GPS data, training, responsibilities… How rugby players organize themselves during the Christmas holidays ?

The Montpellier players, like the other rugby players in the Top 14, celebrated Christmas in moderation, while the 13th day is just around the corner this Saturday, December 28.

“What do rugby players do at Christmas ?”. In journalism, we call this a chestnut tree, that is to say a subject that comes up repeatedly. But it is interesting to note to what extent players disrupt their daily lives during the end-of-year holidays. The more the seasons go by, the less they dare to help themselves to another slice of foie gras.

Without depriving yourself and getting frustrated, everything must be consumed in moderation, especially when Christmas takes place three days before a Top 14 match. As long as it's grandma at the stove, you probably have to check that your hand isn't too heavy when adding a swig of butter.

However, the staffs allow a form of flexibility. Not everything is played out to the nearest gram. Proof of the coaches' confidence, in Montpellier, the traditional post-log weigh-in did not take place. “The staff trusts us and I don't think there are many guys who cheated”, promises Enzo Forletta. The MHR left pillar assures us: “I spent the holidays here, I didn't have to move. And I trained every day.” Model student.

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“Everyone has their own strategy”

If Joan Caudullo & co trusted their squad, they still asked everyone to follow a physical program and send GPS data after each session. “We were off from Sunday to Wednesday. We couldn't do nothing. Coming to training having done nothing for four days, especially during the holidays, is impossible”, assures the center, Arthur Vincent.

This seriousness, the Montpellier residents promised themselves at the final whistle against Racing 92 (21-17). And it was the captain, Billy Vunipola, who preached the good word. “Billy spoke in the locker room. He said: “The coaches are giving us Sunday off as a gift, it's up to us to give them back that trust””, says Benson Stanley, MHR's contact attitude and rucks coach.

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The players are now used to this “boxing day” period. They know how to manage themselves. If an extra piece of foie gras has been swallowed, it must be eliminated immediately, go for a little jog. “Everyone has their own strategy. Some prefer not to have seconds so as not to have to go running (smile). But in all cases, you still have to enjoy yourself. It's important because I think it brings us joy, happiness and good energy. Even if the first steps in training, the next day, are a little harder than the others”, Arthur Vincent says.

The latter has the advantage of having celebrated Christmas with his family at home, in Mauguio, while others made the round trip to the Basque Country, reducing family time. Foreign players ? “They often invite themselves. Mum and dad aren't there so they spend the holidays with those who are in the same situation as them. A group of English on one side, New Zealanders and Australians on the other… There are often groups”, assures Stanley, a New Zealander by origin who experienced this situation when he was a player at Clermont and Pau.