The French believe they have unearthed a winger even quicker than Springbok flyer Cheslin Kolbe.
Rising French star Gaël Dréan’s explosive pace has left the Toulon coaches and performance staff stunned.
The Stormers got a good look at him this past weekend in the Investec Champions Cup last 16, when he created a try and scored another in Toulon’s narrow 28-27 win.
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Toulon backline coach Andrea Masi says the winger’s speed stood out from the moment he arrived.
“From the very first training session, I was surprised by his speed,” Masi told RugbyRama. “He had some incredible bursts of acceleration.”
Dréan burst onto the scene last season when he was voted Top 14 Revelation of the Year and he has continued that form this campaign, scoring 14 tries in 18 matches for Toulon – including five in the Champions Cup.
But Masi believes the winger has evolved beyond raw pace.
“Now, he’s much smarter in his movement. He gets to the loose ball because he makes better running decisions,” he said.
“He’s also become an excellent one-on-one because he’s worked on a move that has become his signature: the fend-off. He’s developed an incredible technique for this move; he works on it every week.”
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Toulon’s head of performance research Anthony Couderc says the data backs up the hype.
“He’s the fastest player I’ve ever worked with. His top speed record was 36.8 km/h last season, while this year his defensive recovery against Munster reached 35.6 km/h,” he said.
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Even Kolbe’s electric pace falls just short.
“According to our data, during the 2022-23 season, Cheslin reached a top speed of 36.2 km/h.”
Couderc added that Dréan’s acceleration makes him even more dangerous. Over 10m, he clocks in at 1.54 seconds with almost a 10th of a second quicker than the next-best at the club.
Photo: Manon Cruz/Reuters
The post France winger who’s faster than Cheslin appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The French believe they have unearthed a winger even quicker than Springbok flyer Cheslin Kolbe.
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