Édition du Nord

Select Edition

Nord Nord
Sud Sud
Mondial Mondial
Nouvelle Zélande Nouvelle Zélande
France France

Transfert : Santiago Chocobares a repoussé l'offre d'Exeter

Les Exeter Chiefs sont en pourparlers avancés avec le trois-quarts centre de Toulouse Santiago Chocobares en vue d'un transfert à Sandy Park à l'issue de son contrat à la fin de la saison. Chocobares, 25 ans, qui a joué 27 fois pour l'Argentine, marquant un essai, ne sera pas bon marché, cependant, après avoir aidé Toulouse à remporter le Top 14 et la Coupe d'Europe la saison dernière. Il est entré en jeu lors de la victoire en finale de l'Investec Champions Cup contre le Leinster et a débuté la finale du Top 14 contre Bordeaux, un an après avoir marqué un essai lors de la victoire contre La Rochelle de Ronan O'Gara. Chocobares, qui peut également jouer second centre, a fait 45 apparitions pour Toulouse, marquant dix essais pourrait coûter aux Chiefs jusqu'à 450 000 livres sterling par an en salaire, selon certaines sources RugbyPass en France. Mais les Chiefs, qui ont connu des difficultés cette saison, peuvent se permettre d'être plus fermes sur le marché des transferts après avoir réduit leur masse salariale de 2,7 millions de livres sterling au cours du dernier exercice. Une perte avant impôts de 419 000 £ au cours du dernier exercice, contre 4,5 millions de £, permettra à Baxter de se débarrasser du carcan financier qui a vu une série de grands joueurs quitter le club au cours des deux ou trois dernières années. Il faisait partie de l'équipe d'Argentine battue par les All Blacks en demi-finale de la Coupe du monde 2023, trois ans après avoir fait ses débuts en Test lors de la toute première victoire des Puma face à ce même adversaire. Chocobares a commencé sa carrière au Duendes Rugby Club de l'Unión de Rugby de Rosario avant de rejoindre les Jaguares, équipe de Super Rugby, et de rejoindre Toulouse il y a quatre ans pour un contrat initial de deux ans, qui a été prolongé en 2023. Le faire venir dans le Devon permettra aux Chiefs de continuer à faire jouer Henry Slade en demi d'ouverture, où ils l'ont déployé lors des six matchs qu'il a joués pour eux cette saison, malgré le fait qu'il ait porté le maillot 12 en sélection. Le centre argentin de Toulouse Santiago Chocobares plonge pour marquer le troisième essai de l'équipe lors du match du Top14 français de rugby union entre le Stade toulousain rugby (Toulouse) et le Racing 92 au stade Ernest-Wallon de Toulouse, dans le sud-ouest de la France, le 27 avril 2024. (Photo by Matthieu RONDEL / AFP) (Photo by MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images)

MISE À JOUR LE 30 JANVIER A 19H51

Exeter ne pourra finalement pas faire venir Santiago Chocobares, qui était en contacts avancés avec les Chiefs. Le trois-quarts centre argentin du Stade Toulousain a finalement décidé de ne pas donner suite à l’offre du club anglais.

ADVERTISEMENT

Âgé de 25 ans et fort de 27 sélections avec l’Argentine (pour un essai inscrit), Chocobares n’aurait toutefois pas une recrue bon marché. La saison dernière, il a joué un rôle clé dans le doublé Top 14 – Champions Cup de Toulouse. Entré en jeu lors de la finale de l’Investec Champions Cup contre le Leinster, il avait ensuite été titularisé en finale du Top 14 face à Bordeaux, un an après avoir marqué un essai décisif contre La Rochelle de Ronan O’Gara.

Capable d’évoluer aussi bien en premier qu’en second centre, Chocobares a disputé 45 matchs sous le maillot toulousain, inscrivant dix essais. Selon certaines sources de RugbyPass, son salaire chez les Chiefs aurait pu atteindre jusqu’à 450 000 livres sterling par an, soit plus de 535 000 €.

Mais les Chiefs, en difficulté cette saison, disposent désormais d’une plus grande marge de manœuvre sur le marché des transferts après avoir réduit leur masse salariale de 2,7 millions de livres sterling lors du dernier exercice (3,23 millions €). La baisse de leurs pertes avant impôts, passées de 4,5 millions à 419 000 livres sterling, permet à Rob Baxter de s’affranchir des contraintes financières qui avaient conduit au départ de plusieurs cadres ces dernières années.

