Interview with Pépito Elhorga: “When we leave this bubble in which we have lived for so many years, we are a little disconnected from reality”

Hello Pepito, can you talk about your career?

I started rugby at the age of six, in the Sare club, which is currently playing in the fourth series. I started there, because my family was from the Basque Country and from that city, so I naturally played in this club. I went to rugby school, then at the age of 14/15, I went to Saint-Jean de Luz and that's where rugby became a little more serious. I stayed for a year and we got a title of champion of France Balandrade. Biarritz then contacted me and I played from 1996 to 1999 for the BO, where I arrived as a junior and where I had the chance to make a few appearances with the first team. SU Agen then spotted me in 1999. I played for them from 1999 to 2007. And from 2007 to 2012, I played in Bayonne. In terms of selections for the France team, I had my first in 2001 against New Zealand and the last against Australia in 2008, counting a total of 18 selections.

"It was a passion and a dream to play at a high level"

How did you get into rugby?

I was born in Ivory Coast, but I had a lot of family in the Basque Country so when I was little, I came here to the country. Almost all my brothers played rugby, my father too. I have one of my brothers who played at a high level, in Biarritz, and for a very long time in Angoulême. His name is Jean-Philippe Elhorga. He has, to his credit, a tour in South Africa in 1998. So, naturally, everyone was immersed in rugby in the family and I started in this sport. I also did Basque pelota at the same time, a very popular sport there, practicing both sports for a very long time.

As you say, with the family, it was natural to go into rugby?

Yes, it was really natural. What also made it easier was that the house we were in was 50 meters from the rugby pitch. So as soon as I put my suitcases here, two, three months later, I was on the ground.

Did you know early on that you were going to make a career out of rugby?

It came late, because it was a passion and a dream to play at the top level. When I was playing Sare, let's say it wasn't possible. I saw played Blancos or guys who made me dream. But for me, it was not an objective to play at a very high level, because I thought that I did not have the means. I had fun on the field, I took a lot of pleasure in playing rugby. But I was a winner, I never gave up and I think that's what made me little by little say to myself: "Hey, maybe I can try to do something. "It came in stages and especially when the clubs started to solicit me, with that of Biarritz at first and which at the time was the flagship club here with Aviron Bayonnais. I said to myself that if they contacted me, it was because I must not be very bad, so I decided to be serious, to see what it would give and when the other prestigious club of Agen landed and told me they would like to pick me up, I thought I was going to go for it. I left with my wife, it was an adventure. I signed in 1999 and in 2001, it was very fast, I had my first selection.

"My career has been made with a lot of injuries"

To speak precisely about the French team, you had 18 selections, you have a Grand Slam in 2004. Are you proud of your career in Blue or would you have liked to have more selections?

I only remember the positive, because I know where I come from and the efforts I had to make to get here. Afterwards, I think I could have had more selections, unfortunately my career was made with a lot of injuries. It was necessary each time to interrupt my progress to work physically and return to the highest level. There have been breaks throughout my career, which means that I have not necessarily been very regular with the France team.

Your experience at Agen, which is the biggest step in your career, what do you remember?

We only keep the positive. We arrived at two, as I said, with my wife. We had three children there. You should know that it is a club that is very family, the city lives a lot for the SUA. We were really in a bubble. We shared a lot of things with the city, the supporters, it was a big family. We made a lot of friends both on and off the pitch.

Talking about this term family, has it always been something important to you?

Yes, a lot, because I like to be well surrounded. When everything is going well in a sector, I like to stay there. It is clear that when I signed for Agen, I was not at peace, because I was leaving the Basque family environment. It wasn't easy, but I felt that I had to leave, because I was a little too good in the Basque Country, that I was comfortable and therefore I hurt myself, because you have to from the Basque Country. It's not easy when you're from here. And frankly, the reception on the side of Agen was splendid, whether it was the leaders, the players in place like Philippe Benetton, Abdelatif Benazzi, Jean-Jacques Crenca, all the old people who welcomed us, us, the young people and who gave us confidence. It was very important for us.

"I think Agen has always been able to bounce back and get back into the competition"

Would you say that Agen was your biggest challenge?

Yes, that was my biggest challenge, because at the start, I never saw myself leaving the Basque Country. I had all my family here, I played for Biarritz. But I think I did well to leave because it is not clear that I could have had such a career if I had stayed. I was too good and I lived a little on my facilities, I was perhaps not hurting myself enough in training. Suddenly, to cut with this cocoon, to leave 250 kilometers from here, I had to work two, three times more to show that I could play at a high level.

