Tthirteen is the number of consecutive years during which Philippe Sella has participated in the Five Nations tournament. The record for a French player! Over the course of these tournaments, the team that puts him to the test (he and Serge Blanco, Patrice Lagisquet, Daniel Dubroca and the others…) is that of the Scots: “Even if I have friends in rugby Scottish, it was the team that gave us the most trouble in the 1980s. ” This Sunday at 4 p.m., France will face Scotland in the 2023 Six Nations tournament…
The stakes are high. The players of the Quinze de France, who won the grand slam last year, must now restore their image, after the defeat in Ireland on February 11. While waiting for the result, Point offers you a trip back in time with the former player of Agen (SUA), at a time when the Tournament still had only five nations.
Point : In 2022, the Six Nations tournament gathered more than 34.2 million viewers. When you were a kid, were you addicted to it?
Philip Sella: Yes, because in those years [les années 1970, NDLR], it was a real date. First, because there were very few televised rugby matches. Today, we have the opportunity to watch Pro D2, Top 14 and international matches of course, but at that time, there were only a few final stages on TV. And in the season, only a few games occasionally. So, yes, we were glued to the TV for the Five Nations. With the family, Saturday at 3 p.m.! It was really the time when we gathered to watch the games. As a teenager, I worked with my parents outside of school, but on tournament days nobody worked at home! [Il rit.]
You consider yourself truly international from the moment you play a Tournament match.
Why is it a special competition in the world of rugby?
It is its historical dimension that gives it added value in Western Europe. It’s so old it feels like it’s a competition that’s been around forever [il a été créé en 1910, NDLR], except during wars. Most certainly also because the teams participating in this tournament represent the first nations to have played rugby. The heart of rugby is there.
Despite your participation in the World Cup, if you had never participated in the Tournament, would you have missed it?
Oh yes ! The World Cup is a young competition, which only started in 1987. But you consider yourself truly international from the moment you play a match in the Tournament. So of course any selection counts for a cape, but we also look at how many matches you have made in the Tournament! Me it seems to me that I made 50 matches of the Tournament, out of 111 selections…
You hold the record for participation in a row in this competition among French internationals. Is it pride?
[Surpris.] I did not know ! Listen… for a number 13, having done 13 tournaments is not bad! [Il rit.] You’re never sure how far you can go, there may be an injury, a stoppage, so yes, it’s a source of pride!
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What is your fondest memory of the Tournament?
In 1987, we won the Grand Slam, we played one last match in Dublin. Éric Champ scores two tries. The Grand Slam is… [Il s’interrompt comme s’il n’était pas nécessaire d’en dire davantage.] Some players won two, even three, I won one and I’m very happy! Of the 13 tournaments, there have been 6 wins including a grand slam, so that’s not bad. The grand slam is faultless, so it is quite exceptional. When you look at the number of tournaments there have been since the beginning of the last century, the number of grand slams per country, there aren’t many…. But what makes you happy is also having a team that exists in the Tournament and that brings happiness to people. If you are generous, you are more likely to win.
What’s the worst?
Me… In bad memories… I hold back the Scots! Although I have friends in Scottish rugby, they were the ones who stopped us getting the grand slam in 1984 [il rit]. That year, we reached the final, we won all our matches, and so did they, so it was the champions’ final. If we don’t end up winning with the grand slam, they are the ones who win the grand slam. And they got it! But they had strength, they had a superb third line. They play a very very committed rugby: they are not afraid of anything on the ground. They were the team that gave us the most trouble in the 80s. In the 90s it was England.
Beyond the teams, what was the main difficulty of the Five Nations tournament?
The first match was very difficult. Because we had very little training before the competition. So, on the first meeting, we had to quickly find cohesion. Today, the players do internships before and they have full weeks of training. Preparation takes longer.
If you had to define the Tournament in three words, which would you choose?
Magic, games and festivities. It really is rugby day!