Heartbroken Marconnet sets sights on glory in 2011

A HEARTBROKEN Sylvain Marconnet has set his sights on lifting the World Cup in 2011 after seeing injury rob him of the opportunity to claim rugby’s biggest prize this autumn.

The popular Stade Francais prop was ruled out of this year’s tournament after failing to regain full fitness following a broken leg suffered in a skiing accident in March.

In an emotional press conference, hastily arranged for yesterday by Marconnet and the France management, the 31-year-old revealed his anguish at having to give up his fitness battle.

But after banishing any thoughts of retirement, Marconnet is already looking ahead to the next World Cup in four years’ time.

“The World Cup is over for me. It is hard,” said the front-row forward, who entered the press conference on crutches and left it to a standing ovation from the assembled media.

“For four months, it was a race against the clock. I was doing everything to be able to be there on September 7 (the first day of the World Cup).

“Everything was going well until July 27, but then my foot froze. From then, I kept hoping but I knew my chances of playing in the tournament were compromised.

“When you suffer as I have suffered over these past few months, you think the worst, of ending your career.

“But when you are in a group like the France squad, when you have the support of your colleagues, you tell yourself you can’t throw in the towel.

“This World Cup in France has been in my head for four years, and I have fallen 15 days from the first whistle.

“I think I am going to experience some terrible moments as far as my morale is concerned, but you must look for a new adventure.

“I must reset my objectives. 2011? We will see if my body is up to it.

“But when I see (Pieter) De Villiers or (Christophe) Dominici, who are at the age that I will be in 2011, I say to myself, ‘Why not?’”

Marconnet, capped 71 times and France’s best prop, is confident Les Bleus, finalists in 1987 and 1999 and semi-finalists in 2003, can claim World Cup glory for the first time.

“We are in France, we have a mature group who have developed together for a few years. I believe the guys are going to do something special and they believe they have the potential to do it. I hope their joy on October 20 (the day of the final) will be as great as my sadness is today.”