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    • In Marcoussis, UBE is at the heart of a research partnership to support French rugby

    In Marcoussis, UBE is at the heart of a research partnership to support French rugby

    On Saturday 14 March 2026, Vincent Thomas, President of UBE, and Hervé Assadi, Director of UFR STAPS Dijon-Le Creusot, were welcomed at Marcoussis, the headquarters of the French Rugby Federation, for a progress review of the initiatives undertaken and the results of the research and performance support work.

    This meeting forms part of a research and performance agreement linking the work of Professor Mickaël Campo, a lecturer and researcher at UFR STAPS specialising in sports psychology, with FFR’s performance support department, headed by Julien Piscione.

    Since the early 2000s, FFR has operated a research unit. From 2015 onwards, under the impetus of Didier Retière, then national technical director, and Julien Piscione, the mental dimension of sporting performance was gradually incorporated into this work.

    Consequently, in 2016, Mickaël Campo, whose work focuses specifically on the psychological aspects of performance in rugby, was invited to collaborate with the Federation. This collaboration led, in 2019, to the signing of a research agreement between UBE and FFR.

    This initiative has notably led to the award of the ‘Team Sport’ Programme for Future Investment (PIA), a project that scientifically explores the mechanisms of mental cohesion within teams and generates numerous practical recommendations for the psychological management of groups with a view to enhancing sporting performance.

    This work has now led to the systematic structuring of performance support within FFR, benefiting all French national teams: the men’s and women’s France XVs, the youth teams, and the rugby sevens teams. Led by the performance support department, this rigorous methodology, rooted in a demanding scientific approach, has fully demonstrated its effectiveness.

    As a sign of this ambition, no fewer than 20 PhDs in science are now part of this team. This working day in Marcoussis was also part of the process leading to a future renewal of the agreement with UBE, this time focused on the support and preparation of technical staff and coaches.