France youngster Jean-Marcellin Buttin admits that the fact he was given no time to prepare when Clément Poitrenaud was injured eased his debut nerves in the RBS 6 Nations defeat to Wales.
The 20-year-old full-back came on late in the first half for Poitrenaud and was one of the standout players for Les Bleus posing the Welsh defence problems on a number of occasions.
And having made an impressive start to his France career, Buttin admits it has been a whirlwind rise for him this season.
“I’m surprised that I wasn’t nervous. During the warm-up I felt good, and being a replacement took some of the pressure off,” said Buttin who was a member of the France Under-20’s squad in last year’s RBS 6 Nations.
“But when I came on I was amazed by the atmosphere.
“As soon as there was an attack you couldn’t hear anything. I had about ten matches with the age grade teams, and about 15 in the Top 14, so it’s gone quickly.
“This game, in a packed stadium will stay with me. I’m proud to have worn the shirt and I’ll keep that one to give to my parents.
“As soon as Clément [Poitrenaud] was hurt, Yannick [Bru] told me to warm up. Two minutes later I was on, I just had time to do a couple of sprints. It didn’t give me any time to think. I had the chance to get a fair amount of game time, that’s what I will remember.
“I didn’t start questioning myself at all.”
