Île d’Oléron is an island off the west coast of France. It is joined to the mainland by a bridge and is crisscrossed by cycle paths. It features pine forests, dunes and sandy beaches such as La Brée-les-Bains. Fishing ports fringe the island, such as the busy La Cotinière in the major town of Saint-Pierre d’Oléron. Le Château d’Oléron, a town known for its oysters, is home to La Citadelle, a huge waterfront fortress. 

It is here that Carla Arbez started her rugby journey aged seven. Born in Biarritz, Carla is the daughter of a physiotherapist her boots were too big her at that tender age but it was not too long before she started to fill them both physically and metaphorically.

By 2023, Carla’s trajectory was meteoric — her debut for France in the Women’s Six Nations, a starting shirt against Italy, and a try to announce her arrival. She went on to compete in the WXV tournament that year. Then came the silence. 2024 passed without a call-up. For some, that’s a shadow that lingers; for Carla, it was the space where resilience grew.

She doubled down — on fitness, on skill, and on her greatest weapon: her kicking game. Week after week, she trained with former footballer Benoît Trémoulinas, chasing fluidity, distance, and accuracy. It wasn’t glamorous. It was repetition, frustration, and tiny victories that no crowd would ever see. But by the end of it, she could drive a ball 15 meters further — and carry herself with 10 times the confidence.

In 2025, she pulled the blue jersey back over her shoulders, starting against Ireland and Scotland as if she had never been away. In the final of the French Championship, she joked that she “lost ten years of life expectancy” in the final play — the kind of remark that makes you smile, because you know she lives those moments with every heartbeat.

With Stade Bordelais, she has been at the helm of a dynasty: three consecutive national titles, an unbeaten start to the season, and a brand of leadership that is more compass than command. Her teammates don’t just follow her calls — they trust her vision.

But behind the precision and control she is still the Basque girl from Biarritz who moved from Oléron to La Rochelle to Bayonne, chasing the game and her dreams with the determination of someone who had already decided this sport was not just a pastime, but a language she was born to speak.

When Carla Arbez steps onto a rugby pitch, there’s a certain electricity in the air — the kind that makes you lean forward before the whistle even blows. She is not just a fly-half she is the architect of moments, the conductor of the orchestra and the quiet strong solid heartbeat behind surging attacks and pressure-breaking kicks.

She earned a Master’s degree in Physical and Mental Preparation in 2022, reflecting a keen focus on the holistic aspects of athletic performance and now works as a sports educator at Stade Bordelais Omnisports, combining her intellectual pursuits with her on-field role.

Carla is an extremely private person and prefers to do her talking on the field. Her partner is Sarah-Maude Lachance, a fellow fly half at Stade Borderlaise who has been selected for Canada’s Rugby World Cup squad.

Their paths could cross in the Quarter Finals of the tournament and that could be one of the stories of the tournament.