He is 25 years old, several good years of rugby behind him and yet the general public only discovered Christian Ambadiang at the beginning of last September. First match in Top 14 with Castres, first coup with an exceptional defensive return which does not stop circulating on social networks. For RFI, the native of Yaoundé looks back on this moment of glory which he hopes to prolong, he also confides in his career, his ambitions, and his dream of one day playing for the national team. For Cameroon or France?
RFI: Christian Ambadiang, for your first match in the Top 14, you are the author of an incredible comeback, now immortalized on social networks, and author of the winning try against Racing 92, one of the favorites of the championship . We could hardly have dreamed of a better baptism…
Christian Ambadiang: Yes, frankly, it’s a match that I will remember forever. Plus, for my first in Top 14! It’s a dream that has become a reality. My integration into the Castres team went very well and I think that helped too.
Everyone is especially talking about this incredible run that you managed to prevent a Racing player from scoring. The video circulated everywhere. How do you experience this super rapid passage in full light?
For me, it’s a mundane action that I can do again at any time. During this action, I said to myself: ”why not try”? If I don’t try, no one else will. I think first of all about the team and this action gave us, if I can say so, a “love at first sight” (sic) to go for victory, and it was a collective victory. The action is beautiful, I’m not going to lie, but when I see the videos going around the networks… For me, it’s normal.
You have just joined Castres after three great seasons, 29 tries scored in the colors of Nevers, a professional D2 club. You were already a sure bet in the second division, did you feel capable of adapting very quickly to the Top 14, to the top level or did you surprise yourself?
Honestly, I adapted quickly. I had to adapt and I think the teammates made me feel comfortable. I don’t doubt my abilities either, but I still have a lot to learn in the Top 14, the best championship in the world. This is my first year in the elite. There is a lot to learn. I know I have great speed qualities, but I still need to improve in defense and attack. I’m not complete. There are still a lot of things to work on, to erase. And in Castres, I am well surrounded
What goals have you set for yourself collectively and personally for this season?
For a club like Castres Olympique, the objective is to always play in the final stages and, why not, seek titles. Afterwards, these are collective objectives and everyone is invested. Personally, I don’t have any goals in terms of number of tries or matches played. The most important thing is to focus on the collective.
We still don’t know much about you, what was your journey to France?
I was born in Yaoundé in Cameroon. I lived there until the age of 9-10 and then I went to join my father in South Africa, in Pretoria. There, I started rugby in high school. It was about playing a sport. I started with football in Cameroon, I also played football in South Africa and I also did athletics. I was actually kind of using rugby to work on athletics. One of my teachers saw that I had qualities, that I knew how to take up space well, so he pushed me down this path. Well, at first, I didn’t like being dumped, but I got a taste for it.
Was it this teacher who changed everything?
In fact, there were two or three teachers, with whom I still keep in touch, who pushed me, who guided me. They put me on the right path so to speak because they saw that I had potential. Otherwise, my professional journey begins in 2019. After high school, I went to the AP Kings in U19. Then, I landed at the Southern Kings in Pro 14, a very high level championship. It was before Covid, and I got injured just before the start of the season. I had to treat myself, concentrate on my injury. I tried to find a team in Africa when I recovered, but it was impossible. I said to myself that it was better to try elsewhere, and the Nevers opportunity presented itself thanks in part to Coenie Basson (ex-South African international), the defense coach at Lyon (LOU) who made the intermediary between my agent and the president of Nevers. I can never thank President Régis Dumange and coach Xavier Péméja enough for giving me this chance, this opportunity to be able to accomplish my dream, and to play professional rugby.
You lived the first ten years of your life in Yaoundé, before going to live in South Africa. What do you have left of Cameroon today?
At first I kept my French language. Now, I have been in France since 2020-2021, French is starting to take over the English that I spoke more in South Africa. Afterwards, I still have my family in Cameroon. There’s everything that’s left, food, of course. Everything except music, I forgot that. And I’m still a fan of Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o and Françis Ngannou too of course.
To talk about the selection, there is a project of the Indomitable Lions of rugby which is being rebuilt around Olivier Missoup, a former TOP 14 player in France. He is now head coach of the Cameroon national rugby team. Have you been contacted, would you like to be part of this project?
No, no one called me. I have already been asked questions about the selection, but at the moment I prefer to concentrate completely on the club’s objectives. The present is Castres Olympique. Afterwards, one day, whether it’s Cameroon or the France team, I’m not going to say no. Basically, the door remains open for everyone, but for now, I’m in the learning phase.