XV of France: “We all appreciate him in the group”, Flament defends Chalureau

In the midst of a storm since the start of the week, the second line of the XV of France, Bastien Chalureau (convicted by the courts in November 2020 for racist insults, he appealed, editor's note), received the support of his teammates, before the start of the World Cup (9:15 p.m.) on Friday against the All Blacks. Thus, his teammate and second line Thibaud Flament assured this Tuesday that "the group was not necessarily affected by that". “Bastien has been with us for a while. Everything was said yesterday (Tuesday). He's someone we all like in the band. We are mainly focused on what happens, ”said the second line of Stade Toulousain.

Karim Ghezal, the assistant coach in charge of the touch, returned to the way the Blues are approaching this World Cup. "We don't live in a bubble. We did everything to stay in touch with people. The players are quite simple and relaxed,” he explained. And Thibaud Flament to add: “There is not necessarily any pressure. We are prepared, we have played a lot of high-stakes matches. It's new because it's the World Cup at home. It's a big challenge, more than a pressure.

Regarding questions about Jonathan Danty's participation or not in this first match against the All Blacks, Karim Ghezal added: "In the France team, we operate like a club. We have players who are taken over, like Romain “Tao” (Taofifenua) or François Cros. We follow him with the physios, with the medical. We make decisions on a daily basis, with the information we have. Present at a press conference, the pillar of the UBB, Sipili Falatea, mentioned the case of Yoram Moefana, who is his… nephew: “It is something powerful to live these moments with his nephew. It is true that he is my nephew, but since very young, we have lived together.

The player from Walis, in the Pacific, admitted that during his youth, he was a fan of … New Zealand. “Yes, I was an All Blacks supporter, our origins are similar. But coming to France, that has changed,” smiles the pillar of Bordeaux-Bègles. And to add: "It's exciting to rub shoulders with them, to find out who is the strongest Polynesian."