the coach of the French national team. Julien Candelon agreed to confide in us, between lucidity and humility. A look back at a historic 2008-2009 season and Perpignan's title!
The season begins with a legacy. It's been 54 years since Perpignan last won a title. Can you talk about this “curse”?
My seniority with the club was one season. What's clear is that the club's objectives were to be one of the potential teams to reach the final phases every year. But I didn't even know that it had been so long since the club had won the title. It wasn't a goal at the start of the season to say “this year we have to be champions”. We had to stay at the highest level and do better than in previous years. But I'd never felt the need to bring back something that hadn't been brought to Perpignan for a very long time.
One of this team's strengths is something that happens off the pitch. It's the Catalan identity. Can you catch it?
“Yes. Let's just say that when you arrive in Perpignan and you have this identity and these players, you have to get used to the identity and immerse yourself in it. My personal case is a little different, because I've been married to a Catalan woman for over 20 years. So in fact, I'd already been immersed in this culture for years. But it's true that integration into the group is as much down to the terrain as it is to character. It was important, when you weren't Catalan, to show or prove that you deserved to wear the jersey.
In the summer, USAP was hit by a thunderbolt: the signing of Dan Carter, rugby's biggest star at the time. When did you realize you'd be playing with him?
For me, there are two stages. The first is what happens the season before. Halfway through the season, we were ninth. It was a season that seemed like a nightmare. Then a rebound in the capital enabled the club to finish the season on a high. Against all the odds, we reached the semi-finals, where we lost to Clermont. But it was so unexpected that it's considered a successful season. We're going to finish the season on a high. After that, we're off on vacation. And while I'm on vacation, I open “L'Indépendant” and learn that Dan Carter has signed for Perpignan. And it's not even “going to sign”, because we know what it's like in the villages, the maybe. In this case, it was affirmative. There was no conditional.
So the first thing you think of is “maybe I'll get the chance to play with the best player in the world”. After that, everyone feels differently. But for me personally, my career is about an individual who lives in the midst of his passion, in the midst of players he admires and respects. For most of my early career, I played against people I idolized. It was an attitude of support and pride. And a desire to participate in his arrival. When you know that Dan Carter is going to play for L'USAP, everyone steps up their game in terms of preparation and involvement. And we saw that when Dan arrived, there was an increase in power. And we were able to gain a certain confidence. And even when he was injured, that continued. Because we'd all raised our standards. And that showed on the pitch.
Another player signed for USAP that year. Maxime Mermoz. A young player who “reeks of rugby” as they say...
We already knew that Max was a talented player. He arrived with a lot of humility but also a lot of commitment. He was a man with a vindictive streak, because for him, not having made it big at Toulouse was something that mattered to him. He was a very serious, committed, hard-working player. And yes, he reeked of rugby. He had the support qualities of a handball player, because that was his first sport. He was a complete player. A complete player who also fitted in very well with the profile of the players we had. Whether it was David Marty, the identity carrier, or Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, who had the profile of a midfield striker. And the short association with Dan worked. And on the pitch that year, he was monstrous.
Incidentally, I think he scored a crazy goal against Leicester?
If I'm not mistaken, that was the day Dan joined the team. He intercepted the ball at the back of the line and scored a try from 90 meters. Today, when you listen to his comments, you can feel the tactical and technical side of him.
With an assertive identity and some very talented players, you're having an excellent season. Are you happy with this team?
It was difficult for me to integrate at first. I had a hard time finding my place in a new team. That season, we had very healthy competition in the winger's position, because thanks to our results, we were able to rotate players and thus keep the team fresh and competitive. Personally, I liked it because we had a very offensive ¾ line. We had a few butchers in midfield... I'm thinking of Gavin Hume, who was a destroyer, and David Marty, who let me loose some really good balls offensively. And on top of that, an extraordinary, extravagant crowd. It was pulsating. Those memories are still very strong today.
As a winger, are you addicted to scoring tries?
Yes, that was my leitmotiv. It was about making things happen. It was seeing the smiles on my partners' faces, because I was the last link in the chain to do my job. Because of my profile, I never exploded with joy because I managed to turn a guy around in defense. You can talk to any winger about the desire to get to the end line, and the satisfaction that comes from making something happen for your partners. It's not just happiness, it's something you want to share with others. For me, being the one who makes things happen for others is part of my character: I really enjoy pleasing others.
This season is under control. Now the final stages are on the horizon. And above all, the final. Opposite you is Clermont. How are you preparing for this match?
The last championship final we played was in 1998 against Stade Français. There weren't many participants in that final who were still at the club. So there was no feeling of revenge. And the last final played by the club was a European Cup final against Stade Toulousain in 2003. From memory, David Marty and Nicolas Mas were part of that adventure. So, at the time, there were a lot of experienced players, but few who carried the weight of the club's history in that respect. So yes, the spirit is liberated. Because when you get to the final, you can't ask yourself any more questions. And once again: all the spotlights were on Clermont. They had lost to Stade Toulousain and Stade Français in the previous finals. And everyone agreed that this was certainly the easiest final for them to play, given the quality of their opponents. Somehow, the pressure didn't get to us. What's more, the staff's decision to isolate us in Matemale meant we weren't caught up in the hype. Particularly when it comes to ticket sales. Because by training in public every day, we knew that we'd be able to appreciate the scale of the event. But when we went up to Cerdagne, apart from the cattle, the locals and a few goats that we roughed up a bit, we were quite isolated from the popular fervor.
