At 32 years old, Stade Toulousain’s international pillar Cyril Baille (57 caps) is having a difficult season. Suffering a serious ankle injury (with torn ligaments and a broken fibula) in June 2024, undergoing two surgeries after a failed first attempt, he now lives daily with pain and restricted mobility in his joint. Relegated in the hierarchy of Toulouse’s and the national team’s pillars, he had to come to terms with this situation and now redoubles his efforts to regain his form.
Cyril, in recent weeks, much has been said about your health, particularly concerning your ankle. How are you doing? Honestly, it’s okay, it’s okay. I still have some recurring pain, but it’s getting better because we’ve worked well with the physical trainer, and honestly, today, everything is going well.
You experienced a long absence at the end of 2025. However, during that same year, you played in the Six Nations and the end of the season with Stade Toulousain. Does that mean you weren’t at 100% during that period? It’s always the same when you come back from an injury, you quickly get back into the swing of things. I didn’t rest much. In the end, certain things settled in, including post-traumatic osteoarthritis, causing pain. But when you’re in a downward spiral, you train, grit your teeth, and it wasn’t easy. Today, we found a kind of work plan to follow, with Pierre Cantayre (one of the physical trainers at Stade Toulousain, NDLR), whom I thank every day because he really helped me.
When you talk about pain and suffering, what exactly is it? The pain is intense. In the morning, the ankle is sometimes locked and can stay that way for an hour. After training, it swells. So, it’s a huge hassle. But we’ve learned to live with it. Sometimes it’s okay, other times it hurts more.
Is it tough to live with this pain? What’s hard is feeling a bit sidelined. It’s not always easy to accept. Now, I’ve made peace with it. At first, it was complicated. When you go from playing every weekend to playing less, you feel that it’s getting harder. So, yes, it’s not easy.
(Short Context: Cyril Baille, the Stade Toulousain’s international rugby player, discusses his struggles with injury and pain in this interview with a sports journalist. The article covers his recovery process, setbacks, and determination to return to peak performance.)
(Short Fact Check: Despite facing challenges with his ankle injury, Cyril Baille expresses his commitment to overcoming obstacles and continuing to contribute to his team and club.)
