“Personal reasons”. Wednesday, during the press conference announcing the list of 42 rugby players called to prepare for the next six nations tournament, Fabien Galthié confirmed the presence in the group of Thibaud Flament. But the coach of the XV of France also clarified that the second row of Stade Toulousain would not be available for the opening match against Ireland, on February 5, for “personal reasons”.
This Thursday, in the columns of L’Équipe, the 28-year-old player returned to the reasons for his absence. A carefully considered and, indeed, very personal choice. Thibaud Flament wishes to support his wife, Éthel, who suffers from endometriosis, a pathology which affects at least one in ten women of childbearing age and can cause significant pain as well as infertility, and must undergo important examinations in the coming days.
“We learned at the beginning of January that the PMA falls in the same week as Ireland”
“We got married this summer with the desire to start a family,” explains the player. We started to do medical check-ups, meet specialists… Very quickly, we realized that it wasn’t necessarily going to be easy to have a child. We understood that we were going to have to carry out a PMA (medically assisted procreation). »
A long and tedious process which was to take place in December before being postponed recently. “We learned at the beginning of January that the PMA falls in the same week as Ireland,” continues the 34-cap international. Even if I saw this possibility coming, it is not possible to do both, so I will not play against Ireland. »
“Postponing PMA entailed more risks and stress, so it was not consistent with our desire to have a child,” insists the person concerned.
His return for the match against Wales on February 15 is also still pending. “The puncture takes place the week of February 2. Afterwards, I don’t control the timing. So I don’t know anything about it. There’s no point in projecting too much. We try to live this PMA process as a great experience, to be as happy as possible. »
Flament has established himself for several years as a member of the Blues, starting in each of his appearances since the 2023 World Cup, even if he has missed several matches due to injuries.
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