As a former Agen player, how do you view the club's season and the sporting situation?

We're in trouble, we're discussing it with a few elders on the phone. We feel helpless, because giving advice is always nice, but here the players are going through a delicate period that has lasted since the start of the season. We want to do something, but what, we don't know. There have been changes at the level of the staff, but we see that the evil is deeper. It hurts, because we had so many great moments with this club that to see it in difficulty, it's complicated. But we don't let them go, we are always behind it, hoping that there will be better days, which is for sure.

Is there still this hope of moving forward for the club?

I think Agen has always been able to bounce back and get back into the competition. There, this year, it is strongly compromised. We know the fate that awaits the Agenais, with a descent into Pro D2. But there you go, there are still six games left, I think the objective is clear, it is to have a victory. Just compared to the group which is very disturbed at the moment, because it gives everything on the ground. We feel that there is a malaise and a small grain of sand that has gotten into the engine, so things are going crazy and the team is cracking up collectively. What we can wish them is a victory and above all the pleasure of playing together again.

"I seriously thought about my retraining when I reached my thirties"

Going back to your career, you were talking about injuries. You had suffered two big ones on your knees at the end of your career. Is that what precipitated your retirement?

No, I don't think so. Maybe I could have played one or two more years, but my body was worn out. I felt it. Often I would do three games and spend a lot of time with the physios. I was smelting to come back. I felt like it was the end, but I hadn't planned on breaking my crusaders like that. It precipitated the end of my career, but I stopped at 33 so for a rugby player, it's pretty good, since I started at 18. Maybe I could have ended up in my training club of Sare, which would have been nice to close the loop.

Do you regret ending up like this?

No, it's not a regret, because as I said, I gave a lot, in matches, in training. It was the body that said stop. I knew I was nearing the end, I was reaching an age where you had to perform well on the pitch, but also think about retraining. So when it happened, I had to take care of myself and switch to something else.

Had you already started preparing for your retraining before the end of your playing career or did it happen when you retired?

Just before signing my professional contract in Agen, when I was in Biarritz, I had obtained all my diplomas. It was kind of the deal with my parents, who told me to get my diplomas and then I would do what I wanted. And then, even when I signed my first contract at Agen, we always had a recovery day in the week. And I was a sales representative for a company, so I spent this rest time going to see SUA partners. I tried to keep this "post-rugby" side, but very quickly I realized that it was complicated, because the workload was heavy, we trained twice a day, there were matches the weekend and suddenly, I was exhausted more than anything else. So I quickly understood that it was rugby and nothing else. But I seriously thought about my retraining when I reached my thirties. We feel that things are starting to shift at this point. And I said to myself: “Be careful, we will have to switch quickly”.

"Now I'm a consultant for a few matches"

To talk about your retraining, can you tell us about what you are doing today?

When I quit, I was helped by Provale (the national union of rugby players). They helped me to upgrade with the Basque Sports Academy, which is in Biarritz. An update, with skills assessment, to know where I was. Then behind, I was hired as a sales representative in a transporter, because basically, I had my diploma in transport operations, in the logistics field. I spent five years with Lataste transport, which is more than a local carrier. After these five years, I returned to Otago, which is a clothing brand and of which I have been an ambassador for more than 20 years now. It was a little inevitable, because Gérard Bothier, who is the creator and who had met me in Agen, had presented his brand to me and he was looking for an ambassador. I accepted because I liked the product. And since then, we haven't left each other, keeping very good relations with the Bothier family, and it was expected that sooner or later, I would return to the company by taking over a shop, which happened three years ago. years. So I'm in charge of the Bayonne store and I'm still the brand's ambassador.

In terms of your retraining, do you still have a foothold in the world of rugby?

I always have one foot in the middle. Not as a player or a coach, but now I'm a consultant for a few games. I also do some PR for different companies. For example, I comment on National matches for France 3 Aquitaine, France Bleu National and France Bleu Pays Basque. I am also a consultant every Tuesday evening with David Romieu, we have a column called "100% Rugby". It's a rather nice side, where we talk about rugby news, our passion and it allows us to always be informed of what's going on and to participate in everything that made us dream. in rugby, while living it differently. We are more in the analysis of the matches and it is rather nice.

