Léo Coly in Blue: Italy smells good for the Montpellier scrum

And if it was the beginning of a beautiful story between Leo Coly and the French team? Called for the first time by the staff of the Blues to prepare for the first match of the Six Nations Tournament against Italy on February 5, the scrum half of the MHR could be one of the lucky ones ticked on the score sheet.

With the packages of Maxime Lucu and Baptiste Couilloud, a place is to be taken for this Italy-France, behind the untouchable Antoine Dupont. Two players are applying: the Montpellier Léo Coly, therefore, and the Racingman Nolann Le Garrec. Given his last club performances, the former Montois poses as a serious candidate.

His presence with the Blues, now or in the future, is beyond doubt for Patrick Milhet, his former coach at Mont-de-Marsan. “I am not surprised that he is at the gates of the France team,” he assures. “He is already in the industry, he was U20 world champion. Players are conditioned to go to the next level. With us, he flew over ProD2. He shows great things in Montpellier. I will be rather surprised that “He does not make his place in the France team. Today, it may be too early. But after the World Cup…”

“He stinks of rugby”

It must be said that the young number 9 ticks a lot of boxes that make him a powerful executive of the XV of France. “There are players, including Leo, who stink of rugby,” continues Milhet. “It’s innate. We give them a ball, they know what to do with it. Leo is a hard worker, very demanding with himself. He sets the bar very, very high to get there. He watches all the top-level matches , to see how he can evolve in his position. He is still young, he will have to work on the transitions, the weak moments and the strong moments, but he has this ability to evolve quickly.”

In competition with Reinach

Going from Pro D2 to Top 14 with disconcerting ease, he quickly shook up the Montpellier hierarchy, vying for the starting position with the Springbok Cobus Reinach“Léo is a left foot. It’s not trivial when you only have right feet behind. In balance, he brings more fluidity to the way others play. Cobus is more instinctive” , analyzes Jean-Bapstiste Elissalde, the Montpellier coach.

“It’s a position where there is a time of acclimatization to understand his partners, the system, the coach, the way of functioning during the week. But he takes more and more initiative”, rejoices Elissalde .

Qualities that did not fail to catch the eye of the tricolor staff. And who could offer Léo Coly a long lease in Blue.