Né en Nouvelle-Zélande et devenu international français en 2014, c’est un match très particulier que va vivre Uini Atonio ce vendredi 8 septembre. Un match qu’il va aborder en tant que titulaire et qui sera un vrai test selon lui.
Ce match France – Nouvelle-Zélande est un match attendu par tous les fans de rugby. Mais cette rencontre sera particulière pour Uini Atonio. Né en Nouvelle-Zélande, à Timaru, le pilier droit de 33 ans sera dans le camp français pour cette opposition. Le Rochelais a en effet fait le choix de représenter le XV de France et est international depuis 2014. Il s’est confié avant cette rencontre à RMC Sport.
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« My family was pleased with the draw […] As soon as you enter, you come across the Blacks, it’s perfect, you couldn’t start better! You start with the biggest team in the world. It’s a real test. Everyone wants to be there for this first match, » assures Uini Atonio, who will be starting as a right prop on Friday. He then recalled his memories of clashes between the French and the All Blacks, when he supported his native country.
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« For New Zealanders, the French are always the ones who cause trouble in the World Cup (laughs). In fact, I think history will repeat itself on September 8th (smile). There were always matches where they would beat us out of nowhere. I think of the quarter-final in 2007 and the semi-final in 1999. We didn’t like the French. But I knew that the French were always good, » he jokingly mentions to RMC.
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Today, he admits to feeling more French than New Zealander. « Before, it felt strange to play against New Zealand. I have played with and against most of the players who were with the All Blacks. Today, there are fewer and fewer of them. I believe that even they see me as a Frenchman. I have spent a third of my life here and now I behave more like a Frenchman than a New Zealander. »
