“I waited for this first match but it was worth it,” confides Romain Buros after his debut against the All Blacks

Pour your first selection for the French team you sign a victory against les All Blacks . How did you experience these unique moments?
Romain Buros : It was intense! Honestly, I think I lost a lot of impulse during the warm-up, which is probably why I had cramps around the 60th minute. I tried to reassure myself and I wanted to do lots of things, races, receptions, but in the end it’s not useful because these things must be done during the match. During the warm-up, I did exactly what Thibault Giroud (UBB physical trainer) tells me not to (Smile). Afterwards, I tried to have as much fun as possible because it’s still a sport. Overall, I had a pretty good experience with this moment.

And you managed to score a try on your international debut…
I am obviously happy and very proud to have finally been able to wear this jersey, happy to have won too. This little attempt, moreover, contributed to ringing out the revolt, it was difficult to dream of better. I waited a while for this selection, but it was definitely worth it given the scenario.

In Top 14, hitting hard happens in sequences of 2-3 minutes. There it lasted 80 minutes

Romain Buros

Surprisingly, the All Blacks didn’t really test you on high balls…
Yes, however we had worked on this a lot, in relation to the new rules which favor these kicking games. They had hit a lot in their last two matches (against England and Ireland). So we were a little surprised. But they were almost always in the lead, which perhaps explains why they kept the ball so much.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s counter try totally revived you…
I think it hurt them because they keep the ball for a while, but then they lose it and take a counter because they also spend a lot of energy attacking. And then Louis, we know him, his speed qualities, it’s difficult to resist him. So, it served us pretty well.

Is this a dream first?
Yes, it’s hard to dream of a better first. I waited a long time for it, I think it was worth it. I had a pretty special week before the match. On Monday, I saw that it was probable, it was confirmed on Wednesday… But it was three intense days in terms of stress. Afterwards I tried to relax, to go for pleasure. It worked pretty well. In these conditions, I’m happy to have managed to play my game more or less, even if everything wasn’t perfect.

What surprised you the most internationally?
I wasn’t surprised because honestly, I expected it. But it’s true that in confrontation zones, it still hits very, very hard, and above all it hits for a very long time. In Top 14, hitting hard happens in sequences of 2-3 minutes. But usually it doesn’t last 80 minutes… (Smile) There, it lasted 80 minutes!

Was there a form of frustration when you were called up to Blue but not selected for the matches?
Frustration, obviously a little bit because we are competitive and we want to play. Now, I think that it also gave me a lot of strength of character and it allowed me to work a lot too. And today, I’m happy that it’s paying off.