Rugby Club Vannes was building its squad with the aim of establishing itself durably in the Top 14. On the wing, the club was looking for a JIFF profile: young, high-performing, already proven at the top level, and still carrying room to progress. Nathanaël Hulleu's profile matched this need. After starting out in the Top 14 with Union Bordeaux-Bègles, he joined Vannes in Pro D2 for the 2022/23 season and finished the league's top try-scorer. He then continued his progression over three seasons at Castres in the Top 14. Mandated by Rugby Club Vannes, Activrep also had an in-depth knowledge of the player: Nathanaël has been followed by the agency since his debut, representing more than seven years of tracking his path between UBB, Vannes and Castres.
Recruitment cannot be reduced to a CV or a pile of statistics. The real question is why a player matches a club's precise need at a given moment. For Vannes, the challenge was reducing the uncertainty inherent to recruitment by confronting its actual need against the profile's characteristics. Performance data helped qualify one part of the equation: a finishing winger, JIFF, top try-scorer in Pro D2 in 2022/23, now with several seasons of Top 14 experience. But data only tells part of the story. The accumulated knowledge of the player — his path, his personality, his development and his ability to fit into a project — completed the assessment.
Activrep first worked with Vannes to define the need precisely: a finishing winger, JIFF, experienced in the Top 14 and still with room to progress. Nathanaël's profile was then checked against these criteria through his performance data, output, consistency and usage at the position. This analysis was complemented by more than seven years of knowledge of the player and his development. The calendar then created a coherent window between the two trajectories: Nathanaël was coming to the end of his contract at Castres after the 2025/26 season, just as Vannes was building its squad for its Top 14 project. Activrep then led the discussions and the negotiation through to finalising the agreement between the player and the club.
On 22 June 2026, Rugby Club Vannes officially announced Nathanaël Hulleu's return. A free agent after three seasons at Castres, the winger signed with Vannes for three seasons. The club thus brought in a JIFF player, already experienced in the Top 14 and familiar with the environment, having played there in 2022/23. Nathanaël, for his part, returned to the club where he had made his name in Pro D2, now carrying three further seasons of experience at the top level.
Recruitment doesn't start with a name. It starts with a need. Data helps qualify the fit; knowledge of the player and the context completes the decision.