French-born 21-year-old captures rugby limelight

Toulouse center Florian Fritz, left, vies with Montpellier fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc, center, during the French Top 14 rugby union match between Toulouse and Montpellier on March 24 in Toulouse, France. PHOTO: AFP

A piece of Asia is spicing up France's rugby championship as a player with Vietnamese blood in his veins and a French feel for the game in his heart, Francois Trinh-Duc, makes his mark at Montpellier.

The French-born 21-year-old fly-half, whose paternal grandfather was from Vietnam, is one of a batch of young players at the club who has coaches purring.

Trinh-Duc grabbed the limelight on his second start for the Top 14 side last January when he ran riot against Bayonne scoring a total of 17 points (one try, three conversions, one penalty and a drop goal) in a 39-17 triumph.

That stunning performance earned him a starting place for six of the team's final seven games last season.

"It felt like I was playing in the youth team," said Trinh-Duc, who played alongside 22-year-old scrum-half Julien Tomas, and back row forwards Louis Picamoles and Fulgence Ouedraogo, both 21.

"Their presence really helped me integrate [into the side], even though it was a tense time," he said.

Trinh-Duc, already an under-19 and under-21 international, marched into this season full of confidence and put in a match-winning performance on the opening day against Perpignan in a 19-12 win.

"Montpellier won because of him," said Perpignan coach Jacques Brunel. "Not only did he brush off four defenders for a try, he scored a drop goal from 40 metres from a tight angle. Only one player in 30 could have made that that kick."

With quick hands, confident kicking and powerful runs, Trinh-Duc, who is still studying for a sports diploma, has his eyes on breaking into new national coach Marc Lievremont's thoughts.

However, there are major heavyweight talents ahead of him in the queue such as Frederic Michalak, Lionel Beauxis and David Skrela.

Trinh-Duc, who is a product of Montpellier's youth system and started playing when he was just four, was voted November's league player of the month and is currently his club's top scorer.

But he is not getting carried away, happy to ensure that Montpellier don't slip away from their comfortable mid-table place in the French Top 14 championship.

"I want to have a successful season with Montpellier," he said. "I don't want to go too quickly and burn my wings."