In an interview with the newspaper The ParisianGuy Novès, former coach of Stade Toulouse and coach of the France team, speaks. The extra-sporting affairs of recent months and the current excesses between alcohol and drugs are at the heart of the debate.
Although he has taken a step back from rugby, Guy Novès cannot detach himself from the sport which has punctuated his daily life for more than forty years. Today, “I live it through my grandchildren and I take them on Wednesdays to the Stade Toulouse where they teach the rugby that I love so much” explains the former coach of the XV of France (from 2016 to 2017). But the former emblematic coach of Stade Toulouse admits that he continues to follow rugby news without going to the stadium where his modesty often catches up with him: “When I went to Toulouse recently, people stood up and applauded me. I put myself in the place of the existing staff, who work well, and I tell myself that they don't necessarily want to see a guy taking the light”.
There is this search for excess
The one who ended his career in 2017 agreed to return to today's rugby in the columns of Le Parisien. And at a time when extra-sporting matters are piling up, Guy Novès has agreed to share his feelings on the abuses we are experiencing at the moment: “Drugs are taking hold at all levels of rugby. In youth teams, it exists. The danger is immense for the kids”.
Drugs but not only. Because if the consumption of alcohol has almost become democratized during the third halves, the fact remains that a limit has been exceeded, requiring the FFR in particular to put in place a reinforced performance plan: “We must not go to the excess of zero alcohol. We can have a drink, it's not a problem. Afterwards, I think it's good that we set milestones in the French team very recently. That's good to put a frame […] We went from alcohol to a mixture with drugs and not only mild ones. This leads to terrible things. Remember this player from Montauban who threw himself off a bridge a few years ago. There is this search forexcess as far away as possible and that has nothing to do with the spirit of rugby.” Pour As a reminder, recent extra-sporting events have pushed the FFR to make numerous changes regarding the players' living environment. During the fall tour, the players of the XV of France, for example, celebrated the victory with non-alcoholic beers.
France
