BABY BLEU

Léo Barré is the latest in a line of young French stars hoping to bury the blues of last season's World Cup

- RAPHAEL JUCOBIN

It was a very eventful year,” says Léo Barré as he reflects on the 12 months that saw his career move up a gear. Having announced himself to the Top 14 the previous year, the young Stade Français full-back burst onto the Test scene in the latter half of the year. Six Nations. He would go on to lead his club to second place in the regular season.

While Barré won six of his eight caps he started with France during 2024, results at the Stade Jean Bouin have fluctuated. The Parisians only registered five wins in the first half of the campaign, with Barré accepting his share of the blame.

“I haven’t been up to the task this season,” he says. “I’ve been making too many mistakes and I haven’t built up my confidence in the way I’d have wanted. That’s entirely down to me.”

Results have been more consistent with les Bleus. Having been part of France’s youth set-ups from the age of 16, last year’s graduation to the senior team was years in the making. “It was a very emotional year with the Six cap and the tour over the summer. There were wins, and one defeat in Argentina, but I’ve gained a lot of experience. Every time I’ve been with the French team, I’ve grown as a player.”

The 22-year-old went on to start in two of France’s autumn Internationals, with Bordeaux’s Romain Buros earning a surprise first cap against the All Blacks. With the wins over Japan and Argentina, the Versailles native earned something of a reprieve from his club’s stuttering start to the campaign. “It was good to have that break, it allowed me to start enjoying myself on the pitch again.”