Wednesday night on the Côte d'Azur and two rugby coaches are prodding seven-year-old newspaper cuttings. "That's my son, fourth from the right in the front row. He played with Delon when he was down here," says Marc Balestriere. "Delon is at the back and that's his brother, Bevon, in the second row."

Balestriere and Stephane Nicouleau, who still looks after the under-19s at Racing Club de Nice, agree that of the Armitage brothers Bevon was the one who then caught the eye, not the 24-year-old who plays for England against Australia today.

"Physically he was better, a much better specimen, and he applied himself to rugby," says Nicouleau. "Delon? He was free. He enjoyed playing and took chances. He was adventurous, it came naturally, but we had to keep after him.

"Delon is a full-back now? When he was here he was like ..." Balestriere raises the small finger on his right hand. "He was a nine with us, small and skinny, good on the field but not in the ..."

"Gym, doing weights?" Both laugh. "No, not doing weights. He was free. We saw him play for London Irish [at Perpignan] last season and he was just the same. He ran with elegance and arrogance. He was much bigger but just the same. That was the last time. The England match [against the Pacific Islanders] was not on television but Delon sent texts."

Armitage, England's cosmopolitan new full-back, with an English stepfather and a mother from Trinidad, was 12 when the family moved to Nice and he was good enough at under-16 to make the French "selection". Between them Nicouleau and Balestriere, whose son Yannick also went on to play professionally, were in charge for three of his five years in the south of France, a period that Delon's stepfather, John, describes as hugely influential in the development of a player whose debut at Twickenham last Saturday smacked of adventure as well as assurance.

"There have been a lot of influences [in his career] but that was a huge part," said John Armitage. "There is a free mentality, flair I suppose, to the rugby down there. There is most definitely a more open view of playing rugby in France.

"The other part of it was the physical side of youth rugby in France. There was always a fight and you had to learn to look after yourself. I heard Cobus Visagie, that huge Springbok [now playing at Saracens] say he played down there as a youngster and that's what toughened him up, big lump as he is."

The Armitage family lived at Roquefort-les-Pins, halfway between Nice and Grasse, between 1996 and 2002. Delon, who had started playing as an eight-year-old in Wembley, north London, joined Balestriere's under-13s.

Father and coach disagree about what position Delon played- "I only remember him as a full-back," says John - but they agree about the vision so apparent at Twickenham. "I remember standing on the touchline with Marc during one game when Delon was 14. He just stood out and in my marginal French I said to Marc: 'What vision, he's not like the others is he?'" added John. "Marc laughed and said 'no, not at all'."

Delon returned to England a year before the rest of the family so he could play for Richmond College and Richmond before he bumped into the other big influence in his career, Toby Booth, now head coach of London Irish.

"I think Toby was assistant academy manager at the time," said John. "He's very well respected, down to earth, that's his great quality, along with his insights into the game."

Depending on whom you believe, Booth and London Irish have either reduced the flakiness in Armitage's play or given him the discipline needed to be an England full-back. Whatever the truth, it seems to have worked. After Saturday's match, watched by almost the entire Armitage clan, the warmest praise came from Seilala Mapusua, the Pacific Islanders' centre who plays alongside Armitage at London Irish. "He was a talent when I arrived in London but his game management and decision-making have really improved," said the Samoan. "I don't worry now when I play for London Irish and the ball is kicked behind me."

Nice rugby club has also come on. Will Johnson, younger brother of the England manager, was signed as captain this year, along with the former England players Dan Luger and Kevin Yates and a hooker, Stuart Mackie, who reversed the Armitage journey by moving from London Irish.

Three British investors are also on board and want to buy the ground out of municipal ownership and Julien Schramm, the director who organised Wednesday night's reunion, is attempting to plot a route back to the glory days of 25 years ago when Nice played Béziers in the championship final. More international honours are beckoning, too, although this time the four 18-year-olds involved are all with the French squad.

From Trinidad to Twickenham

1983 Born San Fernando, Trinidad, December 15

1990 Mother meets John Armitage, who becomes Delon's stepfather

1992 Joins Richmond, having watched John play for Hatfield

1996 Moves to France with step-father's job; plays for Racing Club de Nice and football for Villeneuve Loubet. Called up by France Under-16s but told he is "too small and too skinny". Opts to play for England

2002 Offered apprenticeship by London Irish. Plays for England U19s

2003-04 Premiership debut for Irish. Club's young player of season

2004 Plays for England U21s at World Championship

2005 Plays for England on the IRB World Sevens circuit

2006 Tours with England Saxons to Canada for the Churchill Cup

2007 In Saxons squad again, this time winning the Churchill Cup, which is held in England

2008 Left out of Saxons squad in July after six months out injured. Is fast-tracked into the elite squad thanks to others' injuries and makes his debut at full-back against the Pacific Islanders. Is man of the match and the first native West Indian to play Test rugby for England.

Harry Leech