"It's more the lack of competition, to leave this bubble, which is difficult"

We know that for professional athletes, retraining is always difficult. How did it go for you?

It's true that it's not easy. I still prepared myself and told myself that the day it happened, I would bounce back easily. But on D-Day, it's so brutal that we remain stunned, surprised. We are a little destabilized, because we no longer have this daily reflex of taking our bag, going to train, there is no more competition, no more atmosphere in the locker room that we had with friends. Overnight, you lose it and you're like, "Damn, what's going on? “Yet we prepare, but we are never ready. Personally, I had to fight six, seven months to switch and integrate "normal" life. When we leave this bubble in which we have lived for so many years, we are a little disconnected from reality.

Did you have good support?

We are always very well surrounded in this situation. I had my wife, my children, my family, but also partners. We created a bond which is important in rugby so I had partners who were there to support me. We feel that there is help behind. But it's more the lack of competition, to leave this bubble, which is difficult. Because behind, there are still people to help cross this course.

Earlier, we were talking about the family atmosphere in rugby. Have you kept in contact with former teammates, coaches?

Yes of course. Afterwards, we met so many people that we don't all call each other, but in the lot, there are always a dozen or so people with whom we keep in touch and with whom we enjoy meeting up. And as they say, we redo the game a bit. These are good times that make life fun. In the lot, there are also young people who are with us and it's always good to see how they live rugby now, it's always rewarding.

"When we see the evolution of this sport, we say to ourselves that if a player manages to play 10 years, it's good"

To bounce on this, do you feel a difference between your rugby and today's?

Rugby has clearly evolved. Us, when we played, I think that in terms of training, the workload was important, but I think that there, we have taken another step. Rugby has become much more physical, the players are much more ready and I have the impression that it hurts more. The players, before, we could have a career of 12, 13, 14 years, now when we see the evolution of this sport, we say to ourselves that if a player manages to play 10 years, that's good. I think they have reached a new level physically, perhaps a little less technically. But the players are above what we have known.

And concerning the media exposure, it must please you to see that rugby is taking up more and more space?

Yes, little by little, we are seeing sectors that were not too rugby becoming so. I am thinking in particular of Brittany, with the Vannes club which is currently one of the best teams in Pro D2. A little higher, there is Rouen, which plays the bottom of the classification, but which will come out of it this year, I think. There are sectors like that which are taking shape little by little, there will be others, we are waiting for Alsace, etc. Rugby is getting a bit more media coverage, which is good for the sport. We, with the LNR, we are a few former players to be ambassadors of the League and we have had to move to these regions, to promote rugby. And it's true that we don't realize, but there are small clubs that live in these areas, but we don't talk about them because there is football which is far ahead or basketball- ball, for example. But we realize, when we are there, that there is also rugby and that it is only waiting to develop.

Even in terms of TV rights, which have taken off, should it be nice to see that rugby is making a name for itself in the sports audiovisual landscape?

Exactly. Afterwards, it is not to be more publicized than other sports, but to try to cover the whole territory. I think the World Cup event in 2023 is going to be very important for that development. In addition, we have a young French team, which has rather good results. So all that makes me think that rugby will develop a little more.

"We have the impression of rediscovering the French flair that we had lost"

To talk about the French team, you who are a former Blue, what did you think of this year's VI Nations tournament?

This is a team that has been pleasing for more than a year. It's been a long time since we had a French team that didn't take too much pleasure on the pitch and therefore didn't give any. There, I think the France team is reconciled with the supporters. They have fun on the pitch, we take it too. The VI Nations tournament, the second place, if we remove the last match, I think they are still in the positive. There are still things to settle, because the team is young. The goal is 2023 and there will still be deadlines before to settle. But it's a team that only asks to be encouraged and it's really nice, because we have the impression of rediscovering the French flair that we had lost.

Pascal Papé, a former international, spoke a few days ago about the fact that the Blues had eaten their black bread and that he was enthusiastic about the future. Do you share this feeling of confidence and enthusiasm?

Yes, I'm confident. On the matches they have played lately, we can only be confident. It's a team that is young, has character and likes a challenge. We saw it, especially in the match against Ireland where it had been ten years since the Blues had won there. They went to get it, they did it. They came close to beating England at Twickenham. There is just the last match that needs to be erased, but we cannot judge everything on this meeting. It's a team that has quite a lot of room for improvement. She will gain in confidence, in experience and she will be ready for 2023.

