WHAT'S IT LIKE TO ...PLAY IN FRONT OF THE BAYONNE FANS

Uzair Cassiem talks about the renowned atmosphere at Stade Jean-Dauger

- Paul Eddison

IF YOU were lucky enough to spend time in France during the World Cup, the likelihood was you ended up humming the tune of La Peña Baiona.

You might not have known what it was, but the iconic tune that belongs to the fans of l’Aviron Bayonnais – Bayonne – in the French Basque Country became the anthem of an entire country. Yet ask anyone from the country’s heartlands and there’s an overriding response: you haven’t experienced La Peña until you’ve heard it at Bayonne’s Stade Jean-Dauger.

The song’s lyrics describe Bayonne’s supporters, dressed in their blue and white scarves, cheering on their men. As the team hype themselves up in the changing rooms before the game, the stadium joins in unison to sing La Peña.

Bayonne have won three national titles but the last of those came during the Second World War. Their more recent history has been one of yo-yoing between the top two divisions.

Uzair Cassiem, the South African No 8, arrived at the club at its lowest ebb. In 2021 they had just been relegated from the Top 14 in the cruellest fashion – in a relegation play-off against bitter rivals Biarritz. It was a game Bayonne should have won, but Biarritz hung in and took the game to a shootout – with Steffon Armitage delivering the decisive blow.

Cassiem didn’t take long to understand just what that meant to the town. “In the first two weeks, I was speaking to one of my neighbours,” he recalls. “He told me that his father was depressed for two months after the defeat to Biarritz.