The essence of rugby is not on show in the Six Nations or the World Cup
Even when rugby is the last thing you want to think about, a training session with young players can remind you what makes the sport great. Photograph: Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty ImagesChampionship, I arrived back home last Sunday and it was like stepping into a warm bath sprinkled with Epsom salts.
Mentally I felt I needed a break from rugby but years ago, in my first year of coaching, I had made a promise. I had contacted David Brockhoff, the only Wallaby to win the Bledisloe Cup as both a player and coach, to ask him for advice. Later he would become a generous guiding mentor. He offered to help me under one condition. I had to promise to pass on his wisdom and help other teams and coaches in the future.
France head coach Fabien Galthié at a training session with children in Paris after his team's exist from the Rugby World Cup in 2023. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images Experience told me that young French players are like wild stallions. They love the freedom of open play and they detest the confinement of technical drills.
As I looked at their young faces I realised that I was the best part of half a century older than these young men. Despite the generational difference, there was a link. A type of unspoken unifying gravity, that while we all loved the game, we also loved to compete. The communion of our club and the connection it created meant that we would hold together and stay strong.
France-Rugby Wallabies Patrick-Kavanagh
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