You played with Fabien Galthié. After getting to know the player, what is your opinion of the coach?

When we see the results of the French team, we can only congratulate Fabien Galthié and his staff. It's true that Fabien brought a little confidence to this group, he trusted young people. They relied a lot on players who were world champions in the youth category. I also think that Fabien had complicated periods, whether with his Montpellier club or elsewhere. It is, somewhere for him, a pride to be there and to have good results. Hope it lasts.

"I think we also have a role to play as a former player"

We talked about people you could keep in touch with after your career. Is there someone who marked you during your time as a player? A person you remember?

A person who would have marked me, it's complicated. But if I had to talk about a player, it would be Rupeni Caucaunibuca. He is a player I did not know before 2003. And when we do the World Cup in Australia, we have the Fijians in the pool. And we warm up, I remember I was with the late Christophe Dominici, and we watched the Fijians warm up. And we see a rather coated winger. So we say to ourselves: “Hey, this winger is weird”. But we weren't too careful. And then the game started and Rupeni touched his first ball 80 yards from our try line and it was a festival. There, I thought it was not bad. Then he had a superb World Cup and the following year, he signed for Agen. So I was really happy that he joined us, because I knew what he was capable of. And he's a guy I had fun with. He never took his head off. For me, he is the best player I have played with or against whom I have played. He really marked me during my career. If I had to choose another person, it would be Christophe Deylaud, without whom I would never have had a selection, I think. He is someone who trusted me, who made me progress enormously and it is thanks to him that I was able to express myself in Agen and in the France team.

Do you have a dream that you would like to achieve in rugby in the future?

A dream, no, I don't have too many. My thing for me is to get involved a little more in rugby. It's true that we talked about conversion earlier. In parallel with my activity with Otago, I have a friend called Philippe Momparler who created a structure called Résovalie Consulting. His company has been around for a year. In Résovalie Consulting, there will be Résovalie Reconversion. So, I would normally be responsible for that part and our goal will be to meet all the clubs. We have already met six of them, Stade Toulousain, Racing 92, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Aviron Bayonnais, SU Agen and RC Toulon. With these clubs, we will try to manage the retraining part, because we know that there may be a lack at this level. We know that the players, when they play, they are focused on their game. We would be there to support them at the end of their career. I saw how it went for me, I was lucky to be helped, but I don't know if it's the case for everyone, so we say to ourselves that if we can bring our help these players at the end of their career, it can be a plus for everyone. The day it stops, we are always a little surprised, because we are destabilized and we are looking for ourselves a little bit. So I think we also have a role to play as a former player.

"It was a passion and a dream to play at a high level"

How did you get into rugby?

I was born in Ivory Coast, but I had a lot of family in the Basque Country so when I was little, I came here to the country. Almost all my brothers played rugby, my father too. I have one of my brothers who played at a high level, in Biarritz, and for a very long time in Angoulême. His name is Jean-Philippe Elhorga. He has, to his credit, a tour in South Africa in 1998. So naturally, everyone was immersed in rugby in the family and I started in this sport. I also did pelota at the same time, a very popular sport in the Basque Country, practicing both sports for a very long time.

As you say, with the family, it was natural to go into rugby?

Yes, it was really natural. What also made it easier was that the house we were in was 50 meters from the rugby pitch. So as soon as I put my suitcases here, two, three months later, I was on the ground.

Did you know early on that you were going to make a career out of rugby?

It came late, because it was a passion and a dream to play at the top level. When I was playing Sare, let's say it wasn't possible. I saw played Blancos or guys who made me dream. But for me, it was not an objective to play at a very high level, because I thought that I did not have the means. I had fun on the field, I took a lot of pleasure in playing rugby. But I was a winner, I never gave up and I think that's what made me little by little say to myself: "Hey, maybe I can try to do something. “It came in stages and especially when the clubs started to solicit me, with that of Biarritz at first and which at the time was the flagship club here with Aviron Bayonnais. I said to myself that if they contacted me, it was because I must not be very bad, so I decided to be serious, to see what it would give and when the other prestigious club of Agen landed and told me they would like to pick me up, I thought I was going to go for it. I left with my wife, it was an adventure. I signed in 1999 and in 2001, it was very fast, I had my first selection.

