Odity, a committed rugby sponsor

With the 2023 Rugby World Cup taking place, find out how Benoît Vorilhon, Founder & CEO of Odity, decided to support the “REC Rugby” , a Rugby Club in Rennes.

Rugby, an inspiring team sport for Odity

Passionate since childhood about this sport that combines combativeness and team spirit, Benoît first played rugby for a few years, closely following the progress of the French national team and later the South African Springboks. It’s hard to remain indifferent to this “green and gold” team for Benoît, who lived in Cape Town for 3 years! He has many fond memories of the historic matches of these two emblematic teams, including one in particular:

“The 1995 World Cup semi-final between France and South Africa was legendary! The match was played at home in truly disastrous conditions (storm, rain, mud, etc.). France lost (19-15) to a very impressive South African team, who became world champions a week later in Johannesburg, with Nelson Mandela proudly wearing a Springbok jersey. In fact, I had the opportunity to meet the team’s emblematic captain, François Pienaar, when I was living in Cape Town, which was a nice tribute… The epic story of this South African team also inspired Clint Eastwood’s famous film Invictus“

Benoît Vorilhon

Integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect… These are the characteristics of rugby as defined by the World Rugby Federation. And these are the values that Benoît embraces and nurtures on a daily basis with the Odity teams.

“What I like most about rugby is the collective organization of players of different sizes, where everyone has a role to play if the team wants to win. A player plays to help his teammates move forward, not to stand out. A good game is the result of a state of mind, total commitment, respect for the game and the opponent, and a mastery of the technical fundamentals.”

Benoît Vorilhon

The partnership between Odity and REC Rugby Rennes

After living for several years in Cape Town, South Africa -the country with three World Cup titles, in 1995, 2007, and 2019- Odity’s founder returned to France in 2018 and settled in Brittany, his region of heart. Looking for a rugby club to enroll his son, to whom he had passed on his passion, he discovered the “Rennes Etudiants Club Rugby“, known as “REC Rugby“.

REC : Rennes Etudiants Club Rugby

Founded in 1961, this French rugby club now plays in the Nationale 2, France’s 3rd semi-professional division. Since 2019, Kevin Courties, a former player of the club known for his high standards and dynamism, has been the REC Coach. Kevin has steered the club forward in recent years by rallying the players around his passion for oval sports and Brittany.

A dynamic player in regional sport, the club plays an active role in promoting rugby among youngsters through the REC rugby school, which is recognized throughout the country and caters to players aged 6 to 18. The school is attracting an increasing number of youngsters from Brittany looking to develop their rugby potential.

Odity, sponsor of the REC since 2022

Benoît Vorilhon was quickly won over by the club’s educational approach and its ambition to develop at the most prestigious level.

“First and foremost, I wanted to contribute to the development of rugby in Brittany. When I discovered the REC, I also discovered volunteers and a management team ambitious to drive the club forward. During the matches, I could feel the fans’ desire to see a spectacular game that delighted the people of Rennes. It was obvious to me that Odity should be associated with the club.”

Benoît Vorilhon

As a result, Odity became a sponsor in February 2022, contributing to the development of rugby in Brittany and the training of young players such as Téo Gazin. The Odity teams are delighted to see the REC Rugby Rennes team proudly wearing their black and white shirts with the Odity logo.

This year, Odity contributed in particular to Téo’s training by financing his academic studies. A pro player with the club, and a real talent, Téo was thus able, alongside his rugby activity, to complete his BTS degree, which he passed with flying colours. Well done Téo!