For William Phillips, an 18-year-old scrum-half from Pembrokeshire in Wales, joining the Stade Toulousain academy is more than a dream come true. It is an incredible adventure in the world of professional rugby, surrounded by the greatest talents of the oval ball.
Joining Toulouse is like entering the temple of world rugby. The club, with its six Champions Cup titles and 23 Boucliers de Brennus, is a rugby monument. For Phillips, the opportunity to train alongside stars such as Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack is already a huge privilege.
My old PE teacher at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, Bruce Evans, who was living in France, contacted me and suggested I go to this camp called Le Plaisir Du Mouvement, run by French rugby legend Pierre Villepreux. So I went there and the director of the Toulouse academy was there. He watched me play and was impressed, so he invited me to Toulouse the following April.
Last August, he moved to France. In Toulouse, the young Welshman discovered a different approach to rugby from the one he had known in Wales and England.Here, everything is faster and more intense. There is a huge emphasis on the offload game and playing what is in front of us.”he explains via Wales Online. A philosophy that pleases him and which corresponds to his style of play.
The presence of figures like Jérôme Kaino and David Mélé as coaches adds an extra dimension to his learning. Not to mention the fact that the workshops take place with all the club’s scrum-halves.”So all nine Espoirs will work with all nine pros, including Antoine Dupont. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing this year, learning from Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos.”
The total immersion in Toulouse culture, where even meals are shared between Espoirs and professional players, reinforces this feeling of family and fraternity. But there is more: he also benefits from the wise advice of New Zealand legend Beauden Barrett. “We became friends during the lockdown, and since then he has helped me a lot, especially with the mental and technical aspects of the game.“Thanks to their regular exchanges, resulting from a challenge on social networks, Phillips has refined his game, working particularly on pressure and goal shooting.
William Phillips’ future is bright and he will be hoping to catch the eye of the Wales Under-20s selectors.”My aim is to integrate and play well here in France, but if I can play well I hope Wales will call me up.“, he said. For now, he is enjoying every moment in the Toulouse jersey and continues to develop under the watchful eye of its mentorswhether they are French or New Zealanders.
With his determination and talent, it would not be surprising to see this young Welshman flourish on the international stage in the years to come. For now, he is living his dream in Toulouse, with the desire to always give the best of himself.
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