A clamor rises from the podium. It continues, then doubles in intensity. On the lawn of the main lawn of the national rugby center in Marcoussis (Essonne), Antoine Dupont is wreaking havoc. Still. Still. The scrum half and captain of the XV of France pierces, rears up, and dives into the in-goal. Test. On the stands, three or four hundred kids from rugby schools in the Ile-de-France region scream their joy.
“It’s great to have supporters,” slips manager Raphaël Ibanez. “We feel that with our results (Editor’s note: series of ten victories in progress), there is a craze around us”, confides the Toulouse second line Thibaud Flament. This first Wednesday of the All Saints school holidays was therefore children’s day. The Blues took advantage of it, even if they weren’t really having fun, ten days before their first match of the autumn tour, against Australia, Saturday November 5 at the Stade de France (they will then face Africa du Sud in Marseille on the 12th and Japan in Toulouse on the 20th).
Gathered since Monday in Marcoussis, the 42 players selected by Fabien Galthié first sweated before offering themselves a small session of autographs and selfies. “We changed our preparation a bit,” says Raphaël Ibanez. We weren’t very happy with the individual preparation before the high intensity workouts. »
Romain Ntamack ran, tackled, kicked
According to the will of performance director Thibault Giroud, forwards and three-quarters therefore warmed up separately, with the help of physiotherapists, before coming together and engaging without restraint during a 15 against 15 opposition on the ground. . To leave nothing to chance, the staff even concocted a scenario at the end of the session. “What the players know is that they will be in late-game conditions, two minutes and thirty seconds from the siren with a score of 28 – 26 for France, announces the manager. Will it be a defensive or offensive phase, where will the ball be on the field? Even I don’t know. “It will finally be a dismissal on the goal line made by Romain Ntamack. And the team of blue chasubles, that of the holders, managed to keep the score, without worry.
No clouds in the sky, or on the lawn. Like the day before, Romain Ntamack held his place perfectly at the opening during this first high-intensity training session. He ran, he tackled, he kicked. He even trained in goal, proving that his sprained right ankle contracted on September 11 in the Top 14 is only a distant memory. Even if he has not played a match since, the Toulousain (23 years old, 28 selections) will, in all likelihood, be aligned as an opening half from the kick-off against Australia. “I’m not worried about him,” said his club teammate Thibaud Flament. He is fit to play. It won’t be an easy task but that’s the mark of great players. Everyone trusts him. »