Fukuoka (Japan) (AFP)

From the United States to Japan via ... Brittany. The pillar of the American Eagles and Vannes Eric Fry will live Wednesday "a very special match" against France, where he lives since 2016.

With its size (1.93 m, 120 kg), to which must be added a beard as red as provided, impossible to miss on the ground. But Eric Fry is not just a physical monster, he's also curious, eager to discover new things.

It is also because of this thirst for novelty, this "desire to discover a new culture" that he joined France.

"It will be a very special match for me, I have been in France for three years, immersed in this culture," he said before the match against the Blues.

"It's really exciting to face the country I live in. I really want to be able to come back, in three or four weeks, and be able to see the guys in the eye and show them that I gave everything, that France got what you pay for, "he adds.

Emerick Setiano, who will honor his first tenure with the XV of France, is warned. In front of him, he will have a colossus, "not the greatest technician in the world," according to his coach Vannes Jean-Noel Spitzer, but an experienced player, who has forty selections with the Eagles and attacks his third Cup of the world.

- A test for Setiano -

A modern pillar, in short, that goes fast and bangs hard. "Whatever the first line they line up, they will always come and test us in melee, like on the mauls, we get ready and we'll go get them," the Californian promises.

"I think it's a very dangerous team, and when they're in shape, they're very, very strong," says Fry, 32.

But he also knows how to be more subtle, far from the image he can send back to the field. "I was forced to leave the United States to play at a certain level," he says.

"It's been a long way: I was playing at the university and doing freelance in Las Vegas, I went to New Zealand, where I played, which gave me the credibility to join afterwards. England, but I wanted to come to France, "he recalls.

And that's how a Californian finds himself playing rugby in Brittany, first in Saint-Nazaire (Federal 1st, 3rd level) then in Vannes, in Pro D2.

"When I arrived, I did not speak French so it was complicated, but one of the reasons I wanted to come was to experiment with another culture and to learn another language," says Fry, who also had to put in ... Breton, the language used for the combinations in touch.

"I think I adapted well, but I love it and I think it helped me become a better player."

© 2019 AFP