Thierry Dusautoir, the former emblematic captain of the XV of France, was present Saturday in Saint-Malo to baptize the boat Corum, the skipper Nicolas Troussel. Unfamiliar with the sea, but impressed by the sailors' performance, the Dark Destroyer, as its opponents have dubbed it, prefers to challenge the All Blacks to defy the oceans.

But what was Thierry Dusautoir doing on Saturday on the pontoons of the Route du Rhum on Saturday? " It's true that it's not my universe. We are more used to seeing me around the stadium or on the ground. But it was a great experience that was made possible by Frédéric Puzin (the boss of Corum, sponsor of the boat) to meet Nicolas Troussel and sponsor his boat. "

The former rugby player with 80 caps and the captaincy record in Blue (55) has named the boat of the navigator in the purest tradition, by breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow of the boat. The five-time champion of France, however, is not familiar with the sea. "This is absolutely not my universe. At 20 meters from the edge I am in panic. After, it's a new world that you have to get to know. Why not in the future. "

Sacred metal

But Dusautoir the landlady, despite having his feet well anchored in the grass of the rugby grounds, he has some acquaintances with this world of the sea and sailing. "I find myself in the way of seeing things, feeling the sport and the competition. In rugby we use the word of values ​​a lot, even if it is a little overused, but it is true that we are on the same wavelength. "

A rugby fan, Nicolas Troussel is "very proud that one of the best players in history has come to baptize my boat. And if I have hard times during the race, I'll think about him, it'll cheer me up to face the elements. "

A bit like when the Dark Destroyer , the nickname that gave him his opponents, went to fight against the All Blacks. "I'd rather face the Blacks than go out alone on a boat. It seems easier. I find it really admirable. It must be made of a sacred metal to dare to leave like this. "

The compliment has the force of conviction that Dusautoir could have on his teammates or his opponents. "He is a symbolic sportsman, at the service of the collective who gives himself thoroughly and who has always been fair play" , admires Frédéric Puzin, the president of Corum, a savings company, which is launching for the first time in the offshore race and who is at the origin of this sponsorship, decidedly above the fray.