R6S: Crapelle joins as Strategic Coach

Today, we can announce the arrival of Laurent 'Crapelle' Patriarche as the new Strategic Coach for Fnatic Rainbow Six.
Crapelle most recently worked as Head Coach for Rogue, who ended Pro League Season XI Europe in first place.

Since our arrival into Rainbow Six in 2018, we have aimed to not only show elite performance in APAC as a region, but to bring the region and our colours to the world stage. We act assuredly in knowing this is the level of acquisition that truly establishes Fnatic as a force to be reckoned with globally.

We are fully committed to our goals in Rainbow Six, and we hope the world takes note of our ambitions for the game and our team setup as we are joined by one of Europe's finest coaches.

Although Laurent is working remotely initially, he will be joining the team physically when it is safe and reasonable to do so.

今日、FNATICはStrategic Coachとして Laurent 「Crapelle」 Patriarche (元ROGUE コーチ) がFNATIC R6に加入したことをご報告致します。 EU地域でのコーチ活動を通して、Crapelleはレインボーシックスシージのトップコーチの1人として認められています。この入手で、FNATIC R6は世界舞台で勝つという目的のコミットメントを伝います。

Speaking on his largest career move yet, Laurent 'Crapelle' Patriarche said:

"Leaving Rogue was a difficult choice and a tremendous risk. It represented a huge leap of faith in terms of the reputation I have developed within the Rainbow 6 ecosystem and taking me way out of my comfort zone. I had spent so many years on many iterations of that team and we have had a lot of successes, but ultimately unable to achieve the results we desired. I was uncertain of what my future would hold but felt it was time for a change.

I was fortunate that there were several teams interested in working with myself. Of these teams, Fnatic stood above the rest for many reasons. I have a huge amount of respect for Jayden 'Dizzle' Saunders and what he and the team have accomplished not only for themselves but for APAC as a whole. They have led their region in performance at many global events and constantly achieve new heights despite the struggles that come from being in APAC. We have been scrim partners for years when they come to Europe and I have seen how quickly they can learn and adapt before every bootcamp. They are a bunch of incredible players and personalities, but more importantly people. This is a team of guys I would love to be a part of and work towards achieving new heights.

For myself, I felt that I could improve further than what I could currently offer a team and the opportunity to be mentored and further develop my coaching abilities working alongside Dizzle is an opportunity about which I am personally really excited. I have also been an avid supporter and cheering for Fnatic since the very early days of League of Legends, so joining such a renowned organisation with the legacy and reputation they have is truly a dream come true.

Jayden 'Dizzle' Saunders, Team Director, spoke on his new colleague's arrival:

"Since we formed back in 2016, behind the scenes of this team has mostly been a 1-man operation. From coaching, developing and managing this team from its foundations, building a culture and identity from when we were first in Mindfreak, to our signing with Fnatic, our rise through APAC, our global performances and more recently the popularity and success the team and brand has found in Asia and namely Japan. Make no mistake, I have had a lot of support from the brilliant leadership at Fnatic and most importantly my players past and present.

The unparalleled support, guidance and belief from Patrik Sättermon, Glen Calvert, Sam Mathews and the entire Fnatic leadership has developed me personally and my skillset beyond what I had imagined when I first started this journey. My players have also stepped up and taken on more responsibility than most in our ecosystem; whilst not ideal, I believe that this has also helped develop them as players and people and will continue to guide them as they navigate their way through their esports careers and beyond. It is through this concerted effort that we have been able to achieve what we have, put us on the path we are on and become the people and the team that you know (and hopefully love).

I believe that bringing on a strategic coach is the area that would most bolster what the team requires. The reason that I labelled it as a 'strategic coach' and not a 'coach' or 'head coach' is the distinction that there are several people that are 'coaching' or 'leading' their teams with little to no educational, practical or evidential coaching credentials or leadership qualities. I think there are some very talented Rainbow 6 Siege minds out there and I was looking to bring someone in with this asset into the team so they could understand, embrace and receive the opportunity on how a team, player and people can be mentored and coached. I seek to upskill them to the best of my ability to enable them to take the reins and learn how best to coach and manage individuals, players, people and a team effectively.

There were several strong candidates, some whose skillset would overlap with my own and others that would require a bit more mentoring. So, when Laurent 'Crapelle' Patriarche reached out—and I learned about his situation with Rogue—it was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. He has had such a strong record and has been around R6 for several years with great domestic results. After going over his resume, his brief of work and having a discussion around his circumstance it was clear that he and I were trying to achieve the same result. He was very self-reflective and was looking to be able to develop himself further so he can offer more to his team. It takes a degree of humility to be that introspective, self aware and honest and I respect him immensely for doing so and taking the risk. I think that Laurent’s and my skillset compliment each other exceptionally well. Whilst I believe I have a strong knowledge of the game he has much better processes and procedures for capturing, collating and presenting game specific data, whilst I am more than capable of this I believe that my strengths lie elsewhere. Not to fear, I will remain as head coach. I am not going anywhere but I do need to make some concessions with bringing in new support staff and allow them some degree of autonomy as I believe it is important for growth.

Laurent already has and adheres to similar morals and values that I have implemented and upheld within the team pertaining to public appearance, behaviour and conduct within the R6 ecosystem which also made it an attractive proposition for me. Being that we are aligned on so many values, we compliment each others skillsets exceptionally well: he has a strong performance record as a coach in his own right, he is looking to upskill to further develop as a coach and leader himself; given the direction I am headed in my career and how well suited to the team and its dynamic he is, I could not be happier to offer this position to Laurent. I am excited to work with him and help him achieve his goals and, all going well, look forward to handing him the reins when the time comes."

PHOTO CREDIT: kitomy