2024-03-14 06:01:00
As in La Rochelle where they are “competitors” but inseparable in the club’s recent successes, Uini Atonio and Georges-Henri Colombe have recently shared the position of right pillar in the French team. After a first success in Cardiff, it remains to be confirmed once morest the English.
The only problem is that the two are never together on the field. Atonio who starts, Colombe who replaces him: a situation that the supporters know perfectly well rochelais but also their adversaries, to their greatest misfortune.
Against Wales, this pattern was carried out for the first time in the French team. In the 51st minute, Georges-Henri (25 years old, 1.93 m, 142 kg) entered the legendary pitch of the Principality Stadium with the success we know: a lot of power, a saving try (his first in international level), a valuable scratch for a very positive overall impression. Galthié’s choice to trust the former racing man paid off, and, barring injury, the child of 92 will be brought back once morest England during the crunch (Saturday, 9 p.m.). The person concerned already has the fangs: “I don’t have the experience of Uini and a crunch but it’s always special to play the English. So, one more or less day of rest, it won’t change anything. It will be a first for me . I can’t wait to find out.”
I watch a lot of what he does and get inspired by him
Having recovered from his little cloud of Cardiff, Colombe looks forward to Saturday evening’s shock with appetite, helped by the experience and 61 capes of Uini Atonio who knows these meetings perfectly. “I felt a lot of pride during my first selection, he confides, but the group lives so well that it’s easy to quickly acclimatize. You have to keep your feet on the ground and keep working.”.
What does the old veteran from La Rochelle (33 years old, 1.97 m, 147 kg) bring him on a daily basis? A good dose of joie de vivre, already: “A lot of bullshit”, laughs “GH” during the joint press briefing in Marcoussis. But not only. “Uini brings me a lot of things. In the scrum sector, already, but also in the game. He is an intelligent player in movement and with the ball in hand. I watch a lot of what he does and I take a breath.”
Upon his arrival in La Rochelle in 2022, he therefore affirmed that his rise would be faster alongside the French international: “He is one of the best in my position and this will allow me to progress and develop my game.“Bingo. Having become more and more important in the La Rochelle system, Colombe gradually climbed the ranks until being called up to the France team following the draw once morest Italy. “He came with us three years ago when he was performing with Racing, justified Fabien Galthié avant Cardiff. We’ve been waiting for it for three years. It took him a while to join us but it’s his path. He performs today with La Rochelle. He has great qualities, I think he is ready. He is ready in his body and in his head.”
The future Atonio? It already is!
The most experienced of the pillars necessarily sees favorably the rise in power of his foal. But with “Uini”, the second degree is never far away. “We already support each other in the club… (laughs). No, it’s cool. We complement each other whether at Stade Rochelais or in the French team. On the field and off it too. Seeing him here today is deserved. He still has time to progress, to get that little margin that he can still achieve, but I’m very happy that he is with us. I hope it lasts for him.”
Until don the mantle of the successor, the one that the XV of France is looking for and has not yet found (the original New Zealander left his international retirement to compete in the 6 Nations and remains unclear regarding his future in the selection)? “The future Atonio? He already is.”, anticipates with a smile the titular right pillar. The physical and rugby characteristics of the two colossi are obvious, but Colombe has yet to confirm on the international scene. Nothing better than a crunch for that. In the meantime, with both, it’s even better for the Blues!
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