• Melvyn Jaminet celebrated this Tuesday in Melbourne his second selection with a victory in Australia (26-28), a first for the XV of France for 31 years.

  • Six days after a contrasting start in Blue, the back of Perpignan (22) has signed 23 points on the foot and succeeded in gestures that he usually tries in Pro D2.

  • The native of Var, with a tortuous course, has never yet progressed to the Top 14, which he will discover with Usap next season.

The last minutes of the first test lost in Brisbane - for his big debut in Blue - had tarnished a game hitherto mastered, and marked by a penalty scored from far. This Tuesday, there was nothing to throw in the performance of Melvyn Jaminet in Melbourne. The back of Perpignan (22 years old) was one of the major players in a French XV of France very strongly revised but terribly united and effective in defense, planting 23 of the 28 points of the first tricolor victory on Australian soil since the June 30, 1990. Including the penalty for the feat, in the 78th minute.

"He made 100% [of success in the foot], quickly calculates Fabien Galthié, about the native of Hyères, on the verge of stopping rugby as a teenager, when he could not win in Toulon .

He had a too ungrateful physique when he was young, he went on another path.

He regained confidence in Perpignan and it is a real nugget.

"

For fun, Melvyn Jaminet's breakthrough 🤩 # AUSFRA pic.twitter.com/gLk9Yv8vNf

- Canal Rugby Club (@CanalRugbyClub) July 13, 2021

Precious on the foot, Jaminet also feasted on the hand, including a masterful breakthrough in the 54th minute, as he has achieved so much this season within the Usap, with which he flew over the Pro D2.

It is in Catalonia, since 2019, that the Varois discovered professionalism, after passing as an amateur in the Vallée du Gapeau then in Hyères-Carqueirane-La Crau, near his home.

His exceptional performances, punctuated by 294 points including nine tries, convinced the French team to take him for this kamikaze tour, in the absence of the most seasoned Brice Dulin (La Rochelle) or Thomas Ramos (Toulouse), spared as a good ten executives.

Preferred over Bouthier, Cordin and Buros, three Top 14 players

Too bad if Jaminet has never yet moved to the Top 14. He was offered a first selection in Brisbane instead of Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier), former tenant of No. 15 in Blue, of Gervais Cordin (Toulon) and Romain Buros (Union Bordeaux-Bègles), the other post specialists on the list of 41 for this stay on the island-continent. Galthié therefore maintained his confidence in him for the second test, despite the errors at the end of the match last Wednesday, including the famous pass in the void at the origin of the victorious test of the Wallabies.

Jaminet, who no longer has “the ungrateful physique” described by Galthié but keeps a more than usual size (1.80 m, 77 kg), even inherited the role of scorer.

“In the 'captain's run', the coaches took us aside and it was they who took the initiative to let me get stuck,” he explains.

To leave the responsibility of the game to Louis Carbonel, that he remains in his match… "

"Frustrated" after the first test match

Despite his inexperience of the very high level, Jaminet was able to digest the incredible scenario of Brisbane.

“I was frustrated to lose the team on this last pass, he accuses himself while several players were involved in this huge ball.

It was really a big frustration and I really wanted to show what I was worth.

Maybe I had a little less pressure… ”

Our XV de France dossier

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

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- Kylian's younger brother (Nevers back, Pro D2) did not surprise his coach.

Even if it's bound to be easier to say after the fact.

"Even criticized, we knew that he needed to live this experience and that he was going to respond," says Galthié.

After having chained 160 minutes in six days, the number 15 will logically pass his turn on Saturday, during the third and last test match of the Blues in Australia.

But, even before discovering the Top 14 in a few weeks, he proved that he had the level to see much higher.

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