His return to training was officially announced by his club just a week ago. Melvyn Jaminet – who has spoken several times in front of his teammates – is getting his bearings, little by little, within the RCT Campus. He will very soon participate in awareness-raising actions, following the racist incident in which he was involved.
The Toulon international full-back, suspended for 34 weeks for racist comments during the French XV’s summer tour in Argentina, took part in some training sessions with the players who will not be in the squad for the match against Vannes this Saturday. Jaminet notably tested his sensations on the feet, facing the poles, or to make his teammates work in the pressure game or the long game.
“He also did physical training, the Bronco test (running and endurance test, Editor’s note), with very good results”, appreciates Andrea Masi, the three-quarter coach of the RCT, who welcomes the return of the Toulon fullback on the pitch, even if it is suspended for another four long months. “It really makes us happy that he came back to training. He comes back with a lot of humility, energy, and desire. He went through difficult times but he was happy to find his teammates and very motivated “, confides Masi, who increasingly wants to integrate Jaminet into his sessions, particularly for the implementation of strategies in the kicking game.
Jaminet spoke with players, staff and members of the administration
Before his return to the group, the club had scheduled a long withdrawal and withdrawal phase with him, to regenerate the player both psychologically and physically. It was also necessary to speak and meet all the players in the squad, the staff and members of the administrative sector to discuss, with emotion and sincerity, about his summer slip-up and to show his desire to learn from his mistakes. . As the RCT indicated in its press release, Melvyn Jaminet “will be required to carry out several societal actions which are part of the rehabilitation plan that the Rugby Club Toulonnais and the French Rugby Federation have proposed to him and to which he has fully subscribed.” These awareness-raising operations, particularly regarding the dangers of alcohol and social networks, should begin very soon and this is considered by Jaminet as a necessary step towards his redemption.
Teddy Baubigny: “We are happy to see him again”
In the meantime, his teammates found a determined Melvyn Jaminet and relieved to be back on the pitch. “We are happy to see him again, he is talented and important in the squad,” adds hooker Teddy Baubigny, who was also on the all-too-famous trip to Argentina this summer. “How does he feel? You have to ask him the question.” The subject remains delicate and it is often approached with a grain of salt by the interlocutors, or at least with a lot of modesty. Ben White, the scrum half, for example, was asked this afternoon the annoying question of whether he was excusing his comments through a certain lack of awareness or whether he was still angry with him.
The scrum half came out almost calmly: “My position? And you, what is your opinion?!… It’s a difficult question. The club and the Federation have sanctioned it, things are taking their course from now on and I think that this affair will make him grow as a citizen. This is what I think of the situation. Jaminet’s return to competition is not planned before the end of January.
