In football, Kylian Mbappé vividly reminded him: "You don't talk to me about age anymore. " In rugby, if Bernard Le Roux (30) and Paul Willemse (27) are among the "old men" of the XV de France cru Galthié 2020, it is more the question of origins that they would tend to evacuate. "We don’t like that we think we’re South Africans playing for the French team, insists Paul Willemse. We are second line French and that's what makes us proud. We have been here for a long time. "
" Here ", it's France, embraced by Le Roux and Willemse eleven and six years ago respectively, and whose colors they will wear on Sunday March 8 (at 4 p.m.), during the fourth meeting of the Six Nations Tournament, in Scotland . This match, if won (it would be the first in Edinburgh since 2014) could propel the Blues to a home final against Ireland, Saturday, March 14, with a grand slam at stake.
"We thought of the players who could be the most complementary at the moment. We thought about balances, strengths, strengths. We actually have two players of South African origins in the second row ”, soberly commented Fabien Galthié, during his first team composition, before the start of the tournament.
If the rules of World Rugby, the international federation, allows a player who has spent five years in a country to defend the colors, the two men also meet the conditions – more drastic – set by the French Rugby Federation (FFR) . "You will need a French passport" to play with the XV of France, assured Bernard Laporte in 2017, freshly elected president of the FFR.
"You lose 10 kg first"
In the first match of the 2020 edition of the Six Nations Tournament, against the English, the pair Willemse-Le Roux set the tone in defense. With 22 and 13 tackles respectively, the two players helped stifle attacks from the XV de la Rose. Before starting again against Italy, then Wales.
In this area, Willemse draws inspiration from his elder. "There are not a lot of players in the world capable of making two, three consecutive tackles and getting up, it's impressive, greet the Montpellier. I saw that it was possible because, if he can do it, me too. " "He is very hard on himself. I was like that a few years ago ", philosopher Le Roux.