"My career has been made with a lot of injuries"

To speak precisely about the French team, you had 18 selections, you have a Grand Slam in 2004. Are you proud of your career in Blue or would you have liked to have more selections?

I only remember the positive, because I know where I come from and the efforts I had to make to get here. Afterwards, I think I could have had more selections, unfortunately my career was made with a lot of injuries. It was necessary each time to interrupt my progress to work physically and return to the highest level. There have been breaks throughout my career, which means that I have not necessarily been very regular with the France team.

Your experience at Agen, which is the biggest step in your career, what do you remember?

We only keep the positive. We arrived at two, as I said, with my wife. We had three children there. You should know that it is a club that is very family, the city lives a lot for the SUA. We were really in a bubble. We shared a lot of things with the city, the supporters, it was a big family. We made a lot of friends on and off the pitch.

Talking about this term family, has it always been something important to you?

Yes, a lot, because I like being in good company. When everything is going well in a sector, I like to stay there. It is clear that when I signed for Agen, I was not at peace, because I was leaving the Basque family environment. It wasn't easy, but I felt that I had to leave, because I was a little too good in the Basque Country, that I was comfortable and therefore I hurt myself, because you have to from the Basque Country. It's not easy when you're from here. And frankly, the reception on the side of Agen was splendid, whether it was the leaders, the players in place like Philippe Benetton, Abdelatif Benazzi, Jean-Jacques Crenca, all the old people who welcomed us, us, the young people and who gave us confidence. It was very important for us.

"I think Agen has always been able to bounce back and get back into the competition"

Would you say that Agen was your biggest challenge?

Yes, that was my biggest challenge, because at first I never saw myself leaving the Basque Country. I had all my family here, I played for Biarritz. But I think I did well to leave because it is not clear that I could have had such a career if I had stayed. I was too good and I lived a little on my facilities, I was perhaps not hurting myself enough in training. Suddenly, to cut with this cocoon, to leave 250 kilometers from here, I had to work two, three times more to show that I could play at a high level.

As a former Agen player, how do you view the club's season and the sporting situation?

We're in trouble, we're discussing it with a few elders on the phone. We feel helpless, because giving advice is always nice, but here the players are going through a delicate period that has lasted since the start of the season. We want to do something, but what, we don't know. There have been changes at the level of the staff, but we see that the evil is deeper. It hurts, because we had so many great moments with this club that to see it in difficulty, it's complicated. But we don't let them go, we are always behind it, hoping that there will be better days, which is for sure.

Is there still this hope of moving forward for the club?

I think Agen has always been able to bounce back and get back into the competition. There this year, it is strongly compromised. We know the fate that awaits the Agenais, with a descent into Pro D2. But there you go, there are still six games left, I think the objective is clear, it is to have a victory. Just compared to the group which is very disturbed at the moment, because it gives everything on the ground. We feel that there is a malaise and a small grain of sand that has gotten into the engine, so things are going crazy and the team is cracking up collectively. What we can wish them is a victory and above all the pleasure of playing together again.

"I seriously thought about my retraining when I reached my thirties"

Going back to your career, you were talking about injuries. You had suffered two big ones on your knees at the end of your career. Is that what precipitated your retirement?

No, I don't think so. Maybe I could have played one or two more years, but my body was worn out. I felt it. Often I would do three games and spend a lot of time with the physios. I was smelting to come back. I felt like it was the end, but I hadn't planned on breaking my crusaders like that. It precipitated the end of my career, but I stopped at 33 so for a rugby player, it's pretty good, since I started at 18. Maybe I could have ended up in my training club of Sare, which would have been nice to close the loop.

Do you regret ending up like this?

No, it's not a regret, because as I said, I gave a lot, in matches, in training. It was the body that said stop. I knew I was nearing the end, I was reaching an age where you had to perform well on the pitch, but also think about retraining. So when it happened, I had to take care of myself and switch to something else.

Had you already started preparing for your retraining before the end of your playing career or did it happen when you retired?

Just before signing my professional contract in Agen, when I was in Biarritz, I had obtained all my diplomas. It was kind of the deal with my parents, who told me to get my diplomas and then I would do what I wanted. And then, even when I signed my first contract at Agen, we always had a recovery day in the week. And I was a sales representative for a company, so I spent this rest time going to see SUA partners. I tried to keep this "post-rugby" side, but very quickly I realized that it was complicated, because the workload was heavy, we trained twice a day, there were matches on weekend and suddenly, I was exhausted more than anything else. So I quickly understood that it was rugby and nothing else. But I seriously thought about my retraining when I reached my thirties. We feel that things are starting to shift at this point. And I said to myself: “Be careful, we will have to switch quickly”.

