Only eight days after the death of Jean-Louis Bérot, the former Roland Bertranne center died at the age of 75.
French rugby accuses the blow. Three days after the funeral of Jean-Louis Bérot in Dax, a new sacred monster of the XV of France was gone. Aged 75, Roland Bertranne died in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
Born and trained in Ibos in the Hautes-Pyrénées, the Center made the essentials of its career in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, if not a parenthesis of a season at RC Toulon in 1972. Arrived at the Bagnérais stadium in 1969 after being spotted by Jean Gachassin, he led the club to the final of the French championship in 1979 then in 1981, failing for the first time against Narbonne (10-0) Béziers (22-13).
But it was with the XV of France that Roland Bertranne wrote the most beautiful pages of his career. The one who was nicknamed “Furious little bull” was a long time recorded in Blues selections before being surpassed by Serge Blanco in 1989, accumulating no less than 69 appearances in the French team between 1971 and 1981.
“It was better to play with him than against”
The Pyrenean was notably of the two great chelems produced by the XV of France in 1977 and 1981 alongside Jean-Pierre Rives, Robert Paparemborde, Jean-Claude Skrela, Jean-Michel Aguirre or Jacques Fouroux. The latter, half of the scrum of the Blues in 1977, had become the coach in 1981 and added the most beautiful compliments to his center. “” Give me fifteen bertranne and I will beat all the world teams “, He said as recalled The team. “” It was better to play with him than against. He was doing all the job ”, Abundes the back Jean-Michel Aguirre.
“He was an extraordinary guy, of immense sensitivity and simplicity. Beyond the player, Roland was a rock, a pillar of our group in 1977 and in 1981, reacted Jean-Pierre Rives. Even if he played three-quarters center, he had a mind before. His thing was to challenge the pillars in training, he loved it. He also had the class of large centers. I feel a huge sentence. »»
