Heard the one about the Frenchman supporting Scotland against England?
SCOTLAND will have the support of a passionate French youngster at Murrayfield on Saturday thanks to some rugby education in the Borders.
When 12-year-old Clément Féménias arrived at Kelso High School four months ago, he had never touched a rugby ball. Born in Belgium to French parents, he spent the previous five years in Mali and Senegal, but his geologist father, Olivier, moved to Scotland when he joined a UK company last year.
Introduced to rugby at Kelso by local development officer James McFarlane, who works out of Kelso High School funded by the McConnachie Trust, SRU and Kelso RFC, Clément was stunned when his name popped out of the hat in the recent selection for Six Nations mascots. He will accompany a Scotland player out of the tunnel and on to the Murrayfield pitch for the anthems ahead of Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match. His father, mother Marie and younger sister Adèle will be there watching.
“It will be the first time for the entire family to be at such a big rugby match,” Mr Féménias told “We were all surprised when Clément told us he had been picked and we had to speak to Kelso club to make sure that this was right, because he was only new. We are very proud and excited to be going to Murrayfield.”
McFarlane added: “Clément joined the S1s in a six-week block of rugby and enjoyed himself so much he put his hand up to come to afterschool rugby.
“Initially, he wasn’t playing, just coming along to get a hang of it, but he has started playing on the wing every week and is learning quickly. His workrate is high, he’s athletic and, while he’s raw, still he loves to get stuck in and is very, very enthusiastic. His improvement has been dramatic and that’s down to his enthusiasm and energy, and willingness to learn.
“We have a bit of a language barrier because he’s still learning English and my French isn’t brilliant, but I’ve arranged to sit in the French class to pick up some language and terminology that I can use to help him in his rugby.”
Both McFarlane and Clément’s father believe that the rugby has played a significant role in helping the youngster settle in Kelso.
“Scotland and rugby for him are strongly linked together,” said his father, “and rugby has been great to help him integrate into his new home. If you ask him who he would play for, France or Scotland, he will tell you it’s Scotland. Clément has never had the opportunity of rugby before, but my brother and grandfather played rugby in France so maybe it is in the family!”