“We cannot perform at a very high level and do 4th or 5th halves,” laments Florian Grill after business

Elected president of the FFR in June 2023, succeeding Alexandre Martinez who had taken over as interim president after the resignation of Bernard Laporte at the end of January 2023, Florian Grill is seeking a second term at the head of the institution. In the columns of Figarothe president of the Ile-de-France League defended the results of his short first mandate (only 15 months) and discussed the projects he launched to turn around the Federation. He particularly advocates the establishment of a stricter framework around the French teams, concerning questions of addiction and violence, after the affairs which shook French rugby (racist comments by Melvyn Jaminet and accusations of theft against Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou). «We understand that we cannot perform at a very high level and perform in the 4th or 5th halves. There is an incompatibility. We want to be world champions, with all of our French teams,” he says.

According to him, players must have exemplary behavior out of respect, in particular, for the educators and partners of the FFR. “This involves a performance framework which honors the work of the 60,000 French rugby volunteers who explain to parents that they must put their kids in rugby schools because we teach them respect. The head must therefore be consistent with the base, he emphasizes. And then, they must respect the partners of French rugby who associate their brands and who have expectations. You cannot be indirectly paid by partners’ money and not respect them. It’s just common sense.” Voting begins Friday and ends Saturday. The entire interview with Florian Grill can be read HERE.