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Sa dyslexie n’a pas empêché l’ancien pilier d’Auch de devenir le nouvel homme fort de la mêlée anglaise

VERONA, ITALIE - 11 JUILLET : Tom Harrison, l'entraîneur de la mêlée anglaise, assiste à la séance d'entraînement de l'Angleterre au Centre Payanini le 11 juillet 2023 à Vérone, en Italie. (Photo par David Rogers/Getty Images)

Le nouvel entraineur de la mêlée de l’Angleterre, Tom Harrison, a révélé que sa passion pour le rugby l’a aidé à surmonter certains des défis liés à la dyslexie. Le joueur de 32 ans compare cette difficulté d’apprentissage, qui entraîne principalement des problèmes de lecture, d’écriture et d’orthographe, à « une course de 100 mètres, mais que votre couloir était parsemé d’obstacles ».

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Il s’appuyait souvent sur son frère jumeau Sam pour l’aider pendant son enfance, mais il a résolu ses problèmes de lecture et d’écriture en dévorant les programmes des matchs achetés lors des déplacements pour voir le club de Premiership, Bath.

De Leicester, Harrison a rejoint l’équipe nationale au début du mois de juin pour retrouver l’entraîneur Steve Borthwick. Il a pour mission de s’assurer que les avants de l’Angleterre sont prêts à temps pour la prochaine Coupe du monde.

« Je suis extrêmement dyslexique et j’ai trouvé l’école difficile », raconte-t-il. « Si vous n’aimez pas faire quelque chose, la plupart du temps vous ne le faites pas et en ce qui me concerne, je n’étais pas très doué pour la lecture.

« Mais lorsque vous découvrez une passion pour quelque chose, vous vous dites : “D’accord, je peux le faire”. Pour ma part, j’ai trouvé ma passion dans le rugby.

« Je ne dis pas que si je n’avais pas acheté un programme du match ou si je n’avais pas acheté un magazine de rugby, je n’aurais jamais été capable de lire ou d’écrire. Mais ce que ça m’a permis de le faire, c’est d’affiner d’autres techniques individuelles qui étaient peu développées. »

Les personnes atteintes de dyslexie ont souvent des points forts dans d’autres domaines, comme la créativité et la résolution de problèmes. A ce propos, Harrison estime que cela pourrait s’avérer avantageux pour son pays lors du prochain tournoi mondial en France, que l’Angleterre entamera le 9 septembre contre l’Argentine à Marseille.

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« Il faut entraîner les joueurs de la même manière, mais différemment », précise-t-il. « Chacun a une façon différente de retenir ce qu’on lui dit. Personnellement, je vois ça comme un point positif. C’est un peu comme si vous participiez à une course de 100 mètres, mais que votre couloir était parsemé d’obstacles.

« Au cours de mon enfance, j’ai développé différentes façons de penser – certains parlent de diversité cognitive. Ce sont parfois des idées brillantes, parfois des idées horribles, mais je suis probablement un peu en dehors des clous pour certaines personnes.

« Je vois ça comme un moyen de résoudre les problèmes, ça peut être très bénéfique. Mais je ne suis pas le plus grand fan de l’écriture sur un tableau blanc et les gens ne peuvent probablement pas lire mes notes. »

Harrison a remplacé Richard Cockerill, parti à Montpellier, dans l’équipe d’Angleterre pour suivre Richard Wigglesworth, Aled Walters, Kevin Sinfield et Borthwick sur le chemin bien tracé de Welford Road à Twickenham.

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N’ayant jamais pratiqué le rugby au plus haut niveau, il a emprunté une voie moins conventionnelle pour devenir entraîneur d’élite. L’ancien pilier a obtenu un diplôme d’entraîneur sportif à l’université de Hartpury, dans le Gloucestershire, où les stars actuelles de l’Angleterre, Jonny Hill et Ellis Genge, faisaient partie de ses condisciples.

Au côté de l’enseignement du rugby, il a joué pour Auch en Pro D2 française – le club d’Antoine Dupont lorsqu’il était junior – et pour Plymouth Albion en Championnat.

« C’est un parcours assez rapide quand on y pense parce que je suis jeune, mais en fait, si vous prenez en compte mon expérience professionnelle, je suis entraîneur depuis longtemps », explique Harrison, qui a aidé Leicester à remporter le titre de Gallagher Premiership en 2022.

« J’ai des moments où je me dis ‘Wow, j’ai un des jobs les plus cool du monde, je peux entraîner mon pays dans un sport que j’aime’. Mais il faut se remettre au travail et faire le boulot plutôt que de s’estimer parvenu.

