XV of France: who is Tevita Tatafu, the new pillar of the Blues?

In the official composition of the French team to face Japan, there are obviously some names well known to the general public with the return of Toulouse captain Antoine Dupont, absent for more than a year to devote himself to rugby 7s. But there is also a new kid, Tevita Tatafu. Finally little…

This very strong right pillar (22 years old), successor to Uini Atonio and native of Tonga, will be lined up on Saturday evening at the Stade de France on the front row alongside Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka and Toulon left pillar Jean-Baptiste Gros. Here are three things to know about this great hope for the position.

Finally selectable

If the young Tongan is going to make his debut in the French XV, it is because he has now validated all the criteria required to be in the group. Last June, Tevita Tatafu, summoned by Fabien Galthié, was already able to experience a preparation course in Marcoussis. However, he could not be selected. The reason? He had not reached the five years of residence in France which now makes him a selectable player.

Powerful and explosive

The young 22-year-old Tongan player has been the right pillar of Aviron Bayonnais since 2019. An arrival at the club made easier by the presence in the squad of his uncle Toma Taufa. Since then, Tevita Tatafu has played 37 Top 14 matches and was crowned Pro D2 champion with his Bayonne club in 2022. “We are happy to have him with us. He had some very good outings with Aviron Bayonnais, he had a lot of playing time. He is progressing from week to week,” explained Laurent Sempéré, the coach of the conquest of the French XV this week.

Standing at 1.85 meters tall, the right pillar is an explosive and powerful player who relies heavily on his imposing build, in the scrum phase but also in the running game. “It brings us a lot of density in the game. It's a billiard ball, it's not easy to catch, to tackle,” Joël Rey, Bayonne forwards coach, recently explained in the columns of the newspaper L' Team.

A power which does not prevent him from being a technical player, capable of making passes after contact. “He has great power qualities, he is capable of moving the ball too,” recognizes Laurent Sempéré. The French coach compares him to Uini Atonio: “they have great similarities, especially in scrum. Like Uini, he is a hard-working player. They are both large carcasses, but very technical.”

Impressive weight loss

“We have been targeting him for several months, we want to challenge him at the international level,” explains Sempéré. But reaching the international level is not easy. Tevita Tatafu realized that he had to make efforts, which for him meant losing weight. During the tour in Argentina last June, the right pillar weighed 158 kg, according to William Servat, the forwards coach of the French XV. Today, after intensive work, particularly with his club, the player weighs around 140 kg.

A weight loss which does not rhyme with loss of explosiveness and allows him, on the contrary, “to retain his phenomenal power, particularly in scrum”, in the words of William Servat to Midi Olympique. “We find out. He has not yet reached his limits in terms of play. We work a lot with him to develop his physical condition, so that he is able to multiply the tasks,” explains Laurent Sempéré.