the essential
The scene had the potential to be one of the most beautiful images of the evening, but ultimately came to a halt when the son of the Toulouse hooker refused to wear the medal offered by the Minister of Sports around his neck.
We must return to Julien Marchand what belongs to Julien Marchand. Crowned with a 23rd French championship title, this Friday on the Vélodrome lawn against Union Bordeau-Bègles (59-3), Stade Toulousain continues to establish its domination over the other teams. Ten years after his debut with the “rouge et noir”, the French international hooker has added one more line to his list of achievements.
But when it was time to hand out the medals, and obviously with the agreement of the hooker, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra made the decision to place the charm around the neck of Julien Marchand’s little boy. Apparently with great humility, the child refused to receive this praise and preferred to decline the proposal from the Minister of Sports. Coming into play in place of Peato Mauvaka at the start of the second half, Julien Marchand distinguished himself in this final, scoring a try a quarter of an hour later to increase his team’s advantage.
