Arthur Vincent believes his experience with France Under-20s has been crucial to how easily he has adapted in his first taste of senior international rugby.
The Montpellier centre made his France debut off the bench in their opening Guinness Six Nations win over England, before starting the victories over Italy and Wales. In the latter he made the crucial tackle on Nick Tompkins that allowed Camille Chat to seal victory with a turnover penalty.
Still just 20, he has taken to international rugby like a duck to water, having previously been part of the France Under-20s team that won back-to-back world titles.
While he was only a bit-part player in the first of those successes, he captained Les Bleuets in the second, and that experience has been crucial according to the man himself.
He said: “I use that experience to feel calm. And of course, it had given me a taste of what it’s like to be with the France team, even if it is another world and everything is a level above. It’s valuable experience, at a lower level but an experience that is useful on the pitch and off.
“There is natural continuity because there is a lot of coherence between the age-group project and that of the senior team. However the speed, intensity and demands are obviously bigger.
“I’m not sure if it’s normal for me to be here. It’s exceptional to be with the France team. It’s the same for everybody. I think we have to take our opportunities, and enjoy it.”
In a youthful France side, the youngest in the Championship, Vincent is the most junior player, but he is expected to start a third successive match when Fabien Galthié names his team to take on Scotland on Friday.
And for Vincent, it has been a case of finding his role within the squad that has been the most important task over the past two months.
He added: “As always, the challenge has been to find my place in the collective. But when you work for the collective and you try in that sense, you forget about your own individual performance. The idea is to play as well as possible to help the players around me.
“Our leaders have been clearly identified and really help us. After that, everyone has a role in the team. For me, it’s mainly about enthusiasm, desire and smiling. There are some players who are real leaders. I’m thinking particularly about Antoine (Dupont) and Romain (Ntamack).”
