Inspired by legendary coach Pierre Villepreux, Clayesmore coaches return from France with a fresh approach to rugby – Sam Peters reports
On a mission to improve rugby safety and promote a less confrontational playing style, staff from a Dorset school have returned from an inspirational trip to France, led by one of the world’s greatest coaches.
Five rugby coaches from Clayesmore School, led by former Bergerac No.8 and current maths teacher Richard Dixon, attended a week-long camp in Lubersac, near Limoges, where they were trained in ‘Le Plaisir du Mouvement’ (LPM – translated as the pleasure of movement), a playing style originated by legendary former Toulouse coach Pierre Villepreux. Having developed LPM in the early 1980s, 81-year-old Villepreux was inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame in 2018 and is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches of all time.
He was present throughout the seven-day camp, leading a one-and-a-half hour session on the first day, and on hand throughout to coach nearly 130 French children.
Villepreux’s coaching principles are based on evasion, minimising contact, going forward and relentless support.
Richard Dixon was first introduced to LPM in the early 2000s by former Oxford University coach Lyn Evans, and has been a disciple of the Villepreux method ever since. A regular attendee at the camps, he is one of only a handful of English coaches entrusted with coaching LPM.
‘It takes many years to learn this method and having Pierre on hand to help develop the aspiring coaches is inspiring,’ he said. ‘We are trying to teach children there is a different way to play, not based on collisions, set-piece dominance and other awful clichés that have crept into English rugby and turned so many people off. Rugby should be about skills and having fun.’
Since Villepreux first introduced his methods when coaching at Toulouse, the team has gone on to be the most successful club side in rugby’s history, winning 16 French titles and six European Cups in the last 44 years.
‘Every Toulouse team plays this way – it’s non-negotiable,’ says Toulouse academy coach Sam Lacombe, who also attended the camp, along with legendary French flanker Olivier Magne and other top coaches.
Clayesmore’s delegation included head of rugby Tom Griffiths, head of PE Chris Middle, head of science Robbie Winearls and Frank Thomson, husband of head teacher Joanna Thomson, who commissioned the trip. Staff from Kingham School in Oxfordshire also attended.
‘You hear a lot of talk on television about rugby being a collision game,’ says Tom Griffiths. ‘But it’s an evasion game. We want to emphasise that to our students and stress the safety element of reducing direct collisions, where concussions are more likely.’
The trip follows a visit from Toulouse’s coaching staff to Clayesmore in January, initiated by Richard Dixon, when New Zealand’s double World Cup winning flanker Jerome Kaino led a coaching session.
