It’s the first chapter of a love story that can only work. That of a novel where the two heroes are a club of enthusiasts and a player who likes to hurt for his own. “I love Toulonnais. The history of the club. Of its supporters. I need to be emotionally connected with the team I play for. And before coming, I read a lot to try to understand where I set foot… In England, rugby is seen as a middle-class sport. Here, rugby brings together more of the working class. You feel that the supporters are rough, demanding. in Toulon is perfect for me. I want to fight for this team.”
“I like the confrontation, the duel, the battle”
And since the start of the season, it has been difficult for the Toulonnais not to identify with the rugby of the solid English third line (25 caps). “My father is a boxer, so I grew up watching him box and I try to emulate his attitudes on the field. Well, within what the rules allow, laughs the 28-year-old rock who arrived in the off-season. I like the confrontation, the duel, the battle, being able to put my body on the line. For the team. For the fans. And I feel that here more than anywhere else, it’s appreciated.”
Tough, capable of gaining meters on each of the duels, of scratching balls, of breaking the defense as well as of blowing up any opponent in the tackle, Lewis Ludlam therefore immediately became one of the turning points of the system of Pierre Mignoni. “Lewis was the captain of Northampton, that’s not trivial, and that means that you have human values, that you manage to lead a group, to unite around you, recalled Pierre Mignoni. Do you see how generous he is on the pitch? Well, he’s the same in life.”
“The first one you can turn to”
And Enzo Hervé continues: “On the pitch, Lewis is the first one we can turn to, who we want to follow… He’s a guy who doesn’t give up. He’s a fighter, a winner. He only wants to one thing: win your duels, hurt your opponent. He has remarkable aggression. He’s a guy you can go to war with, you don’t risk anything.
Frightening for the RCT’s opponents, reassuring for his teammates and already among the privileged relays for the staff? When we tell you that this love story has everything to work…
“The hardest part about duels”
Since his arrival, Lewis Ludlam has established himself as the privileged spearhead of the Toulon system. However, in the middle of Ollivon, Ribbans or Alainu’uese, the Englishman (1.90m, 111kg) is not the most “impressive” physically (we mean: on the scale of rugby players). However, the British international is moving. “It’s not the biggest or the heaviest, but it’s the toughest in man-to-man duelspraises Enzo Hervé in this sense. He’s not 1.95m or 120kg, but he has this energy that allows him not to lose any duels.” Because faster? Because meaner?
Explain Lewis Ludlam. “Growing up, I was never the biggest or the sharpest or the fastest. And at 14, I was told that I would never be a professional. I realized then that I probably won’t be never the big one, but on the other hand I will always be the most committed And you realize that when you put your body on the line, the rest goes well and you cannot leave the field disappointed. a feeling that I loathe. It even scares me, so I do everything I can to avoid being confronted with it.”
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