2023-08-30 11:32:48
By Laurent Louet
Posted 8 minutes ago, Just updated
Philippe Benetton and Christian Etchebest, sponsors of the 2023 Restaurateurs Trophy Video capture Restaurateurs Trophy
Five days before the opening match of the World Cup, a rugby 5 tournament bringing together fourteen teams of gourmets opens the festivities in Suresnes on Sunday 3 September.
Precursors thanks to the Tournament of Ambassadors in 2019, Michel Lavigne and the company French Flair Rugby Club are still innovating in 2023. The former president of the Rugby 5s section of the Stade Français is at the helm of the Trophée des Restaurateurs this year. This very friendly tournament will take place at the Jean-Moulin stadium in Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine) this Sunday, September 3, piloted by the most Parisian of the Agenais.
« The Trophée des Restaurateurs is an event that is very close to my heart, explains the man who ran the Rugby Train fifteen years ago during the 2007 World Cup in France. It brings together all the families that I love: that of rugby, of course, with the Ligue d’Île-de-France, the Racing Club de Suresnes or the Midi Olympique newspaper who support us, but also that of gastronomy, where our third halves take place. The oval ball and gastronomy unite on the pitch, what more could you ask for? »
Rugby 5
This 5-a-side rugby competition – also called “Touch rugby” or “touch rugby” – is mixed and intergenerational. Its sponsors are the former third line of the XV of France and Agen Philippe Benetton as well as the Parisian chef Christian Etchebest, owner of the Cantines du Troquet, in Paris and Pau.
This tournament will be played all Sunday morning (from 8:30 am, final at 3:30 pm) before all these little people launch the third half around a banquet. Enough to open the 2023 World Cup festivities ahead of time and remember that rugby combines above all the virtues of play and good manners.
Philippe Benetton and Christian Etchebest: “Rugby players love to eat! »
Gathered on the Parisian terrace of the Cantine du Troquet Dupleix in the 15th arrondissement, the former international and the cook, sponsors of the Trophée des Restaurateurs 2023, shared their thoughts on rugby and good food. What have you learned about yourself and others through rugby? Philippe BENETTON : Rugby has confirmed my nature: working for others. There are shadow players and light players. I was one of the first and I am very happy to have been one of them. At the exit, my pleasure was that those who were in the light say: “Me, I play with him”. This sacrifice allowed the team to function well.Christian ETCHEBEST : I learned to hurt myself for my teammates, to find my place in a group, values that have guided my life. When we played rugby, it balances personal and professional life. Why do rugby players and restaurateurs get along so well? P.B. : A lot of rugby players convert to catering, gastronomy or wine. And then, you know, everything is done around a table. We rugby players like to eat good food. There is always a consensus and friendships in the gastronomic universe. I remember once returning to Le Veau qui tête, a restaurant in Rungis, at 11 a.m. and leaving at 6 p.m. “being the boss’s best friend in the world, Agenais like me and a former player!C.E. : Rugby players love to eat. This is true for the old as well as for the new generation. Well, especially the old ones… I had the chance to experience a lot with the players of the XV of France – the Nicolas Mas, Wiliam Servat.. etc – and I quickly understood that it is very important for them to come to the table. Automatically, the cooks and the rugby players find themselves talking a lot. We meet around a good steak or a leg of lamb, mouth full! What is the recipe for a good rugby team? P.B. : The quality of the players and the pleasure of the team! It’s the same in gastronomy: the brilliant chef Christian Etchebest cooks to delight the dining room and all his customers!C. E. : The recipe for a good rugby team is first and foremost a good generation. Afterwards, you need leaders and a good framework that creates the group. It’s a story of men, rugby. You have to spin like a dog for your friends…
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