Is Peato Mauvaka better than Julien Marchand? He replaced this Saturday, November 20 against the All Blacks Julien Marchand, after his rib injury. The hooker had a remarkable double.
The question of possible competition does not arise for our rugby consultant: Philippe Gleyze estimates that the two men, aged 24 and 26 respectively, are “indispensable and complementary”, both at the XV de France and at the Stade Toulousain.
“We must temper”
For Philippe Gleyze, it is necessary temper the ascendancy that Peato Mauvaka might have taken over Julien Marchand. “Peato still has some gaps in the throw, in touch in particular,” recalls the rugby specialist, while stressing that “he is certainly more mobile than Julien Marchand“.
“Julien Marchand is a very solid player, perhaps more anchored in the tradition of the hooker in France: leader of men, leader”, he believes, comparing him to a Mauvaka rather “ball player” who does not have the same impact on his colleagues. This is the reason why Philippe Gleyze do not imagine a XV of France or a Stade Toulousain without “these two rather complementary profiles”.
A “luxury” to have them both
The specialist even believes that “it is a luxury “to have two profiles so different and complementary at the hooker position. Their specificities effectively allow, provided that none is forfeited, to align them according to “the teams and player profiles that we have opposite”.