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Revol vows to protect French heritage

Friday 05th December 2008

New 'chef': Pierre-Yves Revol

An new era has dawned in French rugby. After ten years at the head of the French league, Serge Blanco has been replaced by Castres president Pierre-Yves Revol, who has made the protection of France's rugby heritage his priority.

"It is a honour. There was a bit of emotion because Serge Blanco is a giant in French rugby both as a player and an administrator," said Revol following his election.

"(Blanco) made an enormous contribution to professional rugby, hence it's with a lot of modesty that I will try to continue the work of such a great rugby man."

Revol was quick to note that his election would not represent too drastic a change in direction for the Ligue Nationale de Rugby.

"I don't think (there'll be a change)," he said.

"Recently, at a seminar in Biarritz, we laid out all the problems that professional rugby faces. I'm going to provide a certain number of answers to the unanswered questions, without the pretext of wanting to revolutionise anything at all. This is a new era with a new personality, but I don't think there'll be a radical change. This election happened with a relative amount of consensus." (Revol was elected with 66 votes out of a possible 68).

"My priority will be to make sure that the values of French rugby are not threatened. My priority is to defend France's rugby heritage," he added.

"I believe we are lucky in that we have a tolerant public, extraordinary respect for referees, that is the envy of everyone else. We need to be very vigilant that that heritage is not dented."

Revol conceded that the international financial crisis was weighing heavily on rugby at the moment.

"The financial issue for the professional clubs is firstly to protect and then to develop their sponsorship revenues," said the new President.

"Because, in a difficult financial context, many advertisers are questioning their publicity budgets and hence their sponsorships. I'm not talking about national budgets, I'm talking about local contracts which represent half the budgets of every club."

He also admitted that ideas for modifying the calendar in France were the subject of much debate in the corridors of power.

"These problems were raised at the seminar in Biarritz, where all the club Presidents participated," Revol explained.

"It's an excessively complex problem that, unfortunately, that cannot be resolved solely by considering the national calendar. I don't want to say that we don't have ideas, but it's not a problem that can be solved overnight.

"We could make progress, but only with the authorities of international rugby."

Revol's accession to the head of the LNR means he will have to relinquish the presidency of Castres, an unwelcome disruption for the club in massive difficulty in the Top 14.

"It's not easy. I admit that after the defeat last Saturday (9-23 at home to Bourgoin) I had to ask myself some serious questions," he admitted.

"But I'm convinced that the club will make it through this difficult period, as it has done in the past."