“I can’t wait to push back this lawn”. Vivien Devisme does not hide his joy but also his demands at the dawn of a return to Corrèze for the now Lyon left pillar. The CAB receives the LOU this Saturday at 5:15 p.m., and the former Brive player will make his big comeback there. Since his departure, he has not returned to the stadium. The match against Brive, her friendship with the international and former Brive player Demba Bamba… Vivien Devisme confides before the match.
What is your state of mind before your return to Corrèze?
Quite a bit of apprehension, because in the end, it’s the first time in three years that I’ve been able to come back and really set foot on the Amédée-Domenech pitch. Suddenly, there is a bit of apprehension and at the same time, I can’t wait to find some players I haven’t seen for a while. So it’s going to be a very nice game to play.
Personally, you come back with a test scored last week in the European Cup. What does it change mentally?
Not much. But hey, it’s sure that it gives a little bit of confidence. We want to move forward and why not try to notice. It was Demba (Bamba) who gave me a pass last week. I can make him one this time, that would be great! (laughs)
You are two former Brivistes in the Lyon group. Is it really useful to have a specific link, in addition to a position like that of pillar?
I don’t know if we’re going to be aligned on this weekend. But of course. In addition, we had played a lot of matches together. When you manage to have a little proximity with your right pillar and vice versa, for the scrum, it’s a plus, knowing that the scrum of Brive is rather very, very strong.
Demba Bamba is a key pawn in Pierre Mignoni’s system in Lyon?
Yes, it is very, very important. As soon as he can be present, he is aligned. He is one of the priority players on the ball because he is able to break tackles, to unlock situations. To use a bit of Pierre Mignoni’s expression, there are players who have superpowers. He has superpowers. So of course there is waste. But hey, who does nothing is never wrong. So he dares. He is uninhibited and he is able to unlock actions. He helps us win games, but also in the scrum, in the game, in the attack. It is therefore a very essential part of the Lyon team.
It’s a bit conventional as a formula, but I imagine that you also come to Brive with intentions. Is it a question of winning in particular to keep the hope of being in the top 6?
Exactly. Unfortunately, we no longer have the right to make mistakes with the setback we took against Toulon at home (43-10). And so, since the race for the Top 6 is very tight. That doesn’t leave us too much room for error. So, indeed, Brive is one of the matches that we target to be able to try to claim the top 6.
Last year, it was complicated, but you lost at the Stadium (12-8). The Stadium is a fairly impregnable place for away teams this season. Teams of your caliber who are aiming for the top 6 have broken their teeth there…
It’s true. We see that, there, Castres lost against Brive who put the offensive bonus. They also won against Clermont. It is true that at home, they are very, very strong. They are very united, they are fighting for a huge conquest, a state of mind to block, without forgetting that they send the game, with Enzo Hervé who is really gaining momentum. It’s always very complicated when you know that it will be a fierce fight for the 80 minutes. But we’ve been preparing for it for a while and after that it’s still a rugby match, we’ll see what happens, but I think it’s going to be tough.
Obviously, you are not going to make a gift to the Brivistes. Now, casually, there is still a particular memory that you will think of when you walk on this lawn?
This stadium was a bit like our home at the time, but we come back here as visitors, so it’s different. We won’t have the same dressing rooms, and all the preparation will be completely different. And then, let’s say that when we played in Brive, the supporters could boo sometimes, so maybe we will be a little heckled. We are in a little hostile ground. But it will also remain festive, before the match, we will discuss, then afterwards we will go to “war” on the field. Afterwards, we will meet again with pleasure to discuss the memories that we were able to share together some time ago.