He had never known bad weather under his new stripes.
Since his appointment, a little over a year ago, he had only sailed calm, blue seas, seeming to open up to blazing horizons.
It was picked in the depths of winter.
He was even served.
Charles Ollivon, the captain of the XV of France, goes through his first tricolor crisis.
This Saturday afternoon (5:45 p.m.), on the lawn of Twickenham, the third row of Toulon (20 caps) will not only have to fight to try to snatch on English soil the first blue-white-red success since August 22, 2007 (21-15), he will especially have to guide a troop still marked by the passage of the Covid-19.
"There is confidence in this group, nothing has changed between us, neither the atmosphere nor the rest," tries to minimize the captain.
Stay on course
He himself was affected, among the twelve Habs declared positive.
He went home to isolate himself, without symptoms, and chomped on his brains.
His difficulty today is to stay the course, to continue relaying the messages of the staff, especially his coach, who did not bother with explanations to his group.
Fabien Galthié acted as if nothing had happened, as if no one had violated the health protocol in place, as if he had never escaped from Marcoussis, the training center of the Blues in Essonne .
“A lot of things rest on Ollivon, underlines Abdelatif Benazzi, former captain of the XV of France.
Its main objective is to reassure everyone.
Only one feat in England will be remembered and will put this whole story aside.
He is the guarantor.
He will have to reassure the other players.
He must prevent the slightest waste of energy, create a minimalist living environment to prevent the group from scattering.
There is a human adventure to be lived together.
"
VIDEO. XV of France: "Zero risk does not exist", defends Galthié
At 27, Ollivon is unanimous, both inside and outside the group.
“He's very smart,” adds Benazzi.
He sets an example on the pitch and his humility transpires outside.
It reminds me a little of Thierry Dusautoir, more expansive.
In these complicated situations, the captain is the central figure.
His teammates trust him.
There is a lot more closeness between the players and him than with the staff.
He is the link between the two, but he is 70% on the squad side.
"
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His words, his looks, will have all the more impact as the coach's speech now seems somewhat muddled.
“It's not up to Galthié to talk to the players in these circumstances, he must stay behind, asserts Benazzi.
It's up to the captain to find the words.
And to avoid the crisis.
