At Tyrosse, the Espoirs empire is still at the summit of French rugby

It has almost become a tradition. Every year, or very nearly, at the same time of the season, Tyrosse add their name to the roll of honour. Last season, the Landes club pulled off a remarkable double with the Espoirs Fédéraux and Fédérale 1 French titles for their first team.

This time, the flagship side bowed out with honour in the Nationale 2 quarter-finals against Vienne. But the next generation were there again. The Espoirs went all the way, landing another French title, in Espoirs Nationaux this time. That makes it a third title in five years.

A former lock who played for Toulon, Albi, Bourgoin, Dax and La Seyne, Thomas Vervoort is now the forwards coach of the young Tyrosse side. For It’s Rugby, he looks back on this fresh triumph against a solid Marmande team. And he makes no secret of his pride at the run put together by a squad rich in talent. Interview.

IT’S RUGBY. – Thomas, how are you feeling two days after the title? A bit tired?
Thomas Vervoort: Yes, there is some tiredness because we made the most of the post-match evening. At 40, you don’t recover like the 20-year-olds who are still out partying (laughs). They are off tomorrow on their end-of-season trip so they are going to enjoy themselves together for a few more days. But even at the final whistle, we didn’t realise we were champions. Afterwards, it is a huge source of pride for the club, the town and the supporters. It shows that the Tyrosse development set-up keeps improving and staying in the front rank.

Is that feeling of “surprise” still there? You have got used to winning titles…
(laughs) That is exactly what we said to each other. We almost wonder what we are going to do next, because if we are not there we will get our knuckles rapped. That is two titles in a row. I don’t even know whether that had ever been done at this level with other clubs. What the club is living through is exceptional, almost unique in France. We have to keep riding that wave.

How do you explain the success of Tyrosse’s development work?
First of all, the players love the club. Those who come in settle very quickly, even the ones who are not local, like the former Montauban players Nolan Betton and Paul-Antoine Gaudissart. Then, development is hugely important. There are loads of youngsters at the rugby school, with fantastic volunteer coaches. The age-grade teams keep getting better structured so that they can perform. There is also a core of experienced players who bring security in the key moments and who know what play-offs are about. That is essential.

This squad has great maturity and a strong personality

How would you describe your squad in a few words?
Solidarity, selflessness, courage. And above all, the ability to always believe. That is our motto, in fact (our strength is believing, editor’s note). We saw it against Auch, in the semi-final. With 15 minutes to go we were in big trouble, 10 points down, but we came back thanks to our strength of character and we went in front. This squad has great maturity and a strong personality.

It felt as though you were never really troubled…
No, not that much. They spent very little time in our half in the end. We put right some of the problems from the start of the match and we were good at the lineout, which starved them of ball. We have a collective strength that lets us turn up, and more than turn up at certain moments.

This is your first season as forwards coach of the Espoirs… What did you think before the season started?
My aim was to enjoy myself and for the players to enjoy it too. The squad already had a good collective structure. A few adjustments were needed, particularly on mental strength and the performance of the forwards. I tried to bring what I could represent when I was a player. With Grégory Britz, who shares the same values, we wanted to toughen up the team’s character. We built up all season long. I also wanted the youngest ones, especially the 18-year-olds, to make the most of their first season. With Alexis Nolibois (the backs coach, editor’s note), everything went really well.

Is it difficult to manage a young squad as a coach?
No, not at all. They have a very good attitude and a desire to succeed. They go out and party, that is normal at their age. But when the play-offs come around, they know how to get down to work. With the squad’s experience, they know when to have fun and when to be serious. They are easy lads to manage, who want to succeed, whether at Tyrosse or elsewhere. Rubbing shoulders with the first team helps them improve too. Training against Nationale 2 players makes them grow, particularly in physical impact and defence. On Thursdays, in the opposed sessions against the first team, you have to work twice as hard. That helps.

Did these youngsters surprise you?
They surprised me with their ability to adapt and their progress over the course of the season. Since January we have strung wins together, and that strengthened the group. I knew they would perform, and they did.

Have you asked your board to make the trophy cabinet bigger?
(laughs) No, I haven’t asked for anything at all. Even if the titles are piling up, we are going to stay humble. We are going to keep building and doing our best to bring back a few more.

I fell in love with this club

Some will leave, juniors will come into the squad, others will play with the first team… How do you approach that?
We are going to stay true to the Tyrosse identity. The foundations will stay the same. The juniors coming up will adapt to our game. There will be turnover, some are over-age and want to try their luck elsewhere. We are not going to stop them. Our job will be to keep developing, improving and performing with the new ones as well as with the more experienced.

You have played for several clubs but Tyrosse has a special place in your heart…
I fell in love with this club. I was made very welcome here. Today, being a champion with this club that adopted me is a huge source of pride, for me and for my family. As a player, I finished my career as best I could. Today, I am lucky enough to be employed by the club. I owe a lot to UST. I am proud to represent this club and its values. I feel very good here.