Léo Carbonneau has been named captain of Les Bleuets for the final match of the Tournament against England in Pau on Friday (9pm). Leader of the group since last year, he hopes to lead the French Under-20 team to a prestigious success at the Crunch.
"How do you feel about your first captaincy?
It's an honor to be captain of this team. After that, we have a group of leaders who were defined at the start of the competition. Being captain today doesn't come as a shock to me. It's something that comes quite naturally. Whether it's Marko (Gazzotti) or Hugo (Reus) who will be vice-captains, or me as captain, we're a pretty tight-knit group of leaders, so we'll be able to divide up our roles for the match against England.
How did you cope with the strange period of double duty, when you were requisitioned by your club (Brive) and couldn't play for Les Bleuets?
For me, it wasn't strange because with the club and Sébastien (Calvet, the coach), there was a clear situation at the start of the Tournament. There was good communication between the club and the French team. I knew I could play Ireland(31-37 on February 3) and England. I wasn't shocked when there was this rotation between the French team and the club.
"You learn from each match, whether it's with the club or with the French team (...) After that, playing in the entire Six Nations Tournament is an incredible experience.
Léo Carbonneau to L'équipe, 03-13-24