It is on his frail shoulders that the game of the XV of France will rest this Sunday in Cardiff.
Against the Welsh red devils, the Blues are banking on their imp Nolann Le Garrec (1.75 m, 75 kg), who must symbolize the renewal of a team rejuvenated by Fabien Galthié (8 changes compared to the 13-13 draw against 'Italy).
At 21, the Racing 92 scrum half will experience his 4th selection, the first as a starter, with the heavy responsibility of revitalizing a French XV unrecognizable since the start of this Six Nations Tournament.
Nothing to scare the young Breton, obsessed with rugby since a young age and convinced that he was going to succeed, despite the obstacles.
You discovered the XV of France in this Six Nations Tournament.
What are your first impressions ?
NOLANN LE GARREC.
I feel good.
I was quickly integrated into the group.
I think I adapted pretty well.
I am very happy to discover all this.
These are childhood dreams that come true, the matches that we watched as a family when I was little, that everyone dreams of playing.
Each time, these are exceptional matches, in exceptional stadiums, like the Millennium on Sunday.
The atmosphere is incredible, the fervor around the France team is beautiful at the moment.
It's really great.
You will be the starter, in place of Maxime Lucu and in the absence of Antoine Dupont.
Is this Tournament an opportunity to make your place in the French XV?
Above all, it's an opportunity for me to continue to express myself, to bring all my energy, my carefreeness.
I will try to make the team play as well as possible, while having fun and gaining experience.
Match after match, I grow.
You take the reins in a complicated situation for the Blues.
There will be a lot of expectations, pressure.
What is your secret to overcoming it?
Even though I am young, I have already been faced with quite a few situations.
Since childhood, we have been prepared for this.
I experienced the professional world quite early.
I built a little shell for myself.
I arrived at a big club, with stars.
Little by little, we learn to manage this pressure.
I played with great players, like Finn Russell, on whom everything slides.
I tried to get as much out of these people as possible.
Of course, this is yet another additional level, but the process is somewhat the same.
I have periods where I can be a little under pressure, but I always try to give off the most positive image possible.
Is it true that you have an obsessive side in preparing for your matches?
Since I was little, I have always looked at where I could improve.
When I was little, I didn't have much physical ability because I grew up late.
I had to optimize all the nearby sectors to compensate for this physical deficit.
I had to be technically and strategically as complete as possible.
I really worked on these aspects a lot.
How do you prepare?
I observe a lot of matches, actions, players.
I was already doing it when I was little.
Sometimes a particular team, a game launch, not just on my station.
This year, the arrival of Stuart Lancaster
(the English manager
) at Racing brought a different vision, which further opens our minds on how to play.
I'm trying to get rich.
Nolann Le Garrec in deep discussion with Fabien Galthié, this week in Marcoussis.
(Photo by Dave Winter/Icon Sport) - Photo by Icon Sport 2024 Icon Sport
Have you been working on this since your childhood?
When I was little, I played ball a lot.
I was active, I always had to do something.
I've dabbled in a lot of things, not just rugby.
I played a lot of handball, it serves me quite a bit.
I developed an outlook, a dexterity.
And I trained very early with my father.
First it was a game. Then, when we say we want to perform at a high level, at times it had to be harder.
But it was always a pleasure.
Was it your father who made you believe it?
My father, and three or four people, in Vannes, Tours, at Racing, believed in me.
But many more others didn't believe it... When I arrived at 14 in Tours, a path to high level, I was a year ahead of school.
I already had a physical delay, that was huge.
Pff… (
he breathes
) At first it was hard!
I think that at 15 years old, I was 1.55 m tall, I weighed 45 kg, and I was playing guys who weighed 120 kg, so it was complicated…
You need a lot of will, and also character in your position... How do you go about shouting at older and experienced players?
It's not always easy.
I always had quite a character and I was often a leader.
When it's your friends, little ones, it's easy.
But the hardest part is when you enter a professional locker room.
I started training with Racing, I was 17 years old.
And when you have players who are 35 years old, 60 caps, it's hard to tell them:
You're annoying me, that's not good,
you have to do this, do that
.
Even if they encourage you to do it, it's hard to tell them.
I learned about that too.
This is perhaps what takes me the most time to progress.
I also talk about it a lot with Lancaster.
Communicating more is essential to our position, but not natural.
Sometimes you want to speak with actions more than words.
Except that in scrum half, you need both.
As a child, before all these obstacles, did you imagine yourself reaching this level?
It was hard to imagine it.
Especially at home in Brittany.
There are regions where you can say that you want to play for your club, for your country.
At home, even if RC Vannes is developing enormously, when I started to show up in the French youth teams, it was a small achievement.
It was hard to show your ambitions.
I didn't talk about it outside, but I always told my family.
When my grandparents said to me: what do you want to do when you grow up?
I always answered: I'm going to play rugby!
And then, it’s funny, when I came home, my grandmother reminded me:
you told us so!
I told him that I still had a way to go… (
smile
).