"Now I'm a consultant for a few matches"

To talk about your retraining, can you tell us about what you are doing today?

When I quit, I was helped by Provale (the national union of rugby players). They helped me to upgrade with the Basque Sports Academy, which is in Biarritz. An update, with skills assessment, to know where I was. Then behind, I was hired as a sales representative in a transporter, because I originally had my diploma in transport operations, in the logistics field. I spent five years with Lataste transport, which is more than a local carrier. After these five years, I returned to Otago, which is a clothing brand and of which I have been an ambassador for more than 20 years now. It was a little inevitable, because Gérard Bothier, who is the creator and who had met me in Agen, had presented his brand to me and he was looking for an ambassador. I accepted because I liked the product. And since then, we haven't left each other, keeping very good relations with the Bothier family, and it was expected that sooner or later, I would return to the company by taking over a shop, which happened three years ago. years. So I'm in charge of the Bayonne store and I'm still the brand's ambassador.

In terms of your retraining, do you still have a foothold in the world of rugby?

I always have one foot in the middle. Not as a player or a coach, but now I'm a consultant for a few games. I also do some PR for different companies. For example, I comment on National matches for France 3 Aquitaine, France Bleu National and France Bleu Pays Basque. I am also a consultant every Tuesday evening with David Romieu, we have a column called "100% Rugby". It's a rather nice side, where we talk about rugby news, our passion and it allows us to always be informed of what's going on and to participate in everything that made us dream. in rugby, while living it differently. We are more in the analysis of the matches and it is rather nice.

"It's more the lack of competition, to leave this bubble, which is difficult"

We know that for professional athletes, retraining is always difficult. How did it go for you?

It's true that it's not easy. I still prepared myself and told myself that the day it happened, I would bounce back easily. But on D-Day, it's so brutal that we remain stunned, surprised. We are a little destabilized, because we no longer have this daily reflex of taking our bag, going to train, there is no more competition, no more atmosphere in the locker room that we had with friends. Overnight, you lose it and you're like, "Damn, what's going on? “However, we prepare but we are never ready. Personally, I had to fight six, seven months to switch and integrate "normal" life. When we leave this bubble in which we have lived for so many years, we are a little disconnected from reality.

Did you have good support?

We are always very well surrounded in this situation. I had my wife, my children, my family, but also partners. We created a bond which is important in rugby so I had partners who were there to support me. We feel that there is help behind. But it's more the lack of competition, to leave this bubble, which is difficult. Because behind, there are still people to help cross this course.

Earlier, we were talking about the family atmosphere in rugby. Have you kept in contact with former teammates, coaches?

Yes of course. Afterwards, we met so many people that we don't all call each other, but in the lot, there are always a dozen or so people with whom we keep in touch and with whom we enjoy meeting up. And as they say, we redo the game a bit. These are good times that are a pleasure to live. In the lot, there are also young people who are with us and it's always good to see how they live rugby now, it's always rewarding.

"When we see the evolution of this sport, we say to ourselves that if a player manages to play 10 years, it's good"

To bounce on this, do you feel a difference between your rugby and today's?

Rugby has clearly evolved. Us, when we played, I think that in terms of training, the workload was important but I think that there, we have taken another step. Rugby has become much more physical, the players are much more ready and I have the impression that it hurts more. The players, before, we could have a career of 12, 13, 14 years, now when we see the evolution of this sport, we say to ourselves that if a player manages to play 10 years, that's good. I think they have reached a new level physically, perhaps a little less technically. But the players are above what we have known.

And concerning the media exposure, it must please you to see that rugby is taking up more and more space?

Yes, little by little, we are seeing sectors that were not too rugby becoming so. I am thinking in particular of Brittany, with the Vannes club which is currently one of the best teams in Pro D2. A little higher, there is Rouen, which plays the bottom of the classification but which will manage this year I think. There are sectors like that which are taking shape little by little, there will be others, we are waiting for Alsace, etc. Rugby is getting a bit more media coverage, which is good for the sport. We, with the LNR, we are a few former players to be ambassadors of the League and we have had to move to these regions, to promote rugby. And it's true that we don't realize, but there are small clubs that live in these areas, but we don't talk about them because there is football which is far ahead or basketball- ball, for example. But we realize, when we are there, that there is also rugby and that it is only waiting to develop.

