Read also: François Joly’s interview, in which he tells his story from Puilboreau to Oyonnax.
Johann Authier, coach of François Joly at Niort and Oyonnax: “I knew he had the potential to make it at this level”
On his start to the season: “François has been able to seize his opportunities. He’s a very hard-working person who listens well. And as a player who arrived through the back door, he’s aware of the work he still has to do. Early this season, he’s also benefited from a few injury problems in his position, and he’s been able to grab his chance. He’s a player full of energy, who doesn’t overthink things, who puts a lot of commitment into what he does. For us, that’s also a sign of reliability and trust. When a player is capable of going beyond himself in every match, those are important things in our eyes.”
His main strength: “First of all, he’s an athletically ready player: he can go very fast and run for a long time. He’s not afraid. He can even be aggressive, in the good sense of the word. That’s his main quality. Then, he’s able to play in several positions. That lets him move between 12 and 13, and even other positions, and that’s an extra asset for him. He still needs to improve technically, but since he’s hard-working, he keeps progressing.”
A surprise? No, I’m not surprised, since he’s a player I already knew well. I saw him arrive at Niort when I was there. And when we needed a centre at the end of last season, I put François’s name forward. I knew he had the potential to make it at that level. But between having the potential and actually being able to show it, there’s a step to take. He’s capable of taking it, so I’m not surprised.
A player able to adapt constantly: “First of all, I didn’t discover him myself: it was Julien Audy who told me about him. He’s a friend, who played with me at Oyonnax and who was coaching at Rochefort at the time. Credit where credit’s due (laughs). Since he’s a player who works hard, we moved forward step by step. We brought him in with us at Niort, he trained with us. We saw that he had the qualities to train at that level. Since he was a player who always wanted more, a really good worker, he was quickly able to meet expectations. In the end, in Nationale, things went well too. When you see a player reach the level that quickly, you tell yourself he can take the next step fairly easily. That’s what happened in his case.”
Johann AuthierOn a pour habitude de dire que le travail paye toujours : il en est l’exemple parfait.
Quick to settle in: “We have a group that’s quite easy to live with. The lads integrate players pretty well. He’s not someone who talks a huge amount, but within a group, he settles in very quickly because he’s very sociable. Since he’s a hard worker, everyone realises it’s good to have players like him in the team. So, on integration, it happened very quickly, both at Niort and at Oyonnax.”
Quite a journey: “Players often say these are opportunities. Life is made of opportunities. I think François has come across some, and that he’s been able to seize them. If he’s where he is today, it’s simply because he deserves it. We often say that hard work always pays off: he’s the perfect example of that.”
Benjamin Alçacèbe, former teammate of François Joly at Niort: “Everything he has, he owes to himself”
His simplicity: “He’s an incredible guy. He’s a great person, both as a man and as a rugby player. For me, it’s a wonderful friendship. I get on really well with him. He committed himself hugely from the moment he arrived at Niort, he’s very down to earth and he always wants to keep learning. He’s a very hard worker, with strong values.”
A strong ability to listen: “He arrived when Rochefort went under. Julien Audy was the Rochefort coach and he worked on our skills, kicking, passing, that sort of thing. François trained with us and we all saw he had potential, physically in particular. Then, it’s a lovely story to tell. There were a few injuries, he ended up playing in the Nationale 2 French championship final, then he was promoted with us, the following weekend, to Nationale, which was historic for the club. He then took his place as a starter from the start of the year: he played every home match, with some very strong performances. What I can say about him is that everything he has, he owes to himself. He worked enormously, he listened. I always say he’s a rough diamond: he improved very quickly. As soon as people gave him something, he learned it and applied it on the pitch, purely through his own work.”
And strong progress: “I thought he’d go and make up the numbers in Pro D2, but making up the numbers and playing the matches he’s playing, that’s not the same thing. I think he’s playing really big matches. Early in the season, when he left Niort, he played matches full of desire, full of energy, you could see he was hungry. But now, I think he’s doing something else again. He’s improving very fast.”
Benjamin AlçacèbeC’est un joueur physique. Il est dur sur l’homme.
A tough player: “He’s a physical player. He’s tough, he has the leg drive when he goes into contact, he manages to keep a low centre of gravity, to break the first tackles. He’s hard on the man.”
Room to grow: “Already, settling into Pro D2 at Oyonnax, the top team in the league, if he manages to do that all season, that will be huge. After that, why not go up with Oyo’ to Top 14? That could be amazing. I say that because they’re at the top of the table, but it will all depend on his performances. I think he still has more to give. Of course, there are so many factors that come into play.”
Quentin Pilet, friend and former teammate of François Joly at Niort: “Someone you can rely on”
A quiet arrival: “He arrived at Niort on tiptoe. Then he grew in strength match after match in his first year. Last year, he completely exploded. He was really above the rest. There was nothing to say.”
An easy-going personality: “He’s someone discreet, a hard worker, but always there to have a laugh with the lads, always up for doing anything. So he’s very easy to live with and very pleasant in a group. He’s someone who shows resilience in the face of difficulty. I find him always very calm. He’s someone you can rely on, a safe pair of hands.”
On merit: “In a career, there are sometimes things that can’t be explained. I know he was at La Rochelle, then at Rochefort before coming to us at Niort. He wasn’t lucky: he was blocked by other guys who were ahead of him. But where he is now, it’s fully deserved. The proof is that he’s there and he doesn’t look out of place in a starting fifteen with Oyonnax, which is, right now, the best Pro D2 team as far as I’m concerned. So no, really, I’m very, very happy for this lad.”
An anecdote: “He should stop letting his wife dress him, take charge a bit and go buy his own clothes himself (laughs). Apart from that, he’s a great guy, he deserves to be where he is, and why not higher still.”
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