Justin Sangare reveals one thing about life in England he doesn’t get – beans!
JUSTIN Sangare is full of beans as he makes a huge impact after swapping France for England – despite not understanding why us Brits eat them in the morning.
And Leeds’ prop is certain to not have as stressful an experience as when they faced St Helens, followed by a mad trans-Pennine dash to hospital.
The France international will be among friends when he faces Catalans Dragons today - coming up against some of his national team-mates.
But he admits he is still adjusting to life on the other side of the Channel after moving from home town club Toulouse in the off season.
The biggest difference being how a full English breakfast includes a certain food stuff.
“I want to know why in England people eat beans in the morning?” asked Sangare.
“That’s the only thing that gets me. Other than that, there’s nothing weird I’ve found about living in England. I mean, in France, we eat frogs’ legs and snails!
“Life in England is very different than life in France. People live very differently over here – there’s the weather and the food - but that’s not a bad thing.
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“It’s nothing to do with the speed of life over here, that’s similar to France and I‘m happy to be here.
“Even the accents are OK. I’ve got team-mates from everywhere in England, some from Widnes and some from Leeds and while I’m still learning, I think I’ve improved with them and that makes me feel more integrated.”
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Sangare may only have been on these shores a matter of months but one he life event has already happened over here – he has become a father.
And no matter what happens at Headingley today as Rohan Smith’s men look to ounce back from defeat at Castleford by stopping Steve McNamara’s side going six from six, you can be sure it will not be as hair raising as his night at St Helens.
Not only did they upset the world champions 25-24, had Blake Austin not kicked a drop goal and the game went to golden point extra time, it is a fair bet the 25-year-old would have left before the match finished.
Ianasa was not a bad birthday present as he added: “When we were playing at St Helens, my wife Tina had been having contractions for a few days, but was told she had gone to hospital – she originally planned to have a home birth.
“So when I was on the pitch, my phone was by the touchline and every time there was a break or someone scored, I looked to the bench to see if there was any news.
“And when then game finished, I went straight to the dressing room and straight out again. I travelled to the hospital in Leeds without even having a shower.
“Thankfully, I made it in time for the birth and it’s amazing being a father. It’s an amazing thing to see how fast life is but how slow it can be at the same time.”
Life events and breakfast items aside, Sangare’s and Leeds’ aim is the same, no matter which language it is spoken in – win.
But he admits that as a proud Frenchman, seeing Catalans one of the 100 per cent sides going into this weekend did please him.
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He told SunSport: “I’m very impressed with the way they’ve started the season. They’ve played very well so far and that can only be good for rugby league in France.
“I’ll face some friends from the French national team but it’s a big game and we’re going tom play rugby, we cannot be friends during the match.”