Little test: ask someone you know, who follows the sport a little, which players of the XV of France, author of a very convincing Six Nations Tournament with three victories in as many games, is he able to to quote. The opener Romain Ntamack? The restless scrum Arthur Dupont? Come on, maybe the unpredictable winger Teddy Thomas or Captain Charles Ollivon.
But if the Blues remain, before facing Scotland Sunday (16 hours) in Edinburgh, the only ones able to achieve the Grand Slam, they also owe it to some elements known only to followers of the Top 14. Trainer of the rear XV of France, Laurent Labit presents five of them to us.
Anthony Bouthier, rear, 27 years old, 3 selections
“He is an atypical player (note: he worked as a mason at the start of his career) . He played in Pro D2 last season, landed in Montpellier this summer and integrated very quickly. When we toured the clubs at the end of the year, Xavier Garbajosa (Editor's note: Montpellier coach) told us to come and see this player who had surprised him since the start of the season. We flashed a little on him and we decided to keep him.
🏴🇫🇷 He will remember it 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙚! Relive Anthony Bouthier's first international essay! #XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #PDGFRA pic.twitter.com/VqXVrA1USK
- France Rugby (@FranceRugby) February 23, 2020From the first training sessions during the training course in Nice in January, we were surprised by how easy it was to get on the pace we asked. It's a blotter. When you explain something to him, he immediately reproduces it. He is also able to use both feet and has the power to push the opponent back. When we selected him, we had not defined a hierarchy for this position. But what he showed us did not make us hesitate to launch him as a titular player against England.
If he is one of the oldest on the team, he is considered a young player because he is young at this level. Stories like his, they are beautiful but there are fewer and fewer in modern rugby. In Nice, he had discussions with players who only knew the training centers and professional rugby. They asked him how he managed to work during the day and go to Dax to play at night. It made some people think, it showed them that not everyone has the chance to live this life. "
Arthur Vincent, center three-quarter, 20 years old, 3 selections
"He was on the radar for a while as he was captain in the under 20s last year. In Montpellier, we saw him win his place in the midst of experienced players. When you frequent him, he gives you an impression of ease, of serenity. He does everything well, he listens, he asks questions, he knows how to take initiatives ... He is a bit of an ideal son-in-law. You have to have different profiles in a team, but someone like him makes your life easier when you are a coach.
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He is not the strongest in the world at his post, but he is quite hard and explosive. He is an intelligent player, who anticipates situations, very good defender, he has the ability to play at a very high level. What he does at his age is a very good omen for the future. There, he has already pushed players like Virimi (Editor's note: Vakatawa) or Gaël (Editor's note: Fickou) , it's good for the group.
Arthur was captain with the under 20s but knows his place, he knows where he should be in this group. But it shows that he has the soul of a leader. We see him speaking in training. We took it so that it could work with us, we didn't think it would climb the ladder so quickly. We are surprised at its speed of progression. "
François Cros, third row, 25 years old, 5 selections
“It is a continuation of what he had done in preparation for the World Cup. He had not been selected, but he had scored points. For this position, he does not have exceptional measurements, but he compensates with a great intelligence of play. He too, he quickly understands things. Between Charles (Editor's note: Ollivon) which has an important physical dimension and Grégory (Editor's note: Alldritt) which is carried forward, he is there to do lots of tasks that we don't necessarily see.
From a human point of view, he is an endearing player and boy, incredibly simple. He is passionate about rugby, this group and the state of mind. We feel it worn on the ground. He is one of those who work for the team, not for them. "
Paul Willemse, second row, 27 years old, 8 caps
“He was on the preparations for the World Cup, and he had already tasted the Tournament last year. Unfortunately for him, he was too heavy and got injured at the wrong time. His non-selection for the World Cup affected him a lot, but he understood what he had to do to return. He lost a lot of weight, a good ten kilos of memory, thanks to a diet and specific exercises. And we see that, the sharper, it is more comfortable on the ground.
In our system, he is there to work in the middle of the field and save the team meters. It must also make our life easier in groupings by going to get the balloons to get them out in less than three seconds. There he comes out of three very high level matches. It is the best reward for the work he has done on his side.
Even if he is South African by birth, he appropriated the jersey of the France team. He is happy and proud to play for the country he has chosen. In the second line, he has a great bond with Bernard ( Editor's note: Le Roux, another South African by origin) . They have a lot in common, spend a lot of time together even outside of rallies. We feel them fulfilled. "
Mohamed Haouas, pillar, 25 years old, 3 selections
“William (Editor's note: Servat, head coach of the XV of France) followed him closely, he believed a lot in him. We learned about his career, we talked to his coaches and it didn't seem insurmountable. When we interviewed him, we saw something sparkling in his eyes. He thought that the Blues were not for him, but we can see that he is happy to be there.
He is a player who took us out of games beyond our expectations. It has incredible potential, especially on a physical level. He played 70 minutes in Cardiff and it's been a long time since we saw him for a player at his post in the France team. We tended to take out the pillars in the 50th…
Outside the field, it is spontaneous. He brings the group to life by his good humor, he always has bananas, he lights up the room when he arrives. Momo is also someone who does not have a very strong rugby culture and who does not spend his weekends watching games. When we prepare for the Tournament meetings, he doesn't know half the guys opposite… He's a boy with a different story. And it also does good to the group. "