The departure of Melvyn Jaminet is not a shock wave, it was planned and expected. The young full-back ended the soap opera concerning him and will be able to fully concentrate on the end of the season with USAP before joining Stade Toulousain for three seasons.
If this departure does not shock the USAP, it nevertheless inspires some reflections in François Rivière. The president of the USAP understands the departure of his rear but he sees all the same through this example reasons to reform the transfer system in French rugby so that this looting between big clubs and smaller clubs stops:
“There is a real problem because we can all see that the big players are taken over by the big clubs and there is a kind of double penalty for the smaller clubs like USAP. When we look at the ranking of the clubs that have the most jiffs (players from French training), we have Toulouse in the lead then Racing, Lyon and Bordeaux, so the clubs that are probably the richest in French rugby.
It’s difficult to keep French players from the hope level
So not only do these clubs recover all the French players, but within the framework of the Jiff regulations, they are helped financially compared to us, who not only have to fight to recover jiff players, which is complicated since they are cannibalized by the big clubs, and also fight for our maintenance. There is a disruption of the sports organization of French rugby and it cannot continue on these bases.”
The last seasons, for various reasons and explanations, USAP saw the young players it launched leave : Nans Ducuing (Bordeaux), Enzo Forletta (Montpellier), Alban Roussel (Bordeaux) or even Quentin Walcker (Castres). For a club like USAP, retaining young people is a constant struggle: “The players have to become, as in football, club assets and we have to put this subject on the table once and for all. Training clubs like the USAP must have real added value for the players.
We talk about Melvyn but it’s not just him, it’s difficult to keep French players from the hope level. Bruno Rolland (General Manager of USAP) fought like hell to keep our players who were selected with the young France team, the big clubs already wanted to steal them.”
Leaving USAP in the Top 14 is very important for Melvyn – Patrick Arlettaz
On the sporting side, the USAP now has 4 or 5 games to stay in the Top 14. Coach Patrick Arlettaz also, of course, is not surprised by the departure of Melvyn Jaminet and prefers to retain the pride of having launched “an atypical player“. For the Catalan coach, the end of the soap opera is above all a positive point for the end of the season:
“If there was this soap opera it is because there were questions. There will always be dissatisfied people, people who will hold it against him, we cannot achieve unanimity. If this soap opera was long and so important, it’s because everyone understood that the question was going to arise. I don’t regret the soap opera itself. On the other hand, I am happy that it stops because it is an important moment of the season.
I know that Melvyn, since the start of the season, has been obsessed with this maintenance mission. No doubt what he prevented from being at his best level with us is also that. Melvyn is a nice boy, he prefers things to be said and clear. Now it is, we know what he’s going to do and I don’t want there to be any doubt about what he’s aiming for until the end of the season, it’s very clear in her head. Leaving the club in the Top 14 is very important to him and he will be very important to us.“
USAP will be able to count on Melvyn Jaminet for all games at the end of the season, he who has multiplied the back and forth between the Blues and the sang-et-or club. Next season with the World Cup, these comings and goings would have increased and again the USAP can afford to deprive itself of a player like Melvyn Jaminet less than the Stade Toulouse and other big clubs.