Saturday April 24, rugby match between Nice and Narbonne on the Côte d'Azur, for the National Championship (3rd division). In the 73rd minute, after an innocuous scrum, James Lasis, 25, English second row from Nice, did not get up. Placed under respiratory assistance, this strong forecastle of 2.01 m for 118 kg undergoes emergency cervical surgery. Very quickly, the news shakes the world of rugby. Support brands are flocking to social media. A pot is opened to help the player's family, who arrived from England to be at his side. Today, James Lasis is conscious but still in a worrying state. He was operated on for a second time on Friday to reduce swelling in his brain.
If the operation went “technically” well, it is difficult to say what the long-term consequences will be.
“We will have to be patient,” breathes Pablo Salandria.
This 31-year-old Argentinian pillar, who plays today in Chambéry (Nationale), is undoubtedly the closest friend of James Lasis.
He has just spent a week watching over his former teammate, whom he met in Mâcon (Federal 1) three years ago.
A beautiful story, improbable, born on the banks of the Saône between a great Englishman and a little Argentinian.
“We arrived at Mâcon at the same time.
We lived 100 m from each other, we saw each other all the time.
In the afternoons, when we weren't practicing, we played golf, we walked around town.
Mâcon is small, people passed us all the time, we were called the municipal police, ”Pablo smiles.
"Everywhere he goes, he is loved"
At the end of the 2019 season, Mâcon won the title of French Federal 1 champion. Strong links are created between the players.
“James was unanimous.
He only took three or four months to speak French, for example, ”we remember in his former club.
The English “Nice Guy” par excellence.
“He is fundamentally an honest, simple, human person,” continues Pablo Salandria.
Everywhere he goes, he is loved.
"
Pablo Salandria (left) came a week to the bedside of his rugby player friend James Lasis, still hospitalized in Nice after his serious accident.
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Transferred to Nice last summer, the English second row again plays the leading roles in this team in the race for the rise in Pro D2. “James was already a pro in England but he wanted to travel and discover French rugby. Very quickly, he liked it, says Pablo Salandria. He's a great rugby player, one of the best I've played with. He's tough, moves a lot, he's not clumsy when he has the ball, and in defense, wow! You just have to see his stats, he plays almost every game! "
His arrival in Nice marks a progression in a top club in the National table.
However, contact has not broken with Pablo Salandria, transferred to Chambéry.
“We still called each other very often.
He was due to come to my house this week, ”he says.
But the accident happened there.
“We never talked about the risks.
The players don't think about injuries, ”he says.
Relatives like the club of James Lasis refuse to argue about the dangerousness of their sport.
“It's a melee that crumbles, like there are dozens of them every weekend.
We must not get into this debate or look for someone responsible at all costs.
It is an unfortunate event, ”deplores Pablo.
"You have to be there too when the potatoes are burning"
A drama that has shaken the Argentinian pillar. “A player from Narbonne called me, he told me it was serious. It was I who told his brother and his parents, whom I know well. It was very hard. I couldn't stop crying. I told my partner that I had to go, continues Pablo Salandria. We won a title together, we had parties, outings, aperitifs. But you also have to be there when the potatoes are burning, as they say in Argentina. "
Pablo then goes to visit his friend in the hospital every day for the last week. “He hears me, he smiles, he says yes and no with his eyes. I show him all the videos made by the players, by his club, all the signs of support from around the world, as far as Argentina. It gives him strength. "Arrived Friday on the French Riviera, the parents of the player took over. “They are very worthy, we greet at the Stade Niçois. Humanly incredible. Like their son.