Training with Rugby Legend Pierre Berbizier and how rugby became my religion

Training with Pierre Berbizier made me a convert to rugby. The training he provided was quite simple, but doing the easy things well can be the hardest thing of all. Even more important was the context he provided for the simple acts of passing, rushing and organising.

Pierre Berbizier is someone whose life has been dedicated to rugby. He is rugby; in a way that I do not yet understand. I could see the recognition in others though; in the eyes of those for whom rugby is a big part of their lives. Suddenly a number of pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The instructions shouted in training; the speeches before and after matches. Some random old guy wearing an Assemblée XV necktie taking the field to speak. People who play rugby speak about their sport with a reverence that is missing in any sport that I ever dabbled in.

When the EPXV started in the Autumn of 2022, I joined because some friends at the Parliament lured me into it. They spun a net around me like a pack of rugby-fanatical spiders, with wild promises of world cup glory and assurances of non-contact safety. Without any knowledge of rugby I turned up to training, and then to the first match in Paris. I carried pictures for an exhibition; listened to seven speeches in a row (internally cursing the French for being excessively fond of speeches). I saw people being carted off with bloody noses (or worse), mere minutes after kick-off. To be honest, I expected something closer to a casual pass-time activity, than a kind of athletic religion. It was the high priest, Pierre Berbizier, who made me realise I have to prepare for the latter.

Pierre Berbizier is a French former rugby player and a current coach. He played several years in the French national team and won many trophies. He coached several teams. He came to Brussels for special training with the EPXV team and gave a conference at the European Parliament about Players' safety and security in modern rugby on 6 June 2023.