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It's an icon, an iconic player, a Barracudas legend who has decided to bow out of the first team for a final season. Paul Bessières, 40 years old and the Barracudas' pocket scrum-half, will no longer be livening up the game in Saint-Barth. Since his arrival on the island, he has won ten Guadeloupe championship titles and three Antilles Guyane tournaments. He was also captain of the Guadeloupe national team, runners-up in the Caribbean rugby XV championship.
A record worthy of his talent... Yet Paul, who came through the ranks at Stade Toulousain, almost never wore the blue-and-white jersey of the Barracudas. As Fabien Maurel, a childhood friend, club team-mate and eventually coach, explains: "We met when he was leaving the Stade Toulousain training center. We were teenagers. I was just starting out in rugby and Paul hadn't been selected for the pro circuit, because he was too small and frail. Yet it was obvious that he had talent! Years later, when I arrived in Saint-Barthélemy for work, I thought of him to add to our rugby team... I was glad I did! It didn't take him long to join us in this adventure. He managed to find a job, and the rest is history! "Fabien Maurel recalls the best seasons with his team-mate: "The Tag + Championship double are extraordinary memories, we were at the top, we won everything for our club, for the island, what a source of pride! "
Last March, the Barracudas players paid tribute to emblematic Barras captain Paul Bessières, now retired from rugby, with a "Merci Paulo" T-shirt. Les Barracudas
Philippe Bertin "Porcu", the Barracudas' famous front row, played in almost every season with Paul, "his" number 9. He is moved to see him retire from rugby: "He's a player who has made a huge contribution to the team and to the club as a whole. Knowing that he's retiring is a big loss for me, because he's a player with a good mentality, with a lot of respect for his partners and for rugby in general... It's also a loss for the 3rd half... Ahhh we've been through some huge ones, especially on title nights [laughs]. "
Beautiful anecdotes, perhaps not always avowable in public, seem to clash in the head of "Porcu" who, with a little hindsight, concludes: "The only regret I have, in fact, is that he ended his career with an injury; I would have preferred him to hang up his boots on a title or a gala match, like everyone else. "
Indeed, at the start of the year, during the Bruc (Abymes) - Barracudas match at the Saint-Jean stadium, Paul Bessières had to leave the field and his team-mates following an impact with an Abymian opponent. A few days after the knockout, Paul decided not to return to amateur rugby at a high level, certainly motivated by the birth of his second child and professional projects as time-consuming as they were innovative.
In 2012, the Barracudas won the Guadeloupe championship for the 6th time.
Being full of ideas and never counting the hours are two qualities that suit him well, as Valentin Lalo, a loyal "Cap'tain Polo" Barracudas recalls: "Paul is a pillar of the club.... He's been around so long that I don't even know how many years he's been proudly wearing our jersey... 12, 13, 15 years? Everyone at the club knows him or has known him! I know that even if he stops playing - age in rugby is unforgiving, you know - I know that he'll always be there to advise us, guide us and support us. We know that in the years to come, he'll always be around rugby, at the club house, with us, drinking a beer and debriefing matches or preparing, with us, combis. He's a great guy, we love that Paul! "
A vibrant tribute joined by Alex Ros, who has become a friend over the seasons: "Polo, he's a great guy, he was my number 9, my number 10, my coach before I became his, this guy has known and won everything with the Barracudas! And we owe our successes to his character, to his motivation, which he knows how to share! He was a real workaholic, but it paid off! We've filled the club's trophy cabinet! As for the future, I wish him nothing but the best, and hope to see him as coach soon. Paul Bessières is the spirit of rugby. "
An influence, a role model, for the club's younger players, including Marius Domon. The current professional three-quarter of RC Toulon, who shines in the TOP 14, remembers the way he looked up to Paul: "When we were little, we could see him from afar, he was impressive on the pitch. But he always had a smile for us, and as a senior, he was very accessible to the little rugby school kids like me. What's more, I was playing scrum-half at the time, so I used to watch him a lot, and in a way I drew inspiration from him. Before us, it was him... he was even a player-coach, and that's not an easy role. For many reasons, he will remain a key figure in rugby in Saint Barthelemy and Guadeloupe. "
In 2018, four Barras players - Daniel Sabino, Valentin Lalo, Mickaël Darcourt and Paul Bessières - took part in the "Rugby Barbados World 7" in Barbados with the Guadeloupe national team.
Indeed, Paul Bessières' reputation and popularity have been recognized throughout Caribbean rugby for over a decade. He captained Guadeloupe's 7-a-side and 15-a-side rugby teams to Caribbean runners-up spot in 2019. A memory that then coach Dominique Graniou remembers well: "For me, Paul is the timeless guide of the Saint-Barth Barracudas and the undisputed leader of the Guadeloupe 7-a-side and 15-a-side rugby teams. Because beyond his qualities as a player, his character, courage and self-sacrifice have made him the indispensable captain of our selection. My fondest memory together is of our final at the 2018 RAN (Rugby American North) championship in Bermuda, where, even though it ended in defeat, it marked the finest run a West Indian rugby team has made to date. "
His opponent from Bruc Abymes, Alexis Grosset, now the league's regional technical advisor, also a scrum-half and who he played against in numerous Guadeloupe championship finals, as well as being his partner in the selection, agrees: "I had the misfortune of playing against him, but also the happiness of being his teammate [laughs]... As far as I can remember, he was involved in all our national team campaigns. He always made light of his small size, thanks to his passing and tackling skills! What a great career he's had, and I hope he'll go on to become a coach, because he's got a lot to pass on to young and old alike! Give him my love!"
Between respect for the man and the player, unforgettable 3rd halves, classy actions and a unanimous salute to his desire to hang up his boots, the whole world of Guadeloupe rugby was marked by the scrum-half from Saint-Barth. Fabien Maurel had the last word: "I'd be delighted if he stayed with us, as a veteran, with the Poissons Clowns, as it would bring our friendship and rugby adventure full circle. "Legendary Barracudas captain Paul Bessières has plenty of time to ponder his old friend's suggestion. After 30 years on the field, he has decided to devote his time to his children and his work, two activities that are sure to keep him busy for the next thirty years.