Even in terms of TV rights, which have taken off, should it be nice to see that rugby is making a name for itself in the sports audiovisual landscape?

Exactly. Afterwards, it is not to be more publicized than other sports, but to try to cover the whole territory. I think the World Cup event in 2023 is going to be very important for that development. In addition, we have a young French team, which has rather good results. So all that makes me think that rugby will develop a little more.

"We have the impression of rediscovering the French flair that we had lost"

To talk about the French team, you who are a former Blue, what did you think of this year's VI Nations tournament?

This is a team that has been pleasing for more than a year. It's been a long time since we had a French team that didn't take too much pleasure on the pitch and therefore didn't give any. There, I think the France team is reconciled with the supporters. They have fun on the field, we take it too. The VI Nations tournament, the second place, if we remove the last match, I think they are still in the positive. There are still things to settle because the team is young. The goal is 2023 and there will still be deadlines before to settle. But it's a team that only asks to be encouraged and it's really nice, because we have the impression of rediscovering the French flair that we had lost.

Pascal Papé, a former international, spoke a few days ago about the fact that the Blues had eaten their black bread and that he was enthusiastic about the future. Do you share this feeling of confidence and enthusiasm?

Yes, I'm confident. On the matches they have played lately, we can only be confident. It's a team that is young, has character and likes a challenge. We saw it, especially in the match against Ireland where it had been ten years since the Blues had won there. They went to get it, they did it. They came close to beating England at Twickenham. There is just the last match that needs to be erased, but we cannot judge everything on this meeting. It's a team that has quite a lot of room for improvement. She will gain in confidence, in experience and she will be ready for 2023.

You played with Fabien Galthié. After getting to know the player, what is your opinion of the coach?

When we see the results of the French team, we can only congratulate Fabien Galthié and his staff. It's true that Fabien brought a little confidence to this group, he trusted young people. They relied a lot on players who were world champions in the youth category. I also think that Fabien had complicated periods, whether with his Montpellier club or elsewhere. It is, somewhere for him, a pride to be there and to have good results. Hope it lasts.

"I think we also have a role to play as a former player"

We talked about people you could keep in touch with after your career. Is there someone who marked you during your time as a player? A person you remember?

A person who would have marked me, it's complicated. But if I had to talk about a player, it would be Rupeni Caucaunibuca. He is a player I did not know before 2003. And when we do the World Cup in Australia, we have the Fijians in the pool. And we warm up, I remember I was with the late Christophe Dominici, and we watched the Fijians warm up. And we see a rather coated winger. So we say to ourselves: “Hey, this winger is weird”. But we weren't too careful. And then the game started and Rupeni touched his first ball 80 yards from our try line and it was a festival. There, I thought it was not bad. Then he had a superb World Cup and the following year, he signed for Agen. So I was really happy that he joined us, because I knew what he was capable of. And he's a guy with whom I really enjoyed himself. He never took the lead. For me, he is the best player I have played with or against whom I have played. He really marked me during my career. If I had to choose another person, it would be Christophe Deylaud, without whom I would never have had a selection I think. He is someone who trusted me, who made me progress enormously and it is thanks to him that I was able to express myself in Agen and in the France team.

Do you have a dream that you would like to achieve in rugby in the future?

A dream, no I don't have too many. My thing for me is to get involved a little more in rugby. It's true that we talked about conversion earlier. In parallel with my activity with Otago, I have a friend called Philippe Momparler who created a structure called Résovalie Consulting. His company has been around for a year. In Résovalie Consulting, there will be Résovalie Reconversion. So, I would normally be responsible for that part and our goal will be to meet all the clubs. We have already met six of them, Stade Toulousain, Racing, Bordeaux-Bègles, Aviron Bayonnais, SU Agen and RC Toulon. With these clubs, we will try to manage the retraining part, because we know that there may be a lack at this level. We know that the players, when they play, they are focused on their game. We would be there to support them at the end of their career. I saw how it went for me, I was lucky to be helped, but I don't know if it's the case for everyone, so we say to ourselves that if we can bring our help these players at the end of their career, it can be a plus for everyone. The day it stops, we are always a little surprised, because we are destabilized and we are looking for ourselves a little bit. So I think we also have a role to play as a former player.