The Springboks train young rugby players from the Var at the Stade Mayol

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Some widen their eyes and others look at each other in disbelief! A hundred young Var rugby players find it difficult to realize what is happening to them when they see about twenty players and the staff of the South African team get out of the Stade Mayol tunnel in Toulon to come and train with them!

The Springboks, installed at the Grand Hôtel des Sablettes in La Seyne-sur-Mer before their match on Saturday against the French team*, offered an unforgettable moment to 107 teenagers, educated in the “rugby section” in 7 colleges of the Toulon basin. For an hour and a half, the South African players led workshops and then took part in matches. An afternoon organized by the town hall of Toulon, in partnership with National Education and the PACA Rugby League.

A dream come true

This is Noah, a 4th grader in Django Reinhardt middle school in Toulonwhich best sums up this afternoon: “We are really incredibly lucky, especially at our age! We are only 13 years old and we play on the lawn of the Stade Mayol with the reigning world champions! It’s a dream come true” says the Toulonnais, stars in his eyes.

But during this afternoon, we sometimes wonder who are the teenagers and who are the world champions! Between two tackles and three passes, the thunderous laughter of the Springboks resound in the Toulon enclosure. The South African players and staff are all smiling and working hard to train budding rugby players.

For Siya Kolisi, the captain who has just picked up a teenager after a hesitant tackle, “Leading this training is a responsibility. We want all the kids to have the opportunity to play rugby to show them how it is done and just to have a moment with them. It’s important because maybe they’re watching Cheslin on TV Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth. They are their heroes and today they can touch them, talk to them. One day we were also small and we want to show them that they too can achieve great things in their lives!”

Young college students from Toulon with Chelsin Kolbe and Siya Kolisi, captain of the Springboks
© Radio France
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Sophie Glotin
After having led “tackle” “passes” and “clearing” workshops, the Springboks played a few matches with the college students
© Radio France
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Sophie Glotin
The South Africans took great pleasure in meeting the young college students from the Toulon basin
© Radio France
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Sophie Glotin
After training and a signing session, the teenagers were able to take their picture with the world champions, like here Eben Etzebeth and two students from the Django Reinhardt college in Toulon
© Radio France
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Sophie Glotin

* France-South Africa, second test-match of the Autumn tour, this Saturday November 12 at 9 p.m. at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. The match is sold out.

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