You don’t need many words to be reassured. One look is enough. That of a father on his son. That of a former rugby glory towards a nascent star snorting with pleasure in a bright night at the Stade de France. Olivier Roumat, 61 caps with the French XV in the 1990s, does not mask his pride when he sees Alexandre, 27, active in the blue jersey, frolicking, tackling, having fun and raising his arms at the final whistle. “His mother, Valérie, is afraid, she closes her eyes during each tackle, but I don’t at all, I know he is armed and I am delighted because he is happy, confides the former second line of Dax and Biarritz . He’s having fun, as he always has since he started playing rugby. »
The exchanges after the matches become increasingly brief. “We call each other but we hardly need to debrief anymore,” adds Olivier Roumat. Alexandre has a very detailed analysis of his performances. He knows exactly where he stands. » Against the All Blacks (30-29 victory), Saturday, the Toulouse 3rd line showed itself as always, valuable, efficient, aerial in touch and formidable tackler. This Friday evening (9:10 p.m.) in Saint-Denis, he will slide onto the bench to face Argentina, reorganization required in the 3rd line after the replacement of Grégory Alldritt, in poor form, by Charles Ollivon. And he should come into play in the second half, thus earning a 7th selection.
