By Guillaume K. | Sports journalist
Currently, rugby is perhaps the most popular sport in France, at least at national team level. The values of the oval are often highlighted, but be careful, everything is not yet perfect. The proof with this testimony from Pascal Papé, former captain of the Blues.
For a long time, the French football team was the selection most followed by the French, both in friendly matches and in major competitions. But in recent months, the trend seems to be reversing quite quickly in public opinion. Tired of the game proposed by Didier Deschamps, viewers are turning more and more towards the oval.
And yet, rugby is far from being an environment free of controversy. Between the racist excesses of some, the sexual assault cases of others and the negligence of the Federation which led to the death of a young international, this sport could have lost its popularity. Fortunately, characters like Antoine Dupont, model of tolerance, eclipse everything.
Pascal Papé talks about depression in rugby
What pleases fans so much are the values transmitted on the field, both mutual aid and combat, the need to surpass oneself for the collective interest. But as former France XV captain Pascal Papé explained, this mentality can also have serious consequences for athletes. For example, he fell into depression. He explains himself for RMC Sport :
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In rugby in my time, mental health was still a taboo subject. When you are mentally ill, you are seen as weak. And this flaw is a flaw that you don't understand. If you go to see a psychologist to get better or a mental trainer, it’s because you’re not doing well, you’re crazy. In our environment, it was really a weakness to feel mental discomfort. But I'm happy, for several years in rugby we have been trying to democratize the subject.
It is finally being taken seriously in training centers. To perform well on the pitch, you obviously have to feel good in your body, but even more so in your head. Today, rugby players can say that mental health contributes to performance. […] I hid from everyone who I really was. I am adopted and I always found subterfuges to show that I was like the others. It created a rift in me.
Abandoned at birth by his mother, Pascal Papé had to face some pretty difficult things on the path to success. His story created a fault in him, and he was unable to resolve it so as not to be seen as weak among his teammates. Fortunately, in rugby as elsewhere, mentalities are changing on this subject.
In high-level sport, the mental question is often looked down upon. Feeling inner discomfort is seen as a sign of weakness, and even more so in a discipline like rugby where combat is at the heart of the game.
