Much used since the beginning of the season by Ronan O'Gara, Pierre and Paul Boudehent have taken a new dimension with the Stade Rochelais. The winger (24 years old) and the flanker (23 years old) are playing their last games before being separated for the first time at the end of the season.
The Boudehents are efficient men who don't ask themselves questions. Inseparable since their training in Angers, then at Stade Nantais, Pierre and Paul Boudehent are beginning to be experienced in professional games. While the winger began his Top 14 adventure in 2017, the flanker joined his brother a year later. Since then, the two native Angevins have continued to grow in stature within a four-star squad.
This season, the flanker has played fourteen matches, compared with sixteen for the winger. Scoring four times, Pierre is much more widely used than last season. "It's a reward for the work I'm doing at the club, and I want to keep going. I've improved in terms of consistency, confidence and a more rigorous lifestyle (laughs).
Aware of the rarity of playing with his brother, Pierre Boudehent keeps his head on his shoulders as he talks about this very special sporting relationship:"We're used to it now. We don't think about it too much, but it's a great source of pride for our parents. It's something quite rare, and we're very happy and proud. At the end of every match, we see them all the time and we hug each other. I hope to continue with him, but I know I'll be leaving at the end of the season, so I'm making the most of every moment. The Rochelais winger revealed to Rugbyrama thathe will be a Stade Français player next season.
Paul Boudehent had his second taste of the number 8 position at the end of December against Perpignan. The youngest of the siblings is well-versed in the third-row wing position, and wants to improve his ball-in-hand game and be more useful in the Rochelais attack. Without the injured Yoan Tanga and Gregory Alldritt, who will be retained for the 6 Nations Tournament, the young flanker has a real card to play. "I'm in my comfort zone when I'm a third-row wing. When I play 8, there's more challenge and more responsibility. I always have to be clinical in defense, while trying to convert good balls. This implies better positioning in attack.
Paul Boudehent, who has always "naturally followed" his brother, has no intention of making any preferences over other players from La Rochelle. However, Paul Boudehent always watches his elder brother more closely. " Once we're on the pitch, we've got our bearings. I don't communicate with Pierre any more than I would with another winger. We do our jobs, but it's always different when Pierre has the ball, so I keep an eye on him (laughs).
A few months before their separation, Paul Boudehent admits to being "a little sad. But I wish him the best, and time will tell if it's a good or bad decision. I'll always support him, it's a new start for him. But it'll be more complicated for the parents, who'll have to travel to Paris (laughs)," jokes the youngest, who would like to present his brother with a second trophy before seeing him move to the capital.