Large format on Silvia Turani, former Amazon
You have recently discovered the Amazons Elite 1 squad for the 2021/2022 season. As you could see, some players are no longer part of the team.
For professional or personal reasons, our former "Red & Blue" have left for other adventures.
Alice Henry & Ilona Frachet are moving to the Clermont region and will play for the Romagnat team, Elisa Aragno is hanging up her boots, Alexia Mathonnet is going overseas for a professional project and Silvia Turani has returned to Italy where she works in her father's company and continues to play for the Italian team.
On this occasion, we called our former players, Silvia Turani lent herself to the game of the interview:
How did you come to France and Grenoble?
I did a double degree in Italy and the second year of the degree I had to go to France, to Grenoble in GEM (management school). I thought it was great, I said to myself that it would be great because there is a good school and a good team to play in. So I came to France to study and play at the same time.
How did your arrival go?
I arrived at the end of July for the pre-season. It was "confinement", so it wasn't great, a lot of things were closed, I had the impression that the city was "unsociable". But the girls at the club were great, from day 1 onwards, super nice to me with lots of interaction. The first day I did a BRONCO (physical test) it wasn't very nice (laughs), but after the training, in the evening, we went out in the city centre to eat a foccacia, so it was cool because I felt really integrated in the team from the first day, with really great girls. At the beginning it was a bit complicated for me, because I didn't speak French... I thought "OK, it's not too different from Italian, but it was like this/like that. The girls spoke a bit of English, a bit of Italian, so I made good progress with French, which I've already lost! By the end of the year I could understand and express myself so that was cool!
What did you like most about FCG Amazons?
I loved the infrastructure of the club and the organisation of the training sessions and the preparation. It's an atmosphere where if you want to progress it's very easy to improve. You have all the facilities, all the training, the preparation, the coaches and at the same time the girls who want to improve, so the balance between the seriousness in the way of training and the fun, the commitment of the girls. The balance for me is really the strong point of the Grenoble team.
If you could have stayed, would you have done it?
Yes, I think another year would have been better. Because I really liked the organisation and the projects. I think that in the coming year, everything will improve again in terms of the team and its organisation. It is true that in women's rugby there are many limits and many things to improve, and what I found in Grenoble is a club, a team where there is a future. It's a team that seeks to solve problems. If I could come back, I would say yes.
What do you wish to the team?
I wish them not to lose. To maintain the commitment you have, because that's something I've never found in other teams. There is fun, a lot of highlights, cohesion in the team: each girl has her personal life, her interests, her objectives which may be different from the other girls but there is really a cohesion and that is really cool, we have to maintain that. And of course to improve in the level, I wish it to all the players. But also to see women's rugby and the championship evolve. I don't know how long it will take to see the results of this evolution, but we must have an active participation in this progress.
What are you doing in Italy?
I finished my studies in November, already before coming to Grenoble I knew that it was only for one year thanks to the exchange with my university in Italy and my year in double degree. When I came back from my degree I started to work in my father's company where I am now. That's why I came back to Italy, to work in the family business. I hope to continue working here in the next few years and to continue playing for the Italian team. The goal is to progress in my double project: rugby & work. I hope to be able to do both things at the same time, because at the moment I am not able to say "I give up one thing or another".
Will you be coming back to France?
I hope to be able to come and see the first championship match!
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The club would like to thank Silvia, Alexia, Alice, Elisa & Ilona for their dedication to the Amazons, they have valiantly worn the "Red & Blue" jersey.
Photo : K. Valentin
Auteur : FCG Rugby