Cometh the hour, cometh Traille
As the most capped player for France against England on Saturday, centre Damien Traille's shoulders will be laden with responsibility. In addition to being his team's new designated place-kicker, he'll have to keep an eye on the youngsters playing on his inside.
As the most capped player for France against England on Saturday, centre Damien Traille's shoulders will be laden with responsibility. In addition to being his team's new designated place-kicker, he'll have to keep an eye on the youngsters playing on his inside.
At 28, Traille will be one of the 'old hands' in a very youthful French side.
Young fly-half François Trinh-Duc is not a place-kicker by profession, and with Jean-Baptiste Elissalde out injured, the kicking responsibilities both out of hand and from the tee have been given to the Biarritz Olympique centre.
“Our kicking game has been our weak spot overall since the start of the tournament” Traille told Rugbyrama.
“When we've kicked, we've kicked any old which way, me especially. We need to find a efficient and coherent kicking game,”
A few eyebrows were raised when the French starting XV was announced without a specialist place-kicker but Traille is a player “who can easily reply to our expectations in the sector” according to Marc Lièvremont.
More at home over long distances, Traille has “been training hard to be as effective as possible.”
“I hope that it all goes well but we'll still need to score tries. I'm not putting any additional pressure on myself because of [the extra responsibility], “he said timidly.
Since his first selection in 2001, Traille has been an integral part of the French back line. A centre specialist, capable of playing at fly-half, or even full-back, one could even call him a 'utility back'. With 59 caps, he's one of the senior members of the squad.
If putting the oval ball between the posts wasn't pressure enough, Traille will need all his experience to guide an enthusiastic but inexperienced axis combination playing between him and the much-criticised French scrum.
“Louis [Picamoles], Morgan [Parra] and François [Trinh-Duc] don't have much experience at this level,” he said.
“There will have to be a lot of communication in terms of managing the match, the kick-offs and how the English play defensively. We're going to have an important role on the field, that of giving them confidence. ”
The last time the two teams met, in that fateful World Cup semi-final when England walked away 14-9 winners, Traille had a first-hand view of Josh Lewsey crossing the try line. But that's past history.
“I haven't thought about it much. That's sport. Despite the disappointment, that match was quickly forgotten. Now, it's the Six Nations, we need to bounce back and not dwell on the past.”