England legend’s ‘helpful tip’ is behind France and La Rochelle’s Nolann Le Garrec’s great goal kicking
Nolann Le Garrec is one of the most reliable goalkickers in rugby right now, maybe only behind his teammate Thomas Ramos and South Africa’s Handre Pollard. The La Rochelle star showed what a top-class kicker he is during this season’s Champions Cup game when Ronan O’Gara’s team lost to Leinster.
Le Garrec scored three conversions and a penalty, but it wasn’t enough to beat Leo Cullen’s team. Still, with just minutes left and from a tricky angle near the sideline, he calmly nailed his final kick, giving his team the best chance to win. Pressure didn’t affect him at all, and he must be disappointed his teammates couldn’t hold on after his brilliant kicking performance.
This kind of accuracy and consistency didn’t happen by luck for the 23-year-old. It’s all thanks to hard work, dedication, mastering his technique, and learning from the advice of great players he’s worked with, including an England rugby legend.
Le Garrec said, “I’m still young, but I can’t kick hundreds of balls after training like before. Now, I focus on my routine and aim for short but accurate kicks. I’ve had some chats with Ronan O’Gara. His kicking style is different from mine, so he shared some basics, but I also worked on my own routine. I’ve learned a lot, and sometimes I talk with others like Owen Farrell, who told me not to hit the ball too hard, but to let my body flow with it. That was really helpful advice.”
Owen Farrell is one of the best rugby players today. He was named European Player of the Year in 2017 and is England’s fourth most-capped player. He also holds the record for the most points scored for England, with 1,237 points, making him second-highest in international rugby overall.
So, who better to get kicking tips from than Farrell? Maybe only Dan Carter, who scored the most points ever in rugby. Le Garrec has been lucky to work with both Farrell and O’Gara, who is the fifth-highest points scorer in rugby, to sharpen his kicking skills. This explains why he’s improving his already impressive technique.
Although he probably won’t replace Ramos as France’s main goalkicker, Le Garrec showed during France’s tour in New Zealand last summer that he’s well on his way to becoming their second choice behind the Toulouse star when playing for the national team.