The Rochelais brought all his power and his dejection against the All Blacks. Also scoring his third try in two matches with the Blues.
Spoiled for choice. The third line position is one of the most competitive and best supplied in the French XV. As a tireless warrior, Fabien Galthié has several world-class players at his disposal. This Saturday, in the absence of Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (sporting choice) and François Cros (concussion), it was Paul Boudehent who donned the costume of the mover, brought his raw power and his incessant slaughter to the table. heart of the fight. A titanic match (14 tackles, no misses), a permanent poison for the All Blacks who are nevertheless tough. Ten minutes from the end of the match, he nevertheless had to leave the battlefield for a suspected concussion.
Finally, without seriousness. But that prevented him from seeing the end of the meeting. Which makes him smile. « Everything is fine, no worries, but as a result, I couldn't get back on the field. And I couldn't even see the end of the match, he says with a broad smile above his big square jaws. I yelled, I told them : “At least give me the score !” But they had nothing. » In the end, all's well that ends well. And the solid third row of La Rochelle (1.90 m and 110 kg) has a lot to do with it. He shined so much in Saint-Denis, in a register that was both powerful and invigorating.
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XV of France: a successful test of character against the All Blacks
« There was a lot of rhythm, whether it was on the races, on the impacts… It was a big match. Personally, I'm happy with my feelings, but above all I'm super happy with the group. The challenge was enormous for us, the motivation was there. » Already facing the Japanese, Paul Boudehent had left his mark on his entry, from the 33e minute, in place of Thibaud Flament, injured in the iliac crest. Race results: 19 tackles and two tries. Enough to logically start in the shoes of a starter against the vice-world champions, he who is used to the status of “finisher”.
And to score another try on Saturday, in force, his third in two matches. Worked in training? « I'm not going to tell you everything, but in any case, it worked. », he blurts out, still smiling. A three-quarter pace, in any case, for the one that Fabien Galthié and his deputies imagined during the last World Cup as a troubleshooting solution in the… center. This Saturday, the Rochelais scored points. « Let's say that these are important matches and that count », he humbly evades.
“An extra soul”
The player, only 24 years old – trained in Angers and passed through Nantes before joining Charente-Maritime in 2017 – prefers to salute the mental strength of these heavily disrupted Blues before turning things around. « We told ourselves all week that our strength was our character. As French people, we have an extra bit of soul. On the pitch, we are capable of surpassing ourselves. Even if we are led, there is no question of giving up. »
Many of us watched the 2021 match in front of our TV. We wanted to demonstrate that we weren't there just as extras
Paul Boudehent
If the Blues have just scored a third success in a row against the New Zealanders, the emerging generation, launched this fall, of which Paul Boudehent is a part, had not yet tasted the joys of bringing down the men in black. « I don't have the exact number in mind, but a lot of players in the team had never played against the All Blacks, he confides. It was almost our strength : we had an overmotivated group, who didn't want to miss their chance. Many of us watched the 2021 match in front of our TV. We also wanted to make history, in quotes. We wanted to demonstrate that we weren't there just as extras. » This time, the third line of the Maritimes played the leading roles. And set dates for future performances.
