Philippe Chauvin, bereaved father of a young player, wants to secure the discipline

Posted on 09/04/2023 21:32

Update on 09/04/2023 23:18

Video length: 3 min.

France 2

Article written by

G.Naboulet, B.Poulain, T.Gilardet, O.Sauvayre –

France 2

France Televisions

Philippe Chauvin has lost an 18-year-old son to a violent shock during a rugby match. Today, he wishes to alert on the risks incurred and on the sanctions, which he considers derisory during dangerous tackles.

For more than four years, Philippe Chauvin has wanted to understand why his son died on a land of rugby. Nicolas Chauvin, young hope of the Stade Français, was traveling to Bordeaux (Gironde) in December 2018. “In the fifth minute, Nicolas waits for a ball that does not come fast enough and receives two defenders launched from ten meters who come to hit him, certainly too high since it ends with a wrenching of the second cervical vertebra, and cardiac arrest following a shock to the spinal cord“, says Philippe Chauvin.

Raising awareness among rugby authorities

Nicolas Chauvin, 18, died three days later in hospital. His father sued X for manslaughter. He saw and reviewed the images of the shock, then put together a file to raise awareness among rugby authorities. In vain. “Simply waiting for justice to decide, I find it a little too easy for the Ministry of Sports or for the French Rugby Federation“, he judges. Former amateur player, Philippe Chauvin introduced his son and his two brothers to the oval ball. If he still watches matches, he trembles at certain contacts.