France legend Thierry Dusautoir reveals how PSG football coach Luis Enrique is using 'rugby tactics'

Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local Greene King sports pub.

Luis Enrique, the head coach of European football giants Paris Saint-Germain, is said to be scouting out our beloved sport of rugby union and making some adaptations to his match day approaches. France rugby legend Thierry Dusatoir revealed how Enrique has adopted the preferred vantage point of many a Director of Rugby, who view the match from the stands as apposed to standing on the touch-lines.

“Coaches are increasingly looking at other sports to pick some ideas. It doesn’t surprise me what Luis Enrique has done." Dusatoir said to Hajper ahead of the opening weekend of the 2026 Six Nations. "You get a better and a different vantage point looking from high up and he can use that to talk to his players to dictate tactics.

“I remember a French coach going to the United States to watch NFL games some years ago to look at other philosophies. I think it was Thibault Giroud who worked for the French rugby union and also went to the New York Jets on a scholarship and played in the NFL Europe League."

Dusatoir expressed how he admires Enriques' innovation, to look outside of football in order to get a technical edge ahead of his opponents. “It is important to improve your intelligence by looking outside of the picture for different ideas." The 80-capped France international said.

“The guys who manage teams for say 15 years need to find something new, to bring something new to the players. Players can be really demanding. You need to bring something new to the players, It is something very interesting and clever for Enrique to do what he has. The crowd can see what he is doing.

“It is not surprising that Enrique has looked at other sports for inspiration. A football team can put pressure on its opponents and control where this happens.

"It puts a different pressure on opponents in different areas of the pitch."

Dusatoir continued to express how he has experience with coaches that have gone even further, and looked beyond the confines of team sports when trying to improve on-field techniques. The former France captain shared how combat sports and martial arts are becoming increasingly called upon, when as a team tries to maximise it's proficiency at the contact area.

“Rugby clubs have looked at other sports and picked ideas from judo and wrestling to learn more about the body, the position of the body and how you can tackle. It's not new, but maybe it's new in football perhaps, but something that you can see as a spectator. With data and video, you need to find something to surprise your opponent.