after 19 months of incredible hardship, Eliott played Rugby again

“I felt a lot of joy. Lots of things went through my head, including this notion of “that’s it, I got there, I’m back”. Afterwards, I have the impression of having simply become a Colomiers player again. In front of us, Eliott Maurel has difficulty hiding his emotions and this newfound happiness. Against Dax last weekend, he finally returned to the Pro D2 pitches. In front of his family, his loved ones. A moment he had been waiting for so much. Because the boy of almost 24 years old experienced a huge hassle. 19 months.

Return with Colomiers, victory and test

Since mid-December, Eliott Maurel has been part of the extended Colomiers group. But Julien Sarraute, the manager, is waiting for the right moment: to launch the promising 3 back into the deep end.^e line, arrived at the Colombe club in Cadets after having been trained near Cugnaux (Haute-Garonne), at the RC de la Saudrune. Facing Dax, on January 17, the time has finally arrived.

“Before the match, there were a lot of images that came back to me, of where I went. And this moment that I had imagined. Because despite the lows encountered, I always thought of this moment when I would return to the locker room, where I would put on the straps, the crampons, the socks, the club jersey. That has always motivated me. I always told myself that I would succeed,” confesses the person concerned toAt the time of Rugby.

He admits to having felt “this pressure” that every athlete experiences before a meeting. “There, it was special all the same, but I wanted to savor all these moments. I missed them. Every moment, arriving at the stadium, the meeting with the club, the little setup, it’s all these little moments that I appreciated. Every hour, every minute, I savored everything.”

Substitute, Eliott Maurel entered the field fifteen minutes from the end. “I said to myself: this is a new beginning. Here we go again, we’re starting from scratch. Now, let’s start the story again,” he told us, his eyes still sparkling. Of course, Eliott remains focused, doesn’t want to “do anything stupid” because Dax is close in the score (22-16).

What’s next? A 43-16 victory. The icing on the cake: the last try of the match for Eliott. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” he smiles. “Of course I only have two meters to run. I gave Jérémy Béchu a bit of a shock at the end, because he is often the one at the end of the line to score those.”

“I still have in my mind this image where all the guys came around me to congratulate me. It was very beautiful. I didn’t have tears in my eyes, but almost. I was moved. I had two minutes when I didn’t speak, I couldn’t.

A strong decision: the choice of operation

Strong. Because Eliott knows what he’s been through. In 2023, the one who was champion of France Cadets and Crabos with Colomiers plays his first matches with the former. A trip to Vannes, a reception from Massy: the Haut-Garonne club is counting on its young element, to the point of having him sign a two-year contract (one year Espoirs, one year Pro).

Delighted, Eliott savors. But he is also honest: he has been experiencing pain in his Achilles tendon for over a year. “I had seen several specialists. We found solutions like infiltrations to try to make the fun last. But it turns out that after a while I was in too much pain.” He therefore talks to manager Julien Sarraute about it and it is decided that Eliott undergoes surgery.

A strong choice because Eliott Maurel is giving up on an Elite Espoirs quarter-final, he who is the captain of this team which has risen to a level never reached by Colomiers. “It was a complicated decision for me. It was potentially my last match in Espoirs, with my friends. I blamed myself, I had a feeling of abandonment towards them. But everyone understood my decision and even encouraged me.”

In short, 4 months of downtime are planned, and a resumption planned for October. On May 15, 2023, Eliott Maurel underwent Achilles tendon surgery. The rest is a long journey of the cross.

A second operation

After 3-4 months, the 3^e line has not yet resumed racing. “I have persistent pain, worse than before the operation. We start to ask ourselves questions. We say we’re going to give it a little more time.” Months pass, and progress is minimal. “The surgeon is not too optimistic. It could be one of the complications of the operation, he told me. The club doesn’t really know either. It was a difficult moment for me to see this feeling that no one knows anything.”

We tell ourselves that we are all alone in the shit. No one can help me. It gave me a certain blow.

After 8 months, Eliott Maurel took the bull by the horns. “The club kind of wanted to continue to see where things were going. But I made my choice. A solution had to be found, it was no longer possible. Even in my everyday life, it handicapped me. It was really significant pain. I want to see this surgeon again.”

He offers Eliott a new operation. Fuller, heavier. “This should allow me to envisage a slightly better future,” breathes Eliott. “This moment was difficult. I had the ambition to come back in 4 months, I had sacrificed my quarter-final with the Espoirs, I wanted to play with the pros and I had the feeling of having missed my appointment. All the sacrifices, the choices that were made to be able to be there at the right time… Everything collapses, everything stops, everything is missed. It’s a big blow. “.

On January 29, 2024, Columérin returns to the billiards table. We are talking about a new absence of between 6 and 9 months. Eliott doesn’t make a plan.

An incredible self-sacrifice

What emerges when we listen to the words of Eliott Maurel is his self-sacrifice. Never the 3^e line has given up, or considered giving up. However, it wasn’t easy at first. “I had to accept this injury. It’s a bit taboo in the industry, but I admit to having been followed by a psychologist. I felt like I needed it because I didn’t really know how to do it.” His family, his loved ones are also there. Eliott also focuses on his studies, he who is following a course to become an osteopath.

Studies were a good outlet. The club was also very kind to me. […] They say that we didn’t lower our heads, but obviously, yes, you lower your head after a while. To say that we immediately moved towards the positive, towards an objective, that is not true. I had a very difficult 2-3 months where I didn’t know if I was going to come back, and how. But having been well surrounded, it really helped me to stay stable, in my head. Then I switched to thinking about being able to walk well again, have good exercise and maybe play rugby again one day.

Eliott Maurel shared with us, during our discussion, an anecdote: “During a course on pathologies, the teacher spoke to us about the Achilles tendon, and he mentioned the operation that I underwent. He says it’s a big operation, and that the patient must forget about high-level sport. I look at him and tell him that’s what I have. And I go on to tell him that I want to come back and I want to get there. What he told me has always stuck with me. It worked on me, and I clearly wanted to prove him wrong.”

Finally, after 4 months, Eliott started to trot again. And everything went well. A 3-week stint at the CERS, then a return to his Colomiers club. “I even had to temper myself,” laughs Eliott, who also highlights the beneficial contribution of physiotherapist Thomas Esposito. The stages are carried out little by little: first individual training, then return to the group for the collective. Until this entry into play against Dax where Eliott was finally able to play rugby again and practice his passion.

“I will be transparent: the idea of ​​ending my career crossed my mind. But I never said to myself, I’m going to stop. That was out of the question. I refused this idea, I could not accept it. And maybe in the end, that’s also what saved me or helped me: I didn’t want to accept that this injury would stop me.” A self-sacrifice that commands admiration…

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