interview. Top 14: “We always blame SU Agen for a lot of things,” explains Néracais and Pau player Nathan Decron.

Ahead of Dept. Baloise’s trip to Toulon on Saturday, Nathan Decron, a key Néracais player in the impressive start to the Dept. Baloise season, has agreed to discuss the news affecting the Berniers club, as well as extending his latest contract until 2027.

Nathan, I suffered greatly from back problems last season. How are you now?

All is well. I was able to have a good pre-season this year which allowed me to be good physically. Everything is rolling. There are no special concerns at the moment. It should continue but no problem.

“I had no reason to look elsewhere.”

You have just extended your contract for another three seasons. We imagine you happy…

This is definitely a pleasure. The club wanted to extend the adventure for another three years. Manager Sebastian Pecheronis also signed for a three-year deal. I arrived with him three years ago, he signed for three years…

So your desire was to extend it long term?

I wanted to stay in Pau. I feel good in the club, the city and the region. I didn’t necessarily have a reason to look elsewhere. The band is so great. We have a group of guys who live and work well. It’s a joy.

Unlike last season, this year you have a very strong start to the season…

We wanted to have a good start to the season last year as well. But this time it worked well. The calendar has also allowed us to host fewer home matches than away, so that also plays a role. But we responded and went on to get points away from home, except for Bayonne where we had no game. We took points on our two trips.

“The main goal is to preserve the club.”

You also have plenty of play time. Are you satisfied ?

Last Saturday was my fifth start out of eight games. I missed the first and second home games. You played well. There was Tomoa Manu who was coming back from the World Cup, there is very strong competition for the position.

How do you deal with this competition?

This is what keeps us moving forward. I have a different profile than Emilien Gailleton. There’s still Tumua Manu at the end of his contract, Jali Fatobua also at the end of his contract, Elliot Rudel as well… there’s a fair number of positions at the end of their contract. The fact that the club wanted to extend my contract so quickly shows the trust they have in me.

In a few days, she will be playing with the legend of the sport, New Zealander Sam Whitlock. How do you approach him?

So far, we haven’t seen it yet. We can’t wait. Above all, we hope he can bring a lot of experience and stability to us this season.

What are your ambitions for the rest of this season? Are you thinking about the top 6?

Yes, but first we have to remember last year, and the years before, where we finished 11th and 12th. The club’s goal is primarily to preserve itself and stay in the top 14, especially when we see the difficulty of this tournament. After that, of course the ambition is to qualify, but we will remain very humble. We only played eight games. The main goal is to keep the club in this tournament.

You are still very attached to your roots in Lot-et-Garonne. Are you following the US Nerac route?

They have made a great start to the season. They take points. Both teams won in Play, so things are going well for them as well. As long as it lasts…

“SUA season could quickly turn into something very good.”

And SU agent?

Compared to previous years when Agen were criticized for not winning at home, this time they are unbeaten. They struggled a little bit away from home, but they won it all at home. Last year, that wasn’t the case. I find that the most important thing is to be sovereign at home, and then look for points abroad. They have won everything at home so far. Armandi is undefeated this season. If this continues and they can pick up wins away from home, Agen’s season could quickly turn into something very good.

Are you fairly confident for the rest of the season?

Last year, they were criticized for their home loss. This year, they won it all at home, so they are blamed for the away loss. SUA still gets criticized for a lot of things. They won it all at home. Hopefully they will get their first win away from home, which will be a turning point for the group.