On Tuesday, October 29, the sounds of the beginning and end of the cycle were heard near the National Rugby Center (CNR) in Marcoussis (Essonne). Under the lights of their training camp, the 42 players summoned by coach Fabien Galthié participated in a first training session – with the exception of the Toulonnais and the Toulousains, who were saved after having faced each other on Sunday night – to prepare for the tour of autumn. of the Bleus, which will begin against Japan on November 9 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis).
On the occasion of this match, French rugby wants above all to put an end to the bad situation it finds itself in and recover its image after the events of the summer. The South American tour of a renewed Frenchman targets second line Hugo Auradou and third line Oscar Jégou, both 21 years old.
To move forward and avoid a relapse, a “reinforced performance plan” It was launched as indicated by the French Rugby Federation (FFR) on Tuesday at the beginning of the day. Around “20 concrete actions”It has four stated objectives: “strengthen exemplarity”, “support athletes”, “strengthen the living environment of the French team” and the implementation “sanction systems”.
“This framework was necessary, it is a logical and coherent evolution compared to what happened this summer,” explains Fabien Galthié, present at a press conference to discuss this issue. Usually fond of long monologues when asked a question, the former scrum half was relatively calm this time, except for some questions relating to the athlete.
Alcohol expelled from “performance venues”
“The past is behind us, there was a time before Mendoza [en Argentine, où les faits divers ont eu lieu durant l’été], and there will be an afterthe coach continued. What interests us is the fall tour, the three games. We have a three-year vision towards Australia [lieu de la prochaine Coupe du monde, en 2027]. »
For more details about “this reinforced plan”We had to turn to Jean-Marc Lhermet, sitting to the right of the Lotois coach. The vice president of the FFR referred in particular to the new rules established on alcohol. A topic that became a recurring theme during the last campaign for the presidency of the FFR. “It is not the third part that must be prohibited, but the fourth and the fifth” had declared in particular to the World Florian Grill, a few weeks away from being re-elected.
“As for alcohol, it’s pretty clear. It will no longer be allowed in performance venues, those where players develop their skills. “This affects, for example, the CNR, the stadiums and, in particular, the locker rooms.” explains Jean-Marc Lhermet. The former third row adds that controls on alcohol and drugs will be established, to “avoid abuse”although there is nothing defined at the moment.
These new rules are intended to be less permissive than before. People “outside the official delegation or your family” therefore it will no longer be received until “in the common rooms” hosting sites for French teams, not just for the French XV, as mentioned in the press release.
Sanctions expected
“This plan did not fall from the sky, it was built with rugby stakeholders, be they players, coaches and managers.” adds Jean-Marc Lhermet, evoking the fruit of a two-month reflection, since the launch of“general states of rugby” end of August. Each player who wears the France XV shirt must sign the new statutes. “There is no radical change, it is an evolution,” summarizes the former Clermont player.
More rules, but also more safeguards. A sanctions protocol has been established, with a gradation depending on the severity of the offense committed. The premiums, for example, will be indexed to the “individual and collective behavior”, as specified in the press release. “Possible sanctions will be subject to evaluation by different members of staff.adds Jean-Marc Lhermet. But after all our discussions we are hopeful that we will not have to deal with this type of problem. »
It now remains to be seen how this new living environment will influence the performance of Antoine Dupont’s French XV, who returned to his captaincy on Monday after an Olympic sabbatical to play for the French rugby sevens team. “What we all hope for, at the player and staff level, is to play rugby.” says Fabien Galthié, visibly the most determined to leave the events of the summer behind. He still has other concerns, while his French team struggled during the last Six Nations Tournament.
