Retired from the field since the summer of 2021, Bakary Meité is taking advantage of his new freedom to take a free, unconventional and necessarily compromised look at rugby news, from the big stories of the amateur world to the demands of the professional sector. This week, the former back row looks at military rugby, a fascinating world.
This summer, our soldiers will be on the bridge. And I’m not talking about the Barkhane operation that would have resumed, but about rugby. The Military Rugby World Cup takes place on our soil from August 16 to September 10. It will therefore end two days after the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which will pit France against the other favorites in the competition, New Zealand.
Therefore, this year 2023 is rich in sporting events for rugby in France. And it is in Brittany where the organization of this CMMR (World Military Rugby Championship) fell.
The Brittany Rugby League and its president Fabrice Quenéhervé are mobilized so that everything develops under the best auspices.
Eleven other nations come to challenge France on their Breton lands. South Africa, Australia, Spain, Fiji, Georgia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
On November 11, a very symbolic date, the Army and Navy clashed in La Seyne-sur-Mer. The Navy had won with the score of 20 to 13.
Rebelote three weeks ago, in the final of the French championship. This time, the Army took revenge and retained their title. In this competition, the gendarmerie and the Air Force competed for runners-up.
Regarding the level of this French team, it is reinforced by Army reservist players. Of course, it is still difficult to pursue a military career and a career as a professional concert rugby player. So the players that make it up come from amateur rugby, from Federal 3 to Nacional. It also happens that some applicants from RC Toulon and other Var clubs sign contracts at the school of sailors with the Navy. But it could be that one or two reserve Pro D2 players join the ranks. This is the case of Alexandre Dugny, with whom I rubbed shoulders in Carcassonne and who currently plays in Tarbes.
On the ground, with no further rank, the first class can be found hacking the colonel. For the good of the team. And of the country. And who but the military to better defend the honor of the homeland. But this time it will be rugby. A sport. A game.
It only remains for these gentlemen to imitate their sisters in arms, the French women’s rugby team, which was proclaimed world champion in New Zealand last November. This is all the evil we wish them.
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