The golden generation give hope to Laporte
“Their world title will help them have the credit and respect from their team-mates”
- Bernard Laporte
F rench rugby boss their club coaches would not have Bernard Laporte has placed their confidence in them.
glimpsed a golden future “I knew about this problem during for his country. Not one, my time at Toulon. Three years ago, I as you can imagine, that took Louis Carbonel for pre-season concerns many of his training at altitude. He worked on his internationals being kicking game like mad with Jonny routinely hammered in New Wilkinson.”
Zealand. Carbonel later left Toulon for the They concluded their tour yesterday national academy. Coaches and with a predictable third defeat in Laporte did not select him from that a row. This time by 49-14. point.
No, what has inspired Laporte to He explained: “It was a waste of talk of French optimism lay in the time. Now being available all the triumph of their Under-20 generation time, the young ones are in the who won the world title at that level minds of their coaches, who put them by beating England in the final. on the field.”
He forecast that a good number of Carbonel has become one of those that squad would be playing for the precocious kids who will dispute a senior team at the 2023 World Cup World Cup spot with fellow fly-halves hosted by France. Romain N’Tamack, of Toulouse, and And that at least three of them Mathieu Jalibert, already capped but would have an excellent chance of currently injured, of BordeauxBegles. breaking through at that level even
sooner in Japan next year. There are others, too, who beat He said: “With this group, we have England 33-25 in Beziers last weekend. the main candidates for 2023. They Bordeaux flanker Cameron will all be between 24 and 25. We may Woki who scored the opening try. And yet see some in 2019. They have a Agen full-back Clement Laporte, season before the World Cup in instrumental last season in keeping Japan. his team in the Top 14.
“If they keep progressing and getting Also explosive tight-head prop game time with their clubs, they Demba Bamba, who might be selected will be knocking on the door. They more often with his club Brive are very surely the future of the now in Division Two. He was man of France team.” the match against England.
Laporte believes that his decision Most promising of all, perhaps, is to close the doors of the Pole Espoirs flanker Jordan Joseph, elected the a residential Parisian academy tournament’s Best Player at the age designed 15 years ago as a finishing of just 17. Developed by Parisian club school for players – will usher in even Massy, he recently signed a threeyear more gifted youngsters. contract with Racing.
And, to support his view that players Laporte said: “From time to time, would be better off training with we find a prodigy. I do not want to glorify their clubs rather than cloistered in a him too soon, but he seems to be national academy, he spoke of Jonny exceptional. He has the talent and the Wilkinson and 19-year-old Toulon attitude to become a very great fly-half Louis Carbonel. player.
Laporte said: “I am convinced that “From now on, all of these players the closure of that academy, which will be in the professional world fulltime was an aberration for me, has and we will continue to follow allowed certain players to blossom by them in tandem with their respective accumulating game time with their employers.
clubs. “Their world championship title “I am also convinced that, if we will help them have the credit and had continued to shut them away, respect from their team-mates. I repeat, there is no doubt they are the future of France and the next generation of Under 20s are showing just as much promise.”
France did have the team with the most first team experience and Carbonel, with just two starts for Toulon, seemed to aim a cheeky swipe at Boudjellal, his president, when saying: “We wanted to prove we can play in the Top 14, that we won’t let anyone down and that there is no point in looking for young Australians, South Africans or New Zealanders to take our places. We beat them all.”
Like other top clubs, Toulon look to get round the rules limiting Top 14 places for those not apprenticed in France by importing them very young from abroad.
If Carbonel finds this initiative too unfair, he could find employment with Montpellier, who are trying to sign him.
Boudjellal prefers the ironic response: “What message would we send to Louis Carbonel if we signed a proven No.10 ? And Francois TrinhDuc should be back within three months. Perhaps one day, we’ll play Julian Savea (the Kiwi winger just signed) at fly-half.
“We have a fine generation of young players on whom we will rely, but it is clear we shall continue to look after them in order to remain competitive.”