Is Frisch, who appeared in the Top 14 after the French XV, an exception?

Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Thursday September 26, 2024 at 7:54 p.m.

Antoine Frisch, selected with the French XV during the summer, took his first steps in the Top 14 last weekend. An astonishing situation. And new?

Last Sunday, during the 3rd day of Top 14, Toulon surprised Stade Français on its lawn (14-10), inflicting its second defeat of the season on the Parisian club (after that against UBB). In its ranks, the RCT displayed Antoine Frisch for the first time in the position of number 12. At 28 years old, the French international center, who was selected with the XV of France during the last tour in Argentina, thus made his big debut in the French championship. Transferred this summer to the Var after three seasons outside France, Frisch discovered the Top 14 after discovering the Blues.

Several precedents

A curious case, but does it represent an exception? The answer is… no. Antoine Frisch is not the first to have donned the rooster jersey before setting foot on the fields of the Top 14. Recently, Thomas Laclayat was selected for preparation for the 2023 World Cup at the end of a superb season with Oyonnax in Pro D2. Aligned against Fiji on August 19, the right pillar would then play for Racing 92 among the elite. Like Laclayat, Melvyn Jaminet also shone in Pro D2 in Perpignan in 2021 before taking part in the three tests of the French XV against Australia during the summer.

Other elements from the second French professional division were selected for gatherings. This was the case of Matis Perchaud and Rémi Baget (Bayonne), Thomas Laclayat and Enzo Reybier (Oyonnax) who traveled to Japan in 2002. Today at Racing, Demba Bamba took his first steps with the national tunic (against Fiji on November 24, 2018 at the Stade de France) while he played in Brive in Pro D2. But he had previously played with the Brive club in the Top 14. As for Mathieu Bastareaud, a Massy player in Fédérale 1, he was called up to the Blue in 2007 at the age of 18 for the summer tour in New Zealand. But he was ultimately injured and had to give up. Two years later, he made his first cap, on February 27, 2009 against Wales at the Stade de France, a match after which he was elected man of the match.