It's definitely the most unexpected transfer of the summer, both in its suddenness and its destination. “It happened very quickly, I never thought I would be in Ireland, in Leinster,” Slimani summed up in late August after his new team's warm-up match in Bordeaux.

The URC, which brings together Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Italian and South African teams, has not been a place of expression for many French players. Over the past two seasons, Dublin-born granddad center Antoine Frisch has distinguished himself in Munster, winning his first two selections with the Blues until this summer.

But Frisch returned to the Top 14 in Toulon. Slimani, who won 57 caps for the French XV, thus succeeds him as the only Frenchman in the competition. “It's always fun to be a little French, but I'm looking forward to March and Ireland-France to see what happens,” laughs the 34-year-old pillar from Sarcelles.

“Can't Deny It”

“It's a change for me. If I hadn't done it now, I would never have done it, explains the former player of Stade Francais (2009-2017) and Clermont (2017-2024). When we go abroad, when we see foreigners coming to France, we think about it. When we're young, we ask ourselves questions: am I ready, Aren't you ready? There's an opportunity you can't refuse.

An opportunity born out of a “misunderstanding” with ASM. “When Jono Gibbs was Clermont's coach, I signed a two-year contract as a player and then Jono didn't stay on as coach for a year,” he explains. Christophe (Urios) arrived, I spoke to him a lot, I had my season but we didn't understand each other and Leinster showed their interest. »

The Irishman's approach makes him think, especially on a family level with his wife and daughter. “I said let's go!” They followed me and are also once-in-a-lifetime experiences. »

Here Rabah jump to Leinster, quadruple European champions and ill-fated finalists in the last three Champions Cups. “They were clear and honest. They know my ability in the scrum and they think about it too,” admits Slimani, who has spoken extensively with Leinster manager Leo Cullen.

Reunion with Clermont

Validating his state diploma as a coach last year, he came to “bring my experience”, even though the Leinster team is half the Irish team, so he has some too. With an added challenge: he excels at doing it in English. “Of course, I speak English,” he laughs. “With their Irish accent, it sometimes goes a bit fast, but I can understand them and that's the main thing. I knew the technical terms because I played with a lot of foreigners and I had foreign coaches. »

From his first weeks in Dublin, Slimani remembers the “different, relaxed way of life, especially for children” and the “coffee culture” favored by the Irish. In terms of rugby, “everything is always fast-paced, everyone is always ready, training is not long, but it is intense. For us, pre-season is physical, we run and run. This is included in the training,” explains Stambham.

“I feel like playing the European Cup every weekend between South Africa and Wales … at 34 it's great,” said Slimani, impatient to find out the URC on Friday at Scotland's ground in Edinburgh.