The 6 foot 8 flyhalf who went from Loughborough's 5ths to the engine room of Toulouse
For two hours at a time, twice a day, Thibaud Flament sits inside the hyperbaric chamber in a Toulouse hospital, oxygen mask strapped to his face and twice-broken metatarsal knitting under the heightened atmospheric strain.
No phones or computers are permitted in the room – the cranked-up pressure would destroy them. There is a screen-free tranquillity to the place, calm that engenders reflection. And at 23, Flament has a serious amount upon which to reflect, an extraordinary voyage from the fifth team at Loughborough University to one of Europe’s mightiest clubs via Argentina, Nottingham and Coventry.
“Since I was young, my dream was to play professionally,” the towering Toulouse forward tells RugbyPass. “Everything really was rugby-motivated. The only reason I wanted to go to England was to have a chance to play rugby.”
In his hours of clinical solitude, Flament has taken to reading. Autobiographies are his thing. He recently ploughed through the chronicles of James Haskell and Barack Obama – the only time you’re likely to read those two names in the same sentence – and is now immersed in the memoirs of a French special forces operative who shunned a life of crime and theft to join the marines.
“Before joining the army, he was robbing,” Flament says. “He was questioned by the police and told he had three options: the marines, prison or likely death.
“His motivation was to be a marine but he also wants to repay a debt for what he did when he was younger. The takeaway for me is that deep personal motivations are things that bring you to the top level.”
Rugby has always been Flament’s raison d’être. Born in Paris, he moved to Belgium with his parents aged three and wound up finishing school as a gangling 6’8 fly-half.
These days Flament is a majestic thoroughbred lock or back-row in open prairie, with an all-court game perfectly honed to fit the swashbuckling Toulouse blueprint. But in his late teens, Top 14 academies were never going to look at an oddly proportioned pivot from such a modest rugby country.
Instead, Flament enrolled at Loughborough University and England became his pathway to the elite game. He began at the foot of the totem pole in the university’s illustrious set-up.
“I started in the fifth team and went from there,” Flament says. “The programme was not as serious in the fifth team so I decided to start gymming a bit more.
“I had a really good time, and then the coaches of the first team came to see me and said they were interested in helping me improve and get to the first team by the end of my degree.
“The National One players in the top team were like demigods to me. I was so happy about that but I remember thinking that this was only the first step, and it’s only going to get harder and harder.”
Third year brought a placement in Argentina, where Flament played for Club Newman, the team that spawned the careers of Felipe Contepomi and Marcos Ayerza.
By his final year, he had well and truly cracked the first team. Wasps loaned some players out to the university side and by chance, Matt Everard, the club’s transition coach, was compelled by the giant specimen laying waste to National One.
“He saw me and asked the analyst to get some clips of me and put them together,” Flament says.
Massive congratulations to alumnus @Thibaud_Flament for his debut for @StadeToulousain. ???
What an incredible journey from BUCs 4 to the Top 14. An outstanding example of the pathway at @LboroRugby #LboroRugbyFamily #WhereHistoryBegins
@lborouniversity@LboroSport https://t.co/5oIE0DU2KJ pic.twitter.com/jcLIPcERO6— Loughborough Students RFC (@LboroRugby) November 27, 2020
“My coach at Loughborough called me to say he’d just had Wasps on the phone, they are keen to sign me, and am I interested? At the end of the call, I just put the phone down and screamed. It was so big for me. And I told my father and we had a really good moment together.
“Mostly it was a relief because at some points I would get really frustrated. In my final year, in the middle of exam period, I struggled to do everything right to become a professional player with gym and diet and training. All I wanted was to be in an environment where I could just do that.
“I did a few weeks in the academy then went on loan to Nottingham. When I trained with the first team, honestly, I think even up to now they were the most enjoyable sessions I’ve had. Just to be training with all these guys, big names and really good players, I felt on fire and so confident.
“I could see at the beginning where I was, where I had to be, and how big the gap was. It was so stimulating. At Loughborough, I enjoyed it, but I knew I was going to start at the weekend – I love being challenged and I was so happy to be back at the bottom of the pecking order and to have to make my way up.”
For all that Wasps – and especially Everard – gave him, Flament has always yearned to return to France. The pull of home is fierce and the longing to wear the blue jersey powerful.
In 15 Wasps appearances, he showed the explosive dynamism, marauding carries and slick handling to compel Toulouse to sign him.
“When we played against Bordeaux-Begles last year, I was travelling reserve and being in the stadium felt really special,” he says.
“The crowd were singing songs that I knew in French. It sounds silly but the ads at half-time were in French and I knew them because it’s the ads you always hear on TV in France. I knew the players there who played for France.
“Something was kicking me, it is not quite right, and to be able to join a French club, and even more so Toulouse, is amazing. I’m so happy.”
To date, owing to that pesky metatarsal, life in Toulouse has been deeply frustrating. Flament sees what awaits him, but cannot fully embrace it while his foot heals.
? “I graduated from university this summer, now it’s incredible to be in this environment and I’m learning a lot!”
@Thibaud_Flament reflects on his recent rise and game-time in @premrugby… pic.twitter.com/aJD11LqAwL— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) November 6, 2019
In between injuries, he made his debut in a shellacking of Agen during November and was named in Top 14 teams of the week by the storied Midi Olympique newspaper and RugbyRama, the prolific French rugby news site. He thundered through Agen, playing in the second row alongside Joe Tekori, one of the majestic galacticos in this Toulouse squad.
“I told him afterwards, ‘Playing with you today was huge’,” Flament says. “Although Tekori smashes me at FIFA. He is one of the best in the squad and I’m pretty s**t.
“At Toulouse, you are surrounded with world-class players but also really, really good guys, always ready to give you a hand.
“And with the way they function together, the game plan suits the players. They just accelerate at certain points and it is so hard to defend. You don’t even have time to go around the ruck, the ball is already gone. They manage to just switch and increase the speed.”
The damaged foot is applying Flament’s brakes just now; there is more reflection than rucking. But as he pores over the tomes that are his hyperbaric companions, he can read safe in the knowledge that his own great tale has many chapters still unwritten.
Comments on RugbyPass
This looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to comments