Seb Negri hugged his father, who arrived in the Marca for the final with the Bulls “Now we have to remain competitive, being able to count on the Nationals makes a difference”
/ TREVISO
Sebastian Negri will turn 27 on the 30th of this month: an Italian father, from Milan, with distant Piedmontese noble ancestry (he is a count) and an Anglo-Zimbabwean mother. Born as an opening, then second line, after finishing university in England, at Hilton College, he arrived at Benetton in 2017. This year, even considering the Pro 14 flop, he had an exceptional season, probably his best. since he has been here, a third line in blue for some time and always among the best who has given a great hand, he like others clearly, in the construction of this immense joy won on Saturday in Monigo.
Seb, what did this fantastic victory mean for you on a personal level?
«Ah, for me it was above all the realization of an incredible goal, an exceptional goal: as far as I’m concerned but, clearly, also for the club and the rest of the team. It was the best performance this year in Europe, really something special ».
Everyone keeps wondering: what is the difference between the Benetton seen in the Pro 14 and this one?
«The difference is that during the Pro 14 many teammates had to leave us to go to the national team. And this was certainly a handicap. Furthermore, from the very first matches we also had to deal with several injuries, some quite serious. But starting from the Challenge Cup (never forget that crazy 44-20 at the Stade Français, ed) the team started winning again, thus regaining the lost confidence, in this way we faced Rainbow in the right way, starting from the debut against the Glasgow Warriors. We have always played with great “confidence” and then the fruits were seen ».
Were you really convinced to beat the Blue Bulls against all odds?
“Certainly, and we were by virtue of the very trust I spoke of earlier. We knew it well, many people expected us to lose against them, they thought that the clear favorites were the South Africans, but we know that the results are born from trust. And we as a group had become aware that we could achieve certain performances. For weeks we worked hard, we trained intensely, but in the end confidence was the fundamental element ».
Looking ahead, in a URC that will also have the South Africans, how important will it be for Benetton to have won the Rainbow?
«We have achieved an incredible goal, of course, we know it well. As we know that now the important thing will be to remain competitive, to always keep ourselves at this level. Obviously after winning the Cup next season we will have more responsibilities, expectations will necessarily become bigger but at this point it also seems a natural consequence. We are aware that we will have to maintain this standard of performance and, of course, we will also have more pressure. But I am convinced that we will be ready. In any case, now we are still enjoying the victory, for the future I remain optimistic, then of course we know that we will have to continue to grow to be a “competitor” with any opponent ».
You will soon start working with Marco Bortolami’s staff: what differences do you see between him and Kieran Crowley?
«I believe that Bortolami, as is natural, has ideas perhaps a little different from Crowley. But we already know him, we know who he is, so far he had managed the forwards and he is still an excellent coach who takes great care of the technique, the details. However, Kieran for me and for the whole team was a fantastic coach, we worked well with him, now we find him in the national team and we are all happy ». Now for those who are not in blue it is time for holidays: old and new will meet at the Ghirada on July 19th to prepare the new URC adventure. But with the Rainbow on the showcase everything will seem easier. –