« Si nous voulons que l’Angleterre redevienne l’une des meilleures nations du monde, la mêlée est un aspect qu’il faut améliorer. »

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Hellhound 42 minutes ago
New Zealand just needs to look at the NPC to change eligibility laws

Yeah that changed the game so much badly for the Boks. Don't be glib. It's exactly because of that eligibility changes that the Boks became the double WC champs and the best in the world. They can actually choose the best players to play for the Boks, no matter where they are plying their trade. That's why they are 4 deep in every position talent wise. Besides that, it allows the players to grow and learn and become better under different coaches. It allows them to earn a lot of money and make rugby a professional career without having to worry how they are going to pay for their houses and families and debt worries etc. Everything they learn, they bring back to SA, helping the younger generation grow and learn. It's why Rassie is miles ahead of every other coach. As much as players want to play for their country, guess what? They will always put family first. That is why the players will go where who ever pays them the most. SA can't afford their Bok stars, but other clubs world wide can and they employ those stars. They get small change from SARU compared to what clubs and endorsement deals pay them. The players that plays for the Boks do it out of national pride and they play for more than just money. It's why they are the best. It's why they don't have a best player in each position. It's why it's a team effort and all players but into that ideology. It's why the Boks are so successful. Look at the RFU in England. Look at Wales and others. Always the same problems. Money. Players leaving because of funds not caring if that affects their eligibility to play for their country. SA is currently getting raided for its talent. Not just some of the older players, but especially the young stars. Eligibility is strangling careers of players. Especially those who wants to play for their country as they are stuck earning peanuts. With SA, these players earn Mega. Why? They are not restricted by where they play. The Currie Cup is a small competition that doesn't have space for more players. In the world of rugby however, there is thousand of clubs where they can go ahead and make a name for themselves. Instead of being stuck behind a player for years and effectively destroying their own chances of representing their country. There is so many Bok players who was never in the Bok planning. That wasn't even known. Players who made a name for themselves elsewhere and became Boks where they never would have. Eligibility is only hurting the players and once they realise that, they always leave for green pastures despite it costing them a possible Test cap.

20 Go to comments
H
Hellhound 1 hour ago
'We struggled': Ex-All Black first five backs Springboks to end Eden Park streak

Blah blah blah. The Boks is 4 deep in every position and no top players in any position. Age won't be a problem. Neither will the Boks be a weak run over. Arrogance and over estimation of current AB's players is what is going to make the AB's go down 2-0 again. Clearly not having watched the Boks closely since the WC in 2023, you have missed the amount of players that's been used. The depth that has been build. It was all over the news and still is. Just by taking out 5 players alone, the Boks age grade drops by at least 2-3 years. By the next WC, they will already be more experienced than most players in other teams, including the AB's. This AB's team is good, but definitely not great and can barely beat a C team French. There is many good players in NZ, but very little depth. Despite SA losing so much talent to other countries, the wheels keep churning out absolute stars, and the sad thing is that many will be lost to the Boks due to other great stars already filling those positions, with other young great stars backing them up. The Boks have so many players in every position,they can employ any strategy they wish and still beat all comers. Can the AB's or other teams do that? No team is undefeatable, not even the Boks. However, unless the Boks lose deliberately or another team bring nothing but their A game and a near flawless game plan, they will lose. As usual these 2 Tests between them will be absolutely great and very very close. When it comes to the Boks vs AB's, ranking doesn't matter. Experience doesn't matter. Nothing matters except the game. Neither ever wants to lose against each other. Every game is like a WC final. But to write of the double WC champs as old? Players who have beaten the AB's 4 games in a row? Players who have won the last WC by 1 point each in the knockouts? Players who knows how to bend but not break in the toughest and tightest games? That knows how to win? Take off the blinders, judge not by emotion, but by logic and common sense. Stats. Facts. Performance. Skill. Everyone wants their team to win and that is a great thing. You and everyone wants to talk about the Georgians and Italy as no contest and the Boks going into the RC as “under cooked”. The Boks never moved out of 2nd gear, experimenting, changing of complete game plans, almost complete team changes, without losing a step. Absolutely destroying these weak teams. Something this AB's side couldn't do to a weak C French team. Last year the Boks used 55 players, and so far used 49 ( would be more if not for injuries ) this year, with the RC still to come, and the EOYT. Last year the Boks only lost 2 tests by 1 point each with these same so called “OLD” players. What's going to be the excuse when the AB's lose against these “OLD” players? The ref again? Or Rassie's innovative experiments? Do not be glib or blind. Show respect where it's due and respect the opposition and what they have achieved. Don't like the current narrative where more and more pundits calls this Bok team to be the best ever team? Better than the AB's of 2011-2015? To me, this is a different time, different players. I don't like to compare teams unless they are the same era. Then that team was the best. Currently it is the Boks. Should the Boks make it a triple WC crown, they would arguably be seen as the best ever team. That argument of the best team ever will carry on until the end of the 2027 WC. Currently this AB team have great potential with tweaks here and there, and with Mouanga back in the frame, it's a big step up. No win is guaranteed. Overhyping players and games does no good for the players on the field, just adding extra pressure that will lead to individual mistakes on the field that will cost a team a game.

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LONG READ Generation gap: Can we meaningfully compare players separated by half a century? Generation gap: Can we meaningfully compare players separated by half a century?