The call of coach Fabien Galthié in the middle of a business and international marketing license course had "moved him to tears". His first cape with the XV of France against England (24-17) in front of all his relatives, replacing Fabien Cros, will remain an unforgettable moment.
At 21, Cameron Woki is one of the Blues' surprise guests and one of his rising values. The slender third line (1.96 m) of Bordeaux-Bègles should still be in the group against Italy on Sunday (4 p.m.), for the second day of the Six Nations Tournament. We have found privileged witnesses to the meteoric rise of the U20 world champion in 2018, trained in Bobigny and Massy.
"He wanted to stop football to play rugby like me"
Marvin Woki, his big brother
Cameron came to the meadow following in the footsteps of his big brother Marvin (23) in Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) and then in Massy (Essonne), where they played together for a season. After having gone through the hopes of the Stade Français and Montauban, the equally large 2nd line is playing today in Tarbes in Federal 1 (3rd division).
“My mother and my brother, who was 10 years old, came to my first training in Bobigny. He saw that I was having fun, and he said to my mother that he wanted to stop football to play rugby like me. It arranged my parents to go to the stadium together. We came back with a smile on our lips. He was already taller than everyone. The coach who brought me to Massy knew that I had a brother and recruited him. Cameron went through all the poles, Brétigny then the hope pole of Lakanal and the France pole.
After the reform of the youth championships, we were able to play together for one season. It was a great year. I hope that we will meet face to face or next to each other in the future. We don't have the same character. On a field, I am aggressive. He plays more finely, according to the rules. Rugby brought us even closer. To see him with the rooster on him is a source of pride. He is living his dream. "
"A super soldier and a good little kid"
Gabriel Lignières, his first coach in Bobigny
Today manager of Servette Geneva in Switzerland, Gabriel Lignières directed Cameron's first steps at AC Bobigny as manager of the rugby school, where he also discovered another tricolor Yacouba Camara (Montpellier).
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“Cameron was really tall and frail. He did not escape on the ground, but as soon as he took a hit, he quickly had tears in his eye. Despite his size, he was already coordinated and had a real sense of play. Yacouba had the soul of a leader, Cameron was more of a super soldier. A good little kid who never missed training. This discipline came from his parents. The family has always supervised and surrounded the kids. Wherever he goes, he gets level, in Massy then in Bordeaux. It hasn't finished exploding. "
"He understood that talent was not enough"
Joffrey Delacour, his hopes coach at Massy
Cameron spent five years at Massy, including three under the direction of Joffrey Delacour, before successfully taking the plunge in Top 14 at 19 without having played with the first team.
“He has always been full of talent, above the lot physically and technically. A complete player, who knows how to do everything. But he was so talented that he often chose his matches and his training, even if he was always present. He could sulk and put up a whole session. We had clashes. As he told me, I was one of the few coaches to get him into it.
His big brother also kicked him in the heart ... He was one of those kids I call attaching . Very grateful, well mannered, who knows where he comes from and very ambitious. He always wanted more. With us, he felt he had his place in Pro D2, and he experienced it as an injustice not to play.
He put himself in danger by leaving for Bordeaux, but it did him good to get out of his cocoon. He passed a course and realized that talent was not enough. Taking it as early as the France team is a bet on the future. There is better at his post now, but in two years there will be no better. "