Aaron Grandidier Nkanang is not just a member of the France 7s team currently hurtling towards a home Olympics, hearts set on gold and glory.
He’s a blend of influences and passions, all of them on show during our interview, which went on much longer than the allotted 15 minutes. Impeccably polite, he brushed away concerns over the time, as the conversational Catherine wheel continued to fizzle.
“I feel very privileged to have grown up experiencing two cultures,” reflected the 24-year-old, born to an English father and French mother. “It’s character building, and I’m lucky to speak two languages, which has allowed me to make some of the professional decisions I’ve made.”
L’ESSAI DE LA GAGNE 😍
L’incroyable essai d’Aaron Grandidier lors de du Seven de Toulouse qui offre la victoire aux Français ! 💥 🇫🇷
👀 @FranceRugby @France7s #FranceSevens pic.twitter.com/XO6TofBHjS
— CANAL+ Rugby (@CanalplusRugby) May 13, 2023
Having ‘slipped through the net’ of the English system, the jet-heeled finisher signed for Brive after being courted by a handful of clubs in France, all drawn to his potent combination of scorching athleticism and a deft skillset, which he believes was honed away from the rugby field.
Another shade on the palette, then. “I played a lot of basketball, and there’s a huge amount of transfer between the two.” Offloading, conditioning, the confidence and co-ordination to rule the airwaves, and bewitching footwork. “I’ve got a big right-foot step … a little Allen Iverson crossover.”
Discussion merrily veers off-track yet again, as the wearer of France 7s number nine jersey reveals formidable NBA knowledge. It’s agreed Joel Embiid would ‘carve up’ with an oval ball in-hand, before he divulges a new obsession. “I’m addicted to golf. It drives me nuts, but that’s why, I think, I’ve fallen completely in love with the game.”
‘Aaron Grandidier Nkanang’ becomes ‘Aztek’ when the Bromley-born athlete scythes from the pitch to behind his decks – where he produces and mixes house music. “It’s so important to have interests and an identity outside of rugby,” he said. “I had a rough patch with injury last year. Music was crucial in keeping my days fulfilled, and making up for the connections you’re starved of when you’re not around the team.”
How does he handle the pressure of being team DJ? “I’m actually not! I’m really happy about that: it’s so difficult to please everyone…”
At first, some boys struggled to even clap in time
Watch any clip of Aztek mid-mix, and his natural sense of rhythm is apparent, which perhaps explains why he’s so adept at slaloming defenders.
Balance and brain-body connection are highly-regarded traits in France 7s coach Jerome Daret’s set-up, where dance lessons have become ‘an integral part’ of their routine.
Wednesday mornings get very Glee in Marcoussis, as the group learn not set plays, but choreography, before adding rugby balls into the mix. The improvements have been mammoth – and, it turns out, necessary. “It was very revealing. At first, some boys struggled to even clap in time…”
Talk then turns from sound waves to those of the open sea: Les Bleus and the big blue have become well-acquainted, thanks to sessions concocted between their coaches and the national coastguard.
“We’ve been working to understand la puissance de l’océan – the power of the ocean. We’re nothing compared to it, but can draw from its energy. It’s fascinating how, when we’re taken out of our rugby world and placed into another one, there are constant and immediate parallels.”
There are also the straight-up physical benefits of taking on Mother Nature. Recently, the group were shipped a kilometre from shore, split into quartets, given a board to share, and tasked with returning to their training base. “Any swim-run combination is lethal – especially if, like me, you’re not the greatest swimmer.
“You’re thrown into an environment you’re not used to, and fatiguing parts of your body which aren’t hardened to that – all while placing huge stress on your bonds as a team.”
Beyond the waves, right on the horizon, loom the biggest three days in the programme’s history: a home Olympics, where they’ve not only the honour of getting the sporting action under way, but the men’s and women’s France 7s sides are expected to catalyse a French medal rush.
When we get to the village, perhaps it’ll become more real
Fortunately, France are in a real purple patch, having enjoyed their best-ever season. Four-time semi-finalists, all-conquering in Los Angeles to end a 19-year title drought, and champions in Madrid. Form as timely as it is impressive, because – right across l’Hexagone – a nation expects.
