Saints full-back ANTHONY BELLEAU on his horror mouth injury

It is 2.30 on Friday afternoon but the joke is lost in translation on Anthony Belleau.

‘Tooth hurty,’ I say, as the Northampton fly-half takes a seat in a corporate box at Franklin’s Gardens. ‘Yes, perfect timing,’ he replies in his nasally French accent.

‘Do you understand the joke?’

‘No, sorry, I don’t get it, but my English is getting better!’

Belleau has spent his morning at the dentist. He suffered one of the most gruesome injuries of the season two weeks ago. While attempting to tackle Harlequins full-back Nick David, he was struck in the mouth by a flying boot, knocking out three of his lower incisors. So, how are they feeling?

‘It’s getting better. It was quite crazy, I got this impact and it left a big hole in my chin. Three teeth came off. One tooth was still in my mouth and the medical team found one of them on the pitch, so they put it in a little tube.

‘After the game, I went to the hospital and had two teeth put back in. The other one was still on the pitch. I felt bad leaving my tooth alone on the pitch so I looked on the video to see where the impact was. I went back three or four days later and found the other tooth by the try line!

‘They put them back in but they were not secure enough to stay, so I saw the dentist this morning and he took them out again. I won’t have teeth for the next couple of weeks, until I get implants. Then I’m going to have fake teeth!’

The specialist advised Belleau to avoid contact for two weeks, yet duty called. When fellow No 10 Fin Smith was ruled out of Northampton’s game against Bordeaux last weekend, Belleau defied medical advice, volunteering to play at the Stade Chaban-Delmas.

‘Our team changed on Friday morning. Fin Smith was out. The only risk was if my teeth get an impact but I had a splint in my mouth and a second gumshield. It was a bit risky but I tried on the gumshield which fit really well so I said, “OK, let’s go”.

‘I had so many stitches in my mouth. I stopped counting but I had 17 down my chin, two layers of very deep stitches, and five or six inside. I was more worried about the scar than my teeth. The stitches got stretched a little bit during the game but it was just a bit of blood.’

Moving over on a one-year contract, Belleau is yet to decide whether he will remain in England next season. When he does eventually move home, he will return with a life-long scar down his chin to remind him of his cherished time at Franklin’s Gardens.

‘One broken nose at the beginning of the season, three teeth off, 25 stitches… and we are halfway through the season!’ he says with a laugh, having endeared himself to the local fans with his passionate approach.

‘It’s been a very enriching experience here. I’m learning a different way to live and a different way to play rugby. I live just to the west of Northampton with my fiancee. When we play away, we try to stay in the city to see something different and enjoy our time in England. Sunday roasts, the coffee shop culture, different villages.

‘London is one hour away but we are not confident enough yet to go to the theatre. Our next challenge is to go to the cinema and watch a film without subtitles. At the moment we are watching English TV with French subtitles, so we don’t get lost!’

Belleau is a part of a small and select group of Frenchmen to move to England, following in the footsteps of Sebastien Chabal, Louis Picamoles and Maxime Mermoz. Higher taxes and lower salary caps mean few French players make the switch but Belleau bucked the trend.

‘I always said that if I had the opportunity to go away from France, I was always keen to take it,’ says Belleau, who will start against the Scarlets on Sunday.

‘When I signed for the Saints, so many players texted me and said they wish they could do the same thing. It was a tough decision to make but I am enjoying my time here.

‘English rugby is more structured than French rugby. The French culture is different. We are a bit more emotional. The atmosphere for a Top 14 game is different depending if you play home or away. English teams trust more in the process as a team. The French are emotional so sometimes they try to do something special. When it works it gives people big energy, momentum, hype to go again. Sometimes it doesn’t work.

‘The championships work in a different way. The Top 14 is longer with more games, so it’s like a marathon. The Premiership is more like a race because you have less games. If you lose some points here then you fall away from qualifying for the play-offs. In France you have the top six, not the top four. Also in France, you can be relegated to the second division so there is a different pressure. More bad pressure. In France it’s more of a fight, here they try to play a bit more.’

Belleau has played 12 times for France but has not been capped since 2019. He is only 29 years old and still harbours ambitions to represent his country.

‘It’s a couple of years since I played or trained for France but if my time comes then I will be the most happy rugby player. I don’t know if there are any rules about being selected overseas. Louis Picamoles got picked when he was at Northampton but right now all the players play in France. I’ve learned so much over the last six months so it would be a good story for the French coach to come over here.’

With the Six Nations approaching, he believes Matthieu Jalibert is the most exciting No 10 playing in the Top 14. Fabien Galthie’s team are favourites to win the title but Belleau believes England will be their biggest threat.

‘It’s going to be the most competitive Six Nations for the past few years. England are back in the game now. Their autumn series was very impressive. France have some injuries but they’re very talented and you can’t guess what they’re going to do. England finished in the semi-final at the last World Cup which is a big achievement, but now they are winning games consistently. Le Crunch is the game to watch!’

By that point Belleau will have a full set of teeth – but time will tell if the French have anything to smile about.