However, the start of the match in this final was not ideal.
I played an important role in the start of the match, because right from the off, we lost a ball, I missed a tackle on Benoit Baby who gave me a cad-deb, and then the classic ruck, ball to Brock James, diagonal kick, Nalaga try. I couldn't have got this final off to a better start (smiles). And it's true that Clermont-Ferrand's confidence should have shifted quite quickly. But we're stuck at half-time, 10-6 up. And apart from that one move, nothing too dangerous was happening. So I helped to liven things up a bit in the first half.
How do you find the resources to come back?
I know that David Marty, speaking on Philippe Guillard's radio, was very confident when he announced that we would take control of the game. And it's true that when we got back to the dressing room, there was no panic, no feeling that the event was too big for us. And it was just like the rest of the season. There are years when your squad may not be the best in the league. But there was an atmosphere in the group that meant we were very close-knit. There was a lot of collective confidence. So at half-time, there was no panic in the dressing room. Nobody was looking at each other's shoes. There was a lot of determination. And even on a personal level: when you start a final like that, you think “I'm going to ruin the group”. But very quickly I felt that the group would be there for me. And that translated into the second half. It hit hard, but it was controlled and mastered...
Incidentally, there's an anecdote about the pre-match... (laughs). We couldn't stop plugging away at the forwards. And on the day of the final, a L'Équipe magazine came out, with the whole Clermont pack in black-and-white photos, they were on Harley-Davidsons, with a “we were too nice, we've become nasty, we've understood” speech. And the ¾, spearheaded by David Marty, he threw the magazine on the table at breakfast, and said to the fat guy, “apparently, you're going to get your ass kicked tonight”. As we had a pack that knew how to be nasty, and that you didn't have to tell too many stories to get a rise, it stung them and helped kick-start the final a bit!
The deliverance was a try from David Marty. Can you tell us about it?
We were dominating the game, advancing into their camp. We tried to put them at fault, because we knew that Jérôme Porical wasn't shaking in his boots that day. And then it all started with this redouble between David Marty and Jérôme Porical. I said to myself “watch out, you're in for a treat, there's a redoubled”. Well, not served (laughs)! And then finally David Marty passed. I say to myself, “this could be our chance to make up for what happened at the start of the match”. David faked the pass and spiked inside, catching Napoleoni Nalaga off-guard, who was only waiting for me to be served and for him to split me to send me into the G block of the Stade de France stand. It was a great relief. Because the lock is broken. And then we're like crazy. Our batteries are recharged and our confidence soars. And that's when you tell yourself that it can't be taken away. Behind the barbed wire, you're less exposed... You only have to look at David's face when he scores. He's someone who doesn't really express his joy or his sorrow. And here, he expels it all.
What image do you retain of this title?
Strangely enough, everything that happens after the final whistle goes so fast... you don't realize what you've achieved, what you're sharing with the public. For me, what's most important is the return to Perpignan. The return is a reflection of what we used to be. The club didn't necessarily have the means or the ambition to hire a double-decker bus. So we arrived at Perpignan airport, where we took a closed bus. We set off down the road, exiting the airport under police escort. And on the inspiration of Henri Tuilagi, who opened the bus hatch, we all climbed onto the roof. Then, of course, the bus started moving at 10 or 15 km/h. Because otherwise, at the first skid, we'd all be sliding past the windscreen (laughs)! We were sitting on the edge, with our feet dangling in front of the driver. So from Perpignan airport to the Place du Castillet, that's quite a distance. It took us a little while to get there... And arriving at the Castillet was a real highlight for me. Because it was THE moment of sharing. There were those who had come up to Paris to experience the event with us. And then there were all the others. Family, friends, villages, all the people who made up our daily lives. There were 20, 25,000 people crammed in there for hours. We were supposed to arrive earlier, we arrived later... We arrived a little late, but that's when you connect with the passion, the passion of the people, and you share. If you don't share a track, there's not much left. Now, every time I talk about our arrival at the Castillet, I get emotional. It was exceptional. And that's something you experience once in a lifetime. Or maybe you spend your days at the Stade Toulousain and it happens to you every year (smile).
Did the kid from Tournon dream all this up?
No. The kid from Tournon didn't dream about all that. He dreamed of rugby. I dreamed of playing first grade in Tournon. But I always thought all that was out of reach. And every time I took a step forward in my life, I was always the atypical one, the one who had to prove himself, a bit too much of a joker, a bit too much of this, a bit too much of that. And each time, I had the curiosity to explore new things. I was telling you earlier. I feel like I've been living a dream, because I've played with or against players I admired. I played against guys I watched as a kid: Bennetton, Benazzi, I was lucky enough to be at Stade Toulousain and to have been in contact with Califano, Delaigue, Desbrosse, Ntamack... So no, it wasn't a dream. But I lived a dream.
