When you’re young, you don’t have time, you eat everything there is to eat. Having just been crowned French champion with Stade Toulousain for his first season as a pro, Mathis Castro-Ferreira will play against the Baby Blacks on Thursday for the Bleuets’ second group match in the World Cup, after the inaugural success against Spain on Saturday (49-12).
And that suits him just fine. Logically frustrated by the final phase of the Top 14 that he watched from the stands, the young third-row (20 years old) will be able to let off steam a little. After the Brennus brought back from Marseille and the communion at the Capitole – “I partied in moderation”, he swears – “MCF” flew to join the French under-20 team in South Africa. As soon as he arrived, Castro-Ferreira already wanted to play with his mates.
“He arrived very excited,” smiles coach Sébastien Calvet. “He wanted to train but we decided to do a check-up with him first.” Having been put through the hands of the fitness coaches, Castro-Ferreira ticked all the boxes. That’s why he will be starting on Thursday against New Zealand (4:30 p.m.), just a few days after his trip.
A fiery first season in Toulouse
“The question was about my physical condition and how I felt going into this match,” said the young third-row. “There is a great desire to play this match against the Blacks.” Already present at the last World Cup, captain twice during the Six Nations Tournament this winter (against Ireland and Scotland), Castro-Ferreira is a key figure in this 2004 generation.
His exciting season with Stade Toulousain (17 matches including 9 starts), punctuated by 9 tries, has attracted attention to him. He embodies the short-term future of French rugby. His ease with the ball in hand, his ferocity in combat and his leadership make him a key element of these Bleuets 2024 vintage. For all these reasons, the staff did not hesitate for long before throwing him into the lion’s den.
