Édition du Nord

Select Edition

Nord Nord
Sud Sud
Mondial Mondial
Nouvelle Zélande Nouvelle Zélande
France France

Wilfrid Hounkpatin, une cape avec les Bleus, va désormais jouer pour le Sénégal

Le pilier de Montpellier Wilfrid Hounkpatin après avoir marqué un essai lors du match de Top 14 entre le Montpellier Hérault Rugby et le RC Vannes au stade GGL à Montpellier, le 12 octobre 2024. (Photo by Sylvain THOMAS / AFP) (Photo by SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Le pilier droit de Montpellier, Wilfrid Hounkpatin, a changé de nationalité sportive et va représenter le Sénégal dans le futur, quatre ans après avoir disputé son seul match avec l’équipe de France.

ADVERTISEMENT

Le joueur de 33 ans a obtenu sa première et unique sélection pour les Bleus en 2021 contre l’Australie à Melbourne, mais il remplit désormais les critères de World Rugby pour défendre un autre pays : il n’a pas joué au niveau international depuis au moins trois ans et possède un lien familial avec le pays qu’il souhaite représenter. Son père est en effet natif du Sénégal.

Alors que la Coupe d’Afrique de Rugby se déroulera en Ouganda en juillet, Hounkpatin fera probablement ses débuts à cette occasion, apportant toute son expérience riche de plus de 100 apparitions en Top 14 pour Castres et Montpellier.

 

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

 

Une publication partagée par Wilfrid Hounkpatin (@wilfridhounkpatin)

L’arrivée d’Hounkpatin renforce par ailleurs les espoirs du Sénégal de se qualifier pour la Coupe du Monde 2027. Le vainqueur de la Coupe d’Afrique se qualifiera en effet directement pour le Mondial australien, tandis que le finaliste aura une autre chance de se qualifier via le tournoi de repêchage.

Le Sénégal vise la Coupe du Monde 2027

Après l’annonce de son changement, Hounkpatin a partagé ce message sur les réseaux sociaux : « C’est avec une immense fierté que je rejoins la sélection sénégalaise de Rugby. Il est important de donner du sens à mon avenir, de répondre à un projet de développement sur les terres du Lion. Cette terre qui a vu naître mon père. »

La fédération sénégalaise de rugby a également communiqué sur cette arrivée : « La FSR est fière d’annoncer l’intégration de Wilfrid Hounkpatin au sein du XV du Sénégal. Actuellement pilier droit du Montpellier Hérault Rugby en Top 14, Wilfrid rejoint la sélection sénégalaise alors que l’équipe se prépare pour la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations prévue au mois de juillet 2025 en Ouganda. »

Cet article, initialement publié en anglais sur RugbyPass.com, a été adapté en français par Jérémy Fahner.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Commentaires

0 Comments
Soyez le premier à commenter...

Inscrivez-vous gratuitement et dites-nous ce que vous en pensez vraiment !

Inscription gratuite
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

F
Flankly 1 hour ago
Late Makazole Mapimpi try earns the Sharks win away to Edinburgh

Jake White described this as the strongest Sharks lineup ever. There is no doubt that it is at least an impressive roster. They did win, which is obviously an achievement against a good Edinburgh side. However …


For much of the first half Edinburgh seemed easily able to create 2 on 1 opportunities on both wings, with the defensive wingers biting in on the inside runner and cover defence being AWOL. Conversely the Sharks showed little ability to get behind the Edinburgh defensive line, with the sole exception of a nicely-exploited Am mismatch against a second row (which led to the Fassi try).


In general the Sharks, with their full complement of Bok firepower, do not look that dangerous in attack, and while tackling was good on the whole and goal line defence was impressive at times, they were exhibiting surprising breakdowns in open play defensive structures.


Also, the Sharks continue to be inaccurate, with material impact on the scoreboard. Missing two very kickable penalties is not the way to be the best. It looked to me like the Sharks contestable kicks were not well enough executed, and were too hard to recover.


Not sure what the running attack was trying to do, but my guess is that they were trying to pull off a Harlequins-style bash-and-offload game off of 12 (Esterhuizen). That’s not a terrible idea with the personnel available, but it would require creativity and a precision on second phase that was not in evidence.


Lastly, you have to have better discipline. It’s great that the team can cope with a 13 vs 14 period (of almost 10 minutes), but smart teams a avoid cards.


Having said that it was great to see the win. I thought that Edinburgh were cynical and niggly. Always hanging around on the wrong side of the breakdown, lots of intentional obstruction, illegal dummying at the base of the ruck, etc. They played a dirty game and the ref tolerated it. Always good to see that not succeed.


Overall the “best Sharks lineup ever” scraped the win, but under-performed their Bok-laden potential. Again.

2 Go to comments
P
PedroCayetana 9 hours ago
Don't get out over your skis on the Highlanders

E m a i l. Trustgeekshackexpert[At]fastservice[Dot]com


T e l e g r a m. Trustgeekshackexpert


w h a t's A p p. +1 7 1 9 4 9 2 2 6 9 3


Back in January, I got caught up in a cryptocurrency scam that really turned my life upside down. I invested a jaw-dropping $214,000 in BNB on what I thought was a legitimate crypto site. For a while, everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I was excited about the returns I was expecting. But then, when I tried to withdraw my profits, everything fell apart. The scammers froze my account and demanded more money, claiming I had breached some sort of agreement. I was completely devastated and felt trapped in a nightmare. It got so overwhelming that I started having dark thoughts about ending it all. Thankfully, my family noticed I was struggling and stepped in when I finally opened up about what was happening. During one of our talks, my niece mentioned a group called (Trust Geeks Hack Expert). She had heard they helped people recover their stolen cryptocurrencies, and I was intrigued. I thought, “Could this be my saving grace?” So, I decided to reach out to them and explain my situation in detail. To my surprise, (Trust Geeks Hack Expert) was incredibly responsive and compassionate. They reassured me that they had dealt with cases like mine before and would do everything they could to help. I was a bit skeptical, but I was also desperate for a solution. Amazingly, within about three days if I remember correctly they managed to recover the entire $214,000 that I had lost! I was in shock. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. If you’re reading this and you’ve fallen victim to a crypto scam, I can’t recommend (Trust Geeks Hack Expert) enough. They are truly exceptional at what they do. Reach out for help, and don’t hesitate to contact them. (Trust Geeks Hack Expert)

4 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Is the All Blacks captaincy right for Scott Barrett? Is the All Blacks captaincy right for Scott Barrett?
Search