The numbers are relentless. With more than 14,000 members in mid-November, the Departmental Rugby Committee can boast of having around 1,500 members (educators or managers included) more than last year at the same time. Enough to rejoice its president Pascal Cazeaux who clearly sees “a World Cup effect in Gironde”. It must be recognized that the Bordeaux region vibrated for…
The numbers are relentless. With more than 14,000 members in mid-November, the Departmental Rugby Committee can boast of having around 1,500 members (educators or managers included) more than last year at the same time. Enough to rejoice its president Pascal Cazeaux who clearly sees “a World Cup effect in Gironde”. It must be recognized that the Bordelais vibrated for the oval ball at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. With its five meetings organized at Matmut-Atlantique, the residences of the Fijians in Lormont or the Romanians in Libourne, the arrival of the New Zealanders at the Chaban-Delmas stadium, without forgetting the matches of the XV of France attracting thousands of people to the Rugby Village or in bars, the World Cup has generated palpable popular enthusiasm.
Among young people, the figures make you smile. Cadets and juniors, at the departmental level, gain more than 10% of the workforce. “But in any case, in all categories, from under-six men to under-fifteen women, we are seeing an increase of the same ilk,” specifies Pascal Cazeaux for whom “the World Cup cannot be the only explanation” . “We are also on the return of a post-Covid with a renewed attraction for associative practice,” underlines the manager. But the luck we had in Gironde was still to host five matches. And we had some fantastic ones, like Wales – Fiji! In fact, this helps retain newcomers and most certainly attracts others…”
In Lormont, where the Fijians established their base camp during the World Cup, training in public, also participating in a session with young people from the rugby school, the international competition was experienced very concretely. Which did not, despite everything, lead to a raid on the registrations. “There is always excitement among licensees a few weeks, a few months later,” co-president Olivier Rohet told us last month. In other years it worked well. Obviously, there will be a small effect. »
“We have returned to 300 licensees whereas we had fallen to 45 three years ago”
A new impetus
In Biganos, the under-14 coach, Paul Colomb, puts the “World Cup” effect into perspective for the moment. » “This will certainly bring us new players in the near future but the phenomenon remains limited,” says the coach. However, his club perfectly illustrates the good dynamics from which the Gironde oval benefits. In agony until very recently, the association is fully reviving thanks to new momentum. “We have returned to 300 licensees whereas we had fallen to 45 three years ago,” says the man happily. 208 young people, two senior teams, cadets in agreement: Biganos rugby XV is resurrected.
“The biggest thing that brings people to us? Parents want to get their child off the tablets, so that they can socialize again around a collective, believes Paul Colomb. Then, we unite around this, by offering parents, who very often don’t really know rugby, to become educators. » A job that pays: the Biganos rugby school was voted the best of 2023 by the Aquitaine league.
