XV of France: “A man I appreciate”, the new captain Alldritt confides having telephoned Ollivon

International third row Grégory Alldritt, named captain of the French XV on Wednesday for the Six Nations Tournament, spoke on Friday of a “very great honor and a lot of pride” and confided having exchanged with Charles Ollivon, another contender for the armband.

“As I said to Fabien (Galthié, coach of the Blues), it’s a very, very great honor, a lot of pride. But personally, I am focused on my club, I avoid thinking about all that and all the side effects,” declared Alldritt during the press briefing preceding the Champions Cup match that La Rochelle will play in Sale on Sunday, “the most important match of the season,” according to him.

“There have been a lot of articles (on his captaincy in the selection), I admit that I have not read everything, but I will savor from Sunday evening because before Monday, I am not captain of the XV of France”, recalled the number 8 from La Rochelle.

As soon as his appointment as captain was announced, Alldritt, who had already taken on this responsibility during the preparation match for the 2023 World Cup against Fiji, called Charles Ollivon. “He’s someone I get on very well with and he’s really a player and a man I like. It was important to talk about it with him, there is no problem about that, and I'm sure he will be the first to support me.

Regarding his new mission, “the priority is to have a group of leaders (around you)”, citing in La Rochelle “the Romain Sazy, Victor Vito, Uini Atonio or even Will Skelton, great gentlemen who we inevitably use ".

“I have this chance at club and I will also have this chance with the France team. As long as that's the case, I'm not worried. I try to draw a little bit from everywhere and create my sauce,” he concluded