Delon Armitage will run out at full-back for England in the Six Nations against France at Twickenham today, but if his life had taken a slightly different turn he might have found himself appearing for the opposition this weekend.
Born in Trinidad, the 25-year-old, together with his brothers Bevon and Steffon, played rugby at the Racing Club in Nice, the southern French city where his stepfather John worked from 1996 to 2002.
Bevon’s career was cut short by injury, but both Delon, who made his England debut in November and flanker Steffon, capped for the first time in last month’s Six Nations opener against Italy, have now represent the Red Rose.
“They called me ‘Rosbif’ [the traditional French nickname for the English],” Armitage recalled in an interview with the Guardian.
But as a junior, Armitage was called up to the France under-16 squad for a trial match against Spain. “When I was called up to those under-16 trials, I started to think how much I’d love to play for France against England. But it was my last game for them,” Armitage said. “I’ve still got that French jersey, but what they said afterwards nearly finished me.”
Like many a successful sportsmen, Armitage’s career was almost ended before it had started after he was informed he was too small to make it as a professional. Not that he was alone.
“They said I was too small and skinny. The other guy they bumped was Yannick Nyanga. He’s obviously bulked up a lot to become a Test flanker, but he was also told he was too small,” Armitage said. “I don’t know how it affected him, but I was devastated. For a year after that I never went near a rugby field. I was so gutted, I turned to football.”
Nevertheless, he remains grateful for being exposed to French rugby culture at an impressionable age.
“The whole rugby culture was an eye-opener. At Nice, before a home game, the forwards would head off to the showers and us backs would move to a safe place,” he said. “They would come out a few minutes later, blood streaming down their faces, because they had been head-butting each other to psyche themselves up. They were 15.”
That may explain why Armitage was one of the few Englishmen who was convinced England could bounce back from their Twickenham trouncing by South Africa and beat New Zealand last year, although they also lost heavily at home to the All Blacks.
Armitage wasn’t in England’s original squad for the November Tests, his career having been interrupted by fitness problems and inconsistent form.
However, injuries to others led to his call-up and he played in all four Tests. Armitage was widely regarded as the first true “find” of the Martin Johnson era, impressing with his counterattacking runs and defense under the high ball.
He had at last lived up to the prediction of his coach at Richmond, the London club where he played before and after his time in France, who told him: “You will play for England.”
Now the French must hope their failure to show similar faith in Armitage’s ability is not punished this weekend.
Meanwhile, France prop Sylvain Marconnet fanned the flames ahead of the showdown by saying he felt “hate” toward the English.
“I’m French and I cultivate a kind of hate for the English,” Marconnet, 32, told reporters on Friday. “This hate has been passed on to me and I’ll pass it on. I don’t want to go back to all the confrontations between France and England, but there is the past, history, true rivalry.”
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