Week One

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Sunday – we were taken to the flat. It’s nice and modern, spacious enough. There are three of us in it. The other boys are from Dijon (“the mustard place”, as he said) and Poitiers, which is in the South. Both nice lads, they’re 20 and 21 years old. The afternoon was spent with me and the family traipsing around IKEA looking for things like bins, scissors and towel racks.

Monday – I checked in officially with the club at 2, received some kit (3 training t shirts, a pair of shorts and lots of kappa socks...) and headed out for the first session. It was basically a fitness game, 5 on 3, lots of running, forfeits etc. And of course it poured, an absolutely freezing downpour. Jokes were already being made about it being like Ecosse which I appreciated. Everyone else seemed to know each other, obviously been playing here for a few years, especially if they’re all older.

Tuesday – This was the first day we would have the dreaded 9 o clock Teamrun. Basically the whole squad sets out to the local park, Le Parc de Sceaux and runs around it. I was bloody knackered by the end but thankfully so was everyone else. Lovely park though, one for strolling around, not sweating around. Then it was back for more fitness games. These included, shock horror, variations of Hawick Ball and other similar games. And then to finish the morning, yet more running! Lunch was taken, as it is most days, at a local office for the estate agency Foncia which is owned by the man who owns the club, Jacky Lorenzetti. We waited in the queue with the suited and booted chic business people who looked rather bemused.

That afternoon we did a weights circuit and then some tackle technique work. The coaching is of a high standard and it’s interesting to see different ways of teaching people to tackle. Very basic, but very effective, and I couldn’t even tell what he was saying!

Wednesday – Another team run, this time including hills...Ugh. But then we were free until 5 when it was another Fitgame session. The French do seem to prioritise running and aerobic fitness. Possibly it’s because the game is so fast here. I can already tell, from the pace of the touch and the lines and offloads that people go for and sometimes pull off, that it’s a different game. You have to be fit in order to play this way.

Thursday – We had the morning off and while some were in their beds, I was in the centre of Paris in an HSBC opening a bank account. In France you have to be 18, but since I’m not, my parents have to be heavily involved in the process. It was back out to the training ground, after a short train ride, for a weights session. It’s funny how something like the ‘Clean’ can be interpreted differently. If the SRU saw how it was being taught here then there would be some debate about techniques. Great chat right there. So afterwards I headed back into Paris for dinner with the family at a great restaurant up in Montmartre, and one I’ll try and take anyone who comes for a visit.

Friday – The morning was taken up with a French variation on the Bleep Test where instead of running 20 metres you ran about 100 metres, and then back but then 105 metres, then 110 and so on. The principle of having to run faster each rep remained. I felt I acquitted myself fairly well. After lunch we had a talk from Pierre Berbizier, first team coach and Director of Rugby. He spoke of the unity of the club and his philosophy. That’s what it sounded like to me. The training week was brought to an end by another Fitgame session, “catastrophique” as the coach said. Though I did work out that he said things about how it was the end of the week and people were tired. Hear hear, I couldn’t agree more.