Through Clement Mazella
Published on
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“It’s awful. Terrible! My first thoughts are with his family, his club, and all his old buddies. It’s a real shock.” At the end of the line, the emotion is palpable in Sylvain Bégon. In 2013, he was part of the Grenoble coaching duo who launched the young Jordan Michallet, then 20 years old.
Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the latter is tragically deceased at 29, plunging the world of rugby in deep sadness. The public prosecutor of Rouen confirmed with theAFP that the hypothesis of a suicide was privileged, the RNR player having been found dead at the bottom of a building under construction.
Trained in Voiron, champion of France Reichels
Discreet boy by nature, Jordan Michallet had been trained on the side of Voiron (Isère), before joining Grenoble in 2007. Coming from a generation 93 in gold, he was one of the leaders of this double group champion of France Reichels (2013 and 2014).
“He was a determined boy who was easy to train. He was asking himself the right questions”, tells us Sylvain Bégon. On August 24, 2013, Jordan took the plunge, starting his first Top 14 match against Castres (34-6 defeat). “He was a nice boy, always listening to the elders. He was part of this generation that still listened to the old people a little. With Alexandre Dardet, Lilian Saseras or Clément Gelin, they were called upon to take over at FCG. Jordan was full of qualities. A pure local product, in addition”, recalls Jonathan Best, with whom he played for 2 years at the FCG.
Bégon: “He had everything of a real rugby player”
All agree on one point: the “kindness” of the boy. “And a talented player,” adds Best. He continues: “But he had a little lack of confidence in his qualities”. “He was easy to train, able to make sacrifices and climb the towers. He had everything of a real rugby player, ”recalls Sylvain Bégon.
After Grenoble, he had worn the colors of Bourgoin, then Strasbourg in Federal 1, before signing at Rouen in the summer of 2018. “He bounced back well after his departure from Grenoble, with in particular his good performances in Rouen”, narrates Best. “Yes, he had a difficult journey, going through the Federal 1, and I think this tragedy happened at the time of his career when he was most comfortable. He was beginning to master all the requirements of his position,” says Bégon.
He had married and had just extended in Rouen
This season, Michallet was going strong. Aligned 16 times (13 times holder), he was at 6e rank of the best directors of the Pro D2 (157 points). The opener also came from extend with the RNR until 2025. Recently married, future dad, nothing foreshadowed such a tragedy.
“It reminds me of the sad fate of Xavier Cambres (former winger from Grenoble, he was found dead at the foot of a cliff on the heights of Aix-les-Bains in 2015, Ed). If Jordan ended his life, that means he was in pain. It is sad. It must be violent when you couldn’t perceive that person’s discomfort and couldn’t help him,” sighs Jonathan Best. “I am downcast. We don’t have many explanations. It’s a big mess…”, says Sylvain Bégon.
Contacted, two players from Rouen did not wish to speak. We can only share their pain. Necessarily in shock, the workforce and the staff of Rouen have nevertheless decided to maintain the match against Carcassonne. And to play in memory of Jordan Michallet. This Friday, January 21, the atmosphere will be heavy in Robert-Diochon. A minute of applause will be dedicated to him, and the RNR has decided to donate the entire recipe to Jordan’s family.
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