At the beginning of September, the Union Sportive Orthézienne (USO) rugby published on social networks: “In order to offer rugby practice to all audiences, the club has decided to create its 5-a-side rugby section at the start of the school year. You are between 16 and 99 years old, man or woman, sporty or not, join the team! » Received 5 out of 5: around fifteen people today practice this leisure sport, where touching with two hands replaces tackles, which are prohibited.
France has a little more than 30,000 participants: the matches, on half-court, last twice 5 or 10 minutes.
The mixed and intergenerational collective which has launched into the practice of rugby 5 since September, in Orthez.
Luce Garderes
“Sud Ouest” collected testimonies from the new Orthézian team, at the USO rugby clubhouse, at the municipal stadium, where a friendly Spanish inn replaced training on Monday (1), the pitch being impassable. Catherine Magne-Prax, 59, manages the administration, and Olwen Favereaux, 23, is a coach: “With Cathy, we had the idea of creating this section to bring something extra to the club,” explains the latter. Leisure allows you to reach a very wide audience. » She is assisted by Hugo Habas, in the junior team and a work-study sports instructor at the club, who works on muscle strengthening: “Without overdoing it either,” he smiles. This allows you to be in good condition and prevent injuries. »
Catherine Magne-Prax adds: “The goal is to have this conviviality. We are not looking for competition. »
Less risky
The profiles are varied. Some already have experience in rugby 5s. Like Alban Goujon de Beauvivier, 48, who recently arrived in the South-West: “I come to keep physical activity and meet the people here,” he confides. . A former rugby union player, he suffered two injuries, to his shoulder and cruciate ligaments, hence his choice to turn to a less risky practice.
Training takes place on Monday and Thursday, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Henri-Cazenave municipal stadium.
Catherine Magne-Pract
The same goes for Cédric Coyez, 46 years old: “I played recreational rugby in the Paris region,” he reports. Like Alban, I had a serious injury: broken shoulder. It took me two and a half years to recover. » He convinced his 16-year-old twins to also come and practice for leisure.
The latter, in turn, recruited a friend of the same age, Dylan Inchassendague: “I’ve been playing football since I was 8,” says the latter. He is hooked on the new sport. “You have to run everywhere, it’s more physical than tackling rugby,” he notes.
The coach confirms: “At XV, there is a lot of contact, it’s rough. On a 5, it’s a lot more racing. » Avoidance, strategy, ruse: “We return to the origins of rugby”. Julie-Hind Royer, 26, who also plays senior rugby union, compares “80 minutes with contacts, against twice, 7 minutes without contacts”.
The club intends to promote the practice of rugby among audiences of all ages and among women, like the junior team here.
USO Rugby
First tournament Sunday
The new Orthez rugby 5s collective has planned to participate in a first tournament, this Sunday, December 1, in Saint-Palais, where around ten teams are expected. Catherine Magne-Prax underlines: “The idea is also to discuss with players from other clubs what we are experiencing, the difficulties we are encountering, etc. »
(1) Training Monday and Thursday, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Information on 06 08 89 33 65.
