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Auch. Paulin Riva: the Olympic gold digger

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Now an international professional rugby sevens, Auscitain Paulin Riva and the France team have one last chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics next June.

What if Paulin Riva represented Gers at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo with the France Sevens Rugby team? The Auscitain by birth evolved for long seasons under the colors of the fire FCAG, until 2013 exactly, and the last season of the flagship club Gers in Pro D2. Then, the Gers center played two seasons at Union Bordeaux Bègles before being loaned for a year in Pro D2 at Soyaux-Angoulême. End clap for the XV and welcome to Rugby 7, for a professional contract signed in 2017 with the Federation, following a call from Christophe Reigt. No more clubs but place for rugby sevens tournaments around the planet, around the ten world stages.

In 2019, the France team will experience three finals for as many defeats against South Africa in Vancouver, Fiji in Hong Kong and against the New Zealanders in Hamilton. Three failures for the Olympic Grail next summer? Not sure, but it will be necessary to qualify and opportunities are scarce. World sixth in the World Series, France is not part of the first contingent leading the four world leaders. Second possibility: to finish European champion… But, again, failure on the last step against Great Britain. Paulin Riva then has the repechage tournament on June 19 and 20, in Monaco, for the last place.

“We are favorites but in rugby 7, that doesn’t mean anything, explains Paulin Riva. You have to be good from the first to the last match and if you have the misfortune of having injuries you can quickly find yourself with 10 players out of 13. . The 7 is an extraordinary sport where for 14 minutes everything is multiplied: tackles, races and playing time… “

See you on the Rock in June. A major deadline, because the fact of representing the Gers at a global event such as the Olympics is a great source of motivation: “Auch is my city of heart, loose the center of Gers whose youngest, Etienne, is playing in RCA. I have just bought a house there and every time I am happy to come back. I will be happy to represent the Gers, of course, just as I am proud to represent it throughout France. You should know that in the rugby world we wipe out a lot of jokes: the guys are fed up with seeing Gersois everywhere (laughs). It reminds a little of the Gauls. It’s positive because thanks to boys like Greg Alldritt, Antoine Dupont and Anthony Jelonch , this is a big publicity stunt for the department and therefore makes young people want to play rugby. ” Author of a first try against Dax, from his first appearance in the Auscitan jersey, Paulin Riva could wear the tricolor to Olympic gold next summer… It remains to validate the repechage phase… The smallest doors are often the most beautiful.

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