Par
Clement Mazella
Published on
Oct 2, 2024 at 5:04 p.m.
See my news
Follow Rugby News
“I rediscovered the joy of playing rugby and the carefree feeling of running and touching the ball.” Alec Lambert22 years old, is currently taking quite a revenge on destiny. Trained at Stade Toulousain but attracting no desire after passing through Colomiers and Tarbes, the solid right pillar exiled to Australia where he totally has a blast. And above all, where he performs. Incredible event: it caught the eye of Brumbiesthe best province in the country, which put it to the test. Who knows: the future of Alec, who has only played nationally in France at best, could be written in Super Rugby.
Alec Lambert goes into exile in Australia
But how on earth did Alec Lambert, who attended rugby school in Castanet (Haute-Garonne), end up roaming the Australian lawns? It is clear that his journey, at only 22 years old, has been strewn with pitfalls. And he also knew how to seize a pretty incredible opportunity when it presented itself.
Tarbes player during the 2023-2024 season, Alec (1.87m and 126 kilos) no longer had a future in Bigorre. “I then spoke with a teammate, Mees Erasmus. He knew a certain Jérôme Villegas, a French coach in Australia who was looking for a right pillar for his club,” he toldActu Rugby Alec Lambert.
“I try to give the chance and bring a French person to Australia every year. Because I am well aware that French people are having their place stolen from them by Australians,” answers Jérôme Villegas, 55, who left France in 1997, and who is currently coach of the Tuggeranong Vikings (Australian first division), near from Canberra.
“We had some injuries, and we needed a right prop just before starting the season. Mees Erasmus, who I coached, told me: ‘there’s a young guy who’s not bad, that’s fine do him good to develop because he has little playing time. He has potential, and that could bring him something. So I gave it a try.”
“I woke up one morning to a voicemail from Mees saying: ‘in two weeks, you’re taking off for Australia.’ Tarbes having almost finished its season, and having no advanced contact with a club in France, Alec said banco. “It interested me straight away,” he says.
Very quickly integrated
So here’s Alec off to Australia, on the other side of the planet, he who was only 21 years old when he left. “I saw it in a positive way, but also with a little apprehension linked to transport, visa problems, the English language. But there, I had a French coach and I knew that could help me,” underlines the person concerned.
When he arrives, Alec is carefully accompanied. The Vikings club decides that he will be accommodated by the captain of the first team. “A real needy guy, on the doorstep of Super Rugby,” describes the French coach. “It allowed Alec to see the attitude of an impeccable guy, with a healthy lifestyle.”
Alec also has a particularity: he speaks English very well. Enough to facilitate its integration. “We see that in modern rugby, you have to know how to speak English. From the Top 14 to the Federal 1, we meet Fijians, Georgians and English speakers, and from a young age, I started learning English because rugby has always been a dream. I’m happy because it served me well so far,” smiles Alec.
Alec becomes starter
Seen as an “exotic” product, Alec very quickly “became the local attraction”. And on the field, the boy, seen by Australian coaches as a pillar of conquest, the opposite of the prototypes on site, very quickly began to perform.
“He slowly stole the place of his direct competitor, Silafono Titiuti, who had started as a starter. Sila has just joined the Western Force. That’s why the Brumbies were interested in Alec, curious to see the level of this Frenchman,” explains Villegas.
Having played around fifteen matches until the championship final lost by the Vikings, Alec above all rediscovered the pleasure of playing rugby. He also discovered certain local specificities. “In Australia, they expect any player to be able to play 80 minutes. For a European like me, the first time I played 80 minutes, I really stuck my tongue out. It was really hard,” he says.
On trial with the Brumbies
Due to his good performances, Alec Lambert caught the eye of the Brumbies who decided to try him out. The 22-year-old Frenchman welcomed this “with pressure”. “Here, it’s the dream of many players, and it’s very complicated. Jérôme told me that this test was exceptional, because it was so rare. And that the Brumbies will not give an opportunity like that to a stranger if they do not feel it will benefit them.”
“Australia is conservative and nationalist. I was surprised the Brumbies took him on trial,” admits Villegas. “But since he is young, they say that if they can find great potential, then why not. And then Australian rugby has big problems on the front line. Alec came at the right time.”
Last weekend, Alec played his first match with the Brumbies against… a selection of the best players from the Canberra province coached by Jérôme Villegas. “It went well,” Alec, who played the entire second half for a 44-7 victory, told us.
Another meeting is planned this weekend. “Following this, a decision will be made as to whether I join the Brumbies to do the pre-season block with them with a view to Super Rugby,” explains Alec Lambert. “It would be fabulous if I was kept,” he admits. He could be the first Frenchman to compete in this competition in an Australian province.
The many troubles of Alec Lambert
Yes, it would be fabulous, and above all a hell of a personal revenge. Because nothing has been easy for Alec in terms of the oval ball, having experienced many hard knocks. After attending the rugby school in Castanet (Haute-Garonne), he played for Stade Toulousain des U14s until his first year of Espoirs (French champion alongside Merkler, Cramont, Brennan, Vergé and Delibes). ).
The adventure with the Red and Black came to a sudden end. “There was a promise of playing time, but we learned during the off-season of the signing of an Australian right prop who arrived in January. 2 matches later, he was playing, while we had been training for 6 months without seeing the slightest match sheet. It worked on me, even when I signed for Colomiers,” admits Alec.
For his only season in Espoirs in Colomiers, Alec went so far as to achieve a place of 24e man during a Pro D2 match. No follow-up, because the Haut-Garonnais club relied on another local element at the right pillar position. Destiny pushes Alec towards Tarbes, where he also experiences a hard blow.
I was brought in to play first, but it was the director of the training center who made me sign. And there was no communication between him and the first team staff, who were not necessarily interested in my profile. In January, I pushed myself to leave Tarbes. But it was too late: the dual license had no longer been possible since December, and to sign in Nationale 2, I needed at least one Nationale match, which I did not have. In February, I said to myself that perhaps rugby was over for me and that I should go amateur for fun.
This was without counting on this discussion with Mees Erasmus, and the philosophy of Jérôme Villegas. “I have the feeling that my call gave him a new desire. It was a good way out for Alec,” admits the 55-year-old technician.
He plans to stay in Australia
And whatever happens, even a final refusal from the Brumbies, Alec Lambert sees his future in Australia. “I plan to stay here, but I don’t know if it will be with the Vikings. Anyway, I don’t have any opportunities in France. If I return to France, I will be a pillar among thousands. In Australia, I am the exotic, the French pillar who plays. And I like it more…”
The qualities of Alec Lambert seen by Jérôme Villegas
“Alec has a natural physique. But I think that’s his weak point because he must have been dominant when he was young. He’s strong, with a very developed upper body. He has the skills you need with the ball in his hands. Now , he has to work on details. He has a good technical base. He has work to do in the scrum, but he has been dominant in general this season. He has this French forward style, strong in conquest. puts his head into battle. The Australians don’t have that. Alec is a very nice person, very humble, he didn’t come to do anything and go out until 4 a.m., that. gave him the banana.”
Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.
