On Thursday, April 9th, the hopes of CA Périgueux swapped their cleats for running shoes. They met with Samuel Duval, president of Dordogne Athletics, for posture, footwork, and coordination exercises. “At Dordogne Athletics, we already have two CAP cadets licensed and I was put in contact with Jacques Rigaud (responsible for training within the club and manager of the hopes) to launch the idea of a partnership so that players can work differently,” explains Samuel Duval. And Louis Pontagnier, co-coach of the hopes, echoes the sentiment. “The goal is to develop coordination and create a connection with athletics. In France, it’s not really in our culture, but in Anglo-Saxon countries, they mix and help with all sports. It’s Rory Scholes (rear in the National team and co-coach of the hopes) who is taking the initiative. He, in Ireland, has always known this connection between rugby and athletics,” continues Louis Pontagnier.
The objective is to see what rugby can learn from athletics to grow. “Here, we also see how they separate the upper and lower body and that’s what we’re looking for. It would be interesting if there were slots in the future,” hopes Louis Pontagnier. The players started with a little jogging before moving on to exercises like high knees, knee raises, or bounding strides, all under the watchful eyes of Samuel Duval, who provided advice on how to use the arms effectively, essential for propulsion while running. Forwards and backs went through these exercises and also worked on passing with Jason Tindilière, a first team player.