How does one go about handling that sort of pressure?
“To be honest, right now, I’m just trying to keep it together. It’s all still a ‘pinch me’ moment, as I come to terms with what’s happening. When we get to the village, perhaps it’ll become more real.”
When the Olympic debutant, for a moment, dials in on the magnitude of the occasion, his passion is palpable.
“We get asked these questions a lot, but I’m still struggling to express myself on what it means, and how it’ll feel. It’s genuinely difficult to put into words – which I think speaks volumes in itself.
“A home Olympics happens once every hundred years, so I’m lucky to even be playing during this period. Then, the team came out, and I was in it… It’s just a huge privilege. I just hope we can make the country proud, and pull it off.’
If we discount Singapore, when Daret rested some seasoned linchpins, France 7s’ results aren’t hard to decipher: this is a side gathering fearsome momentum. Ninth. Eighth. Sixth. Third. Champions. Runners-up. Champions. A trajectory worthy of the sport’s pinnacle.
‘We’re very motivated, especially off the back of Madrid, but know we’ve not hit our ceiling yet. There’s a lot left to optimise, and – if we can pull everything together at the Olympics – we could do something really special. Our ambition is that gold medal, and we’re not afraid to admit that.’
July 24th. Day one of the Games, and France will make their first appearance since Rio, having clattered an Irish hurdle in the Tokyo repechage.
Each game will be a battle, and each pool a war
They’ll open up against Mike Friday’s USA, before tackling Uruguay’s Teros, and then face off against the reigning champions.
It’s been a turbulent campaign for Fiji, who’ve frequently seemed more faltering than flying, but there’s something inevitable and irresistible about the way they effervesce every four years – and that clash promises to be blockbuster.
France aren’t getting ahead of themselves. “There’s talent across the board this year: pretty much every team can beat any other team, so each game will be a battle, and each pool a war. We’re not taking a single match lightly.”
The tournament presents a golden opportunity for 7s, which will enjoy centre stage ahead of even the opening ceremony itself.
Before the Seine is transformed into a kaleidoscopic catwalk of athleticism and patriotism, rugby will be the main event, and the significance of that hasn’t been lost on Grandidier Nkanang.
“This sport doesn’t get the respect it deserves, so I really hope it cuts through here. It’s the Formula One of rugby – pure entertainment – and we have a real chance this summer to get people hooked, because you can’t watch this game and not fall in love with it. We’re competing for results, but also a legacy, and the place we could leave 7s in.”
We’re well past the 40-minute mark, but there remains a frighteningly talented elephant, medal-adorned and ski goggle-clad, in the room. Is he sick of talking about Antoine Dupont, yet?
“Not at all. We get asked about him a lot, of course, but rightly so: he’s the best player in the world.”
No one in the sport has more clout to wield than Toulouse’s talisman, 2021’s World XVs Player of the Year and the newly-crowned HSBC SVNS Rookie of the Year. But humility and hunger were the hallmarks of his arrival within the programme.
We were going to win this year, with or without Antoine
“Right from his first session, he seemed so ready to learn – excited to immerse himself in a world he knew a lot less about, and to soak it all in.
“It was really refreshing to see that the best there is still wants to set himself challenges and get better yet. He’s so open-minded, which made him scarily quick to understand our systems, and integrate himself – with all those world-class skills – within it.
“It’s also testament to the work this group did that he wanted to join our set-up: we made it attractive.”
The pride is tangible. “As a team, it frustrates us a lot when people say ‘oh, you’re only winning because of him’.
“He’s a massive asset – obviously – but, if you look at our growth across this whole cycle, you can see the progression. It’s been coming: we were going to win this year, with or without Antoine.”
Born in London, capped by France. On the pitch by day, and the decks by night. Basketball, golf, dancing, and swimming. If variety is the spice of life, here’s an athlete whose very existence bursts with flavour.
That said, while Aaron Grandidier Nkanang is not just a member of the France 7s team currently hurtling towards a home Olympics, hearts set on gold and glory – for the next few weeks, as eyes turn to Paris and the cauldron burns bright, it’s all that matters.
He sounds amazingly grounded.Lovely interview!