Laussucq's final fling for Leicester

One eye on the future: Christophe Laussucq

Leicester's French scrum-half Christophe Laussucq will play the last match of his career in Saturday's Guinness Premiership Final against Wasps and is relishing the opportunity before possibly moving into coaching in his homeland.

In the build up to the biggest game of the English domestic rugby season Laussucq explained the differences in preparing for a final on opposite sides of the channel and how Leicester bounced back from a spell of terrible form to make it to Saturday's decider.

"We've had a week of rest and recuperation. Slowly we're building up to the big day. I think neither the club nor the player's interest will ever wane. A final is the crowning moment of a season, whether it be in France or England. It's really important, " he told lesite

"[In England] we feel less pressure than in France. It's a little peculiar. In France, there's a kind of effervescence the week before the match. Here, our training ground is closed to the public and the press. You don't really feel the pressure building up.

"In France there could be a few hundred or even a few thousand supporters at every training session. The press is also always present. There's a bit of electricity in the air. But here, we're really separated from all that, from that pressure. You don't really feel the event coming up the way you do in France."

Leicester's appearance in the final is somewhat of a comeback after a shaky season in the Premiership.

"We've come back quit a way. We had a very bad period that nearly cost us qualification," said the former French international.

"I think we won just once in two months. All year we had been first or second but we had a fruitless period at the end of the season. It wasn't our performances that saved us but rather Sale who stumbled in their last match at home.

"No one was expecting such a poor performance. That's what got us back on track and we benefited against Gloucester in the semi-finals.

"The group was in a bit of a spin. For a club like Leicester, after the failure of the European Cup, to not be in the play-offs would have meant this year being one of the worst in the club's history. Qualifying was a boost for everyone.

"Everyone put their qualms aside and focused on Gloucester. And it paid off. We weren't good this year, we don't necessarily deserve to be in the final.

"But there are so many good players and so much experience in this group. The proof is that we were able to remobilise and go win at Gloucester who were the heavy favourites.

"Even without playing well, we won. There are so many players capable of handling this type of match that it was enough in the semi-final. I hope it'll be enough in the final."

"We've played against Wasps three times this year. We're up 2-1. We beat them away and lost at home. And we beat them in the Cup semi-finals. They are a team with an enormous amount of experience.

"We've got Martin Corry, Ben Kay and Aaron Mauger. They've got Raphaël Ibanez, Lawrence Dallaglio and some brilliant back-line players. So, there are very good players in both teams. They struggled early in the season but they finished with nine straight victories.

"There are quite a few similarities with us. They managed to pull themselves together, like us. But during the course of the season it's probably Gloucester and Bath who produced the best rugby."

In his last season as a player Laussucq has taken the time to enjoy his time at the top end of the sport.

"I've relished the entire season," he said.

"I've had a career with a lot of ups and downs. I struggled a bit in the last three seasons. When you struggled at 25, it's not too serious. But for me, it was from age 31 to 34. You ask yourself a lot of questions and obviously have a lot of doubts.

"There were times when I thought we wouldn't experience great moments like this again.

"I've made a lot of sacrifices to get to this final, to enjoy another season at the top level. I was lucky enough to be able to come to Leicester and I knew that if I hung on and worked hard there would be special moments at the end of the season.

"This week is the reward for all my, and the club's, hard work. In a club like this, even being a replacement isn't easy."

"I've experienced a lot of emotions. I want to retire because I feel my body has had enough. I don't want to go through certain things again by doing one year too many. On one hand I'm very happy to stop and on the other hand it's tough.

"I'm 35-years-old, I started playing when I was 4 or 5. It's going to be difficult to move on. I've been living my last week for three or four weeks now! The week before playing Harlequins I was convinced it was to be my last match."

Laussucq joined Leicester from Castres Olympique in the lead-up to the 2007/08 season after having already been involved in one of the greatest days in Tigers' history - he was among the Stade Français' replacements in the 2001 Heineken Cup Final against Leicester in Paris.

He's no stranger to Wasps either having played Castres' Heineken Cup pool-stage encounters against the London club last season.

Having played for four other clubs in his long career, it is needless to say that Laussucq is well-travelled. Possibilities for life after Leicester abound but the diminutive scrum-half has not yet made a firm decision.

"I've got various options but nothing has been determined at the moment," he said.

A coaching position at Brive has been spoken of and Laussucq has confirmed that "it is one of the possibilities."

"[Rugby] is my passion. I'm the son, the grandson, and the great grandson of rugby players. I must still have been in a cot when I went to see my father play for the first time.

"It's a passion. It's my life. I really can't see myself quitting it. I'm almost sure that I'll have a career in rugby, and I'm really happy about that."

The challenge of coaching Brive seems particularly appealing.

"I would like to stay involved in rugby and would like to coach," said Laussucq who has three caps for France.

"And there aren't a lot of opportunities to start coaching right after the end of a playing career. That's even more reason to do it if I get the chance to coach at a club in the Top 14 which has the financial and structural capacity to play to the top of the table.

"It's something that I never expected and an opportunity for me to grab."

The native of Bordeaux would like to see the situation settled as soon as possible but is willing to wait for what he desires.

"I'm not the master of my destiny. It's up to [Brive] to take the decision and let me know," he said.

"I'm not pushing for a date. It like a player who has three options and has the luxury of saying he'll sign elsewhere if he doesn't have a reply by a certain date. I'm waiting anxiously for their decision and I hope it will be a positive one."