Damien TRAILLE

Biog of Damien TRAILLE :

“Being versatile can sometimes be a curse. You can play anywhere but you get to play nowhere,” Damien Traille declared, the day after an impressive victory against the World Champions, South Africa, in November 2009. He had just earned his 72nd cap for France, playing at full-back, and would go on to be replacement centre (against Samoa) and then full-back once more against New Zealand, before disappearing from the Tricolores radar for practically a year through injury. In November 2010 he was back, at his own request as fly-half, at both club and international level, a position he had already occupied for France in 2006 (see below). Since the incumbent, François Trinh-Duc, was injured, the door was open. Nevertheless, the experiment - playing for an off-colour French team (the 16-59 thrashing at the hands of Australia, notably, and the narrow victory against Argentina 15-9) - was not conclusive.

But Traille is a phenomenon. With his size (1.94m, 97kg on debut, 105kg today) he could have played back-row, and he is the third-highest capped French international three-quarter behind the legends, Philippe Sella (111 caps) and Serge Blanco (93), with 82 caps since 2001. Most of his appearances have been in the centre (59 starts, 10 partners, principally Jauzion (15 times), Marsh (13 times), Marty (7 times) and Castaignède (6 times)). Throughout his career, people have debated what his best position on the field is - centre ok, but has he not got the ability to play full-back or fly-half? The answer is obviously, yes! He has an enormous boot - perhaps the longest in France after Lionel Beauxis, a “20 metre pass off both hands,” - much vaunted by Laporte, the first French coach to pick Traille in 2001, and the size to cause any defence problems. And now he can add experience to the mix, as well.

In 2003, even though he had been selected for 24 matches in a row alongside Marsh, Castaignède, Garbajosa and Jauzion, before being eclipsed by the latter for the World Cup in Australia that same year, Traille admitted that he “followed instructions” first and foremost. “The leadership skills will come later, I think,” he added. It is a subject Traille returns to today. “I want to take more responsibility, run the game the best I can,” he explained before the France/Fiji game on his return in November 2010, now wanting “to help others play” more than to play for himself. And it was this desire that pushed him, in summer 2010 at the age of 31, to express his desire to play fly-half, the position at which he had started out playing at Nay rugby school, 20km from Pau, under the orders of his father, René, a former Oloron back-row player, and had then played on occasion for Pau, Biarritz and the French team.

So this was not the first time that Traille had worn the France number ten shirt. The first experiment, instigated by Laporte in 2006, was awarded by an immense achievement - victory against South Africa (26-36) in the Cape - before turning sour in the autumn as France were swept away by the All Blacks (two defeats including the 3-47 thrashing at Lyon). “In his sporting life, Damien was an adolescent; he has become a man,” declared the manager, Jo Maso. But the glowing praise was quickly forgotten and Traille was dropped only to return, after several new appearances at centre, as full-back in the quarter and semi-finals of the 2007 World Cup - with the positional error that cost a try in the semi-final against England.

Four years later, this strapping, extremely gifted player, only just back playing after six months’ absence, was once again France’s starting fly-half. Even if he was not totally convincing in the position, his versatility and experience (two French Championship titles in 2005 and 2006 and a European Cup final in 2006 with Biarritz, two Grand Slams in 2002 and 2004 and two World Cups) seemed to make him a certainty to be included in the Tricolores squad, which was confirmed by his selection for the 2011 Six Nations in which he played full-back (once), inside centre (twice) and was on the bench twice. Traille, the man for all seasons, was picked, unsurprisingly, for what will be his third World Cup.

An in-step injury caused Traille to miss the end of the season (from April onwards) and notably the European Cup quarterfinal defeat for Biarritz at San Sebastien, and the Top 14 play off loss to Clermont, in particular.