Coach: Eric Quintin
Key Players: Aymeric Minne (Centre Back), Melyvn Richardson (Right Back)
Qualification information: Winners 2014 EHF Men’s European Championship 18
History in Tournament: 2005: DNQ, 2007: DNQ, 2009: 9th, 2011: 4th, 2013: 13th
Overview:
France automatically qualified for Russia 2015 after beating Hungary 33:30 in the 2014 EHF Men’s European Championship 18 final in Poland last year and taking the gold medal.
Top-scorer in that game was Aymeric Minne the 18-year-old centre back who plays for Fenix Toulouse. Minne has scored 61 goals in 20 games so far for his country and is ably assisted by a wealth of talent in his side, not least Melvyn Richardson - the son of the legendary French playmaker Jackson.
Melyvn, who plays right back, helped the U21 side qualify for the Men’s Junior World Championship in Brazil but did not join his team as, at just 18-years-old, he can further develop his skills and career with the younger French side under Coach Eric Quintin.
Coach Quintin from Aix-en-Provence, won Olympic bronze with the French handball team at Barcelona 1992, followed by silver at the 1993 IHF World Championships and then one better, in 1995 taking gold at the IHF World Championships in Iceland, the team became affectionately known as ‘Les Barjots’ - in reference to their amateur spirit off the court and professionalism on the court.
Since 2013 he has been the youth team coach and he has some impressive quality in their assistant coaching ranks with none other than Daouda Karaboué their goalkeeping coach.
He was awarded the prestigious ‘Legion of Honour’ medal in France after winning gold for France at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and then taking gold again at the London 2012 Olympics with another gold - at the 2009 IHF World Championships in between.
“I’m happy and proud to be accompanied by an expert staff to coach the French youth men’s team,” said Quintin. “We are all able to play a high quality handball and will show this in the best worldwide competition in this category of age.”
To prepare for Russia 2015 the French youth squad held a training camp in Saint Malo on the French coach in late July which, along with fitness and recovery, also included three matches and three wins against Czech Republic (40:19, 31:16, 34:13).
Following those friendly matches Sunday the group met again right at the end of July in the northern Alps, in Tignes ahead of their final two preparation matches against Hungary on July 30 and August 1.
Despite the scenic and touristic locations for their preparation and the climate, Quintin did not aim to be a tourist and enjoy the beaches or landscapes - it was and will be two intensive weeks of preparation.
“We had a great welcome as usual in St. Malo and the course met our expectations,” he said. “We are now in a recovery stage and the boys have completed the course in good condition.
“We chose a modest opponent (Czech Republic) to get back into the saddle without major difficulties,” continued Quintin.
“These three matches allowed us to work on technical aspects, including implementing a 3-2-1 and 1-5 defence, plus we have seen progression in terms of accuracy in our positioning and timings.
“Last year we invited Serbia and the difficulty level was not high enough,” he continued. “But Hungary will be a much more difficult opponent and we will have to play at 100%.”
France also have a pair of twins - the Watteuw brothers from US Creteil - have been named in the provisional squad with Florent, a left back, and Lucas, a centre back, hoping they make the final cut.
Jean-Louis Guichard, the manager of the side is keen for the U19 players to use the tournament to develop on and off the court.
“The Youth World Championship opens the doors to the high levels of handball,” he said. “It allows young players to discover other cultures, to share unforgettable moments and to learn the real meaning of the words fair play and solidarity - let the party be beautiful in Russia.”
You can follow the French team in Russia through the social media channels of the French Handball Federation. Look for Fédération Française de Handball on Facebook, Twitter and through their website.
Group at Russia 2015:
Group D: Slovenia, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Tunisia, France
Games at Russia 2015:
Saturday 8 August: FRA-ARG (16:00)
Monday 10 August: JPN-FRA (18:00)
Tuesday 11 August: FRA-TUN (16:00)
Thursday 13 August: BRA-FRA (18:00)
Friday 14 August: FRA-SLO (20:00)
Click here to view the France squad.
Click here to view all the matches of Russia 2015.