Lionel Gougelot / Photo credits: MATTHIEU MIRVILLE / DPPI VIA AFP
For a week, 1,500 rugby clubs from all over France will open the doors of their rugby schools to allow young people who wish to discover the oval ball. It’s “National Rugby School Week”. The French Rugby Federation thus hopes to attract new licensees by surfing on the craze around the Rugby World Cup which begins Friday evening with the opening match of the XV of France against the All Blacks from 9:15 p.m. at the Stade de France. A World Cup effect which, in some clubs, is beginning to be felt even in regions where football is king. Europe 1 went to the Rugby Club de Roubaix.
“We had a lot of requests”
Linda watches her 9-year-old son Jayden for his first workout. “Several people in the family told us ‘why not rugby’, so today we are there and then he seems to like it,” she says. “I like it a lot, I manage to spend myself,” continues Jayden, ball in hand.
When registration opens for the new season at the rugby school, Henri, the 14-year-old coach, is already feeling the World Cup effect here. “On the networks, we had a lot of requests, a lot of people ask questions about license prices, training hours, in all categories,” he says.
The girls are also interested in rugby. “My son has been playing rugby for 5 years and my daughters have seen their brother often evolve, they said to themselves ‘why not’ and the Rugby World Cup motivates them”, testifies the mother Wafa. Reinforcements for the club also expected by the first interested parties. “When they have seen France win, they will want to come and play rugby”, “that way, we will have more staff, we will be able to play better”, “it would be nice new players”, launch these young followers of the ovalie, eager to share the values of rugby.