Chocobares, qui faisait partie de l’équipe d’Argentine battue par les All Blacks en demi-finale de la Coupe du monde 2023, avait fait ses débuts internationaux trois ans plus tôt lors de la première victoire historique des Pumas face à la Nouvelle-Zélande.

Formé au Duendes Rugby Club dans l’Unión de Rugby de Rosario, il a ensuite rejoint les Jaguares en Super Rugby avant de signer à Toulouse il y a quatre ans pour un contrat initial de deux ans, prolongé en 2023. Son arrivée dans le Devon aurait permis aux Chiefs de continuer à aligner Henry Slade à l’ouverture, où il a été titularisé lors de ses six apparitions cette saison, malgré son rôle habituel de premier centre en sélection.

ADVERTISEMENT

Cet article, publié initialement sur RugbyPass.com a été adapté en français par Willy Billiard.

Related

Nos experts ont classé les meilleurs joueurs de rugby de l’histoire. Retrouvez notre Top 100 et dites-nous ce que vous en pensez !




ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 35 | Six Nations Round 2 Review

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

Second round of the Men's Six Nations | Whistle Watch

Harlequins vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Saitama Wildknights | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

Trending on RugbyPass

Commentaires

0 Comments
Soyez le premier à commenter...

Inscrivez-vous gratuitement et dites-nous ce que vous en pensez vraiment !

Inscription gratuite
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Spew_81 3 hours ago
'He wants players to be able to play four positions': Former All Black critiques Robertson's strategy

I have the selection opinion of ‘chuck them in the deep end, see if they swim’. Starting Mo’unga in the third test, in a series they had already won, would’ve been a perfect opportunity.


I also made it clear I would’ve kept Cruden in the mix, up until the end of RWC 2019. As he was a game manager. He isn’t Mo’unga which disproves your statement: “or should I say anyone not Mo’unga”. I would’ve had Mo’unga in the wider training group and in the end of year tours. At 10 I would’ve had: Cruden, B Barrett, and McKenzie (as McKenzie can cover: 9, 10, 14, and 15); but as Cruden was out of favour and departed, I would’ve had Mo’unga, B Barrett, and McKenzie as the 10 hierarchy; as Mo’unga is a game manager.


McKenzie had to have made his intentions clear that he wanted to transfer to 10 at least as far back as 2018. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have played at 10 for the Chiefs in 2018. The Chiefs had other options at 10. Why play someone out of position in Super Rugby, when they didn’t have to - unless McKenzie wanted to be the All Blacks 10 after B Barrett left? McKenzie played 10 in high school and never hid the fact that he wanted to have a shot at 10 and the highest level (nothing wrong with that). Also, McKenzie played 10 for the Maori All Blacks earlier in 2017:


[January 18, 2018] “It [10] has been a position I've always played and in the last few years I've played at 15, but now there is the opportunity to play at 10 and its one I'm looking forward too.


Damian McKenzie targets first-five role for Chiefs ahead of Super Rugby season | Stuff


Hansen seemed to think that McKenzie was a valid option at 10: “In World Cup squads, versatility is king. McKenzie's Test career has been at fullback; next year at the Chiefs he will be their first-choice fly-half”.


'When you're afraid you start second guessing yourself' - The Damian McKenzie All Blacks Interview - ESPN


It makes sense that Hansen and Foster’s logic was that McKenzie would follow the same path as B Barrett did to the 10 jersey for the All Blacks; from 15 to 10.


Why would McKenzie move positions from 15 to 10 at Super Rugby level, if he didn’t want to play 10 for the All Blacks? Just to be a better ‘dual playmaker’? He clearly wanted the All Blacks 10 jersey (nothing wrong with that). Hansen wanted a dual playmaker system, that’s why he wanted two 10’s that could play 15. It removes the need for a 10 on the bench (Cruden or Mo’unga) that’s why Hansen didn’t give Cruden a real shot at reclaiming the 10 jersey, and why he didn’t develop Mo’unga - until McKenzie got injured out of RWC 2019. This all fits the established narrative. Hansen could’ve had Mo’unga at 10 and B Barrett at 15 and had two pivots with different styles.


I brought it up as I it shows that Hansen and Foster would rather have a second 10, that played like the incumbent 10, instead of a game manager at 10. That was one of my main points. I’m saying that was the reason why Mo’unga wasn’t given a proper chance to develop into the international 10 he could’ve been.


All I’ve said is that I don’t think Hansen and Foster made the best choice, in hindsight. One of each type of 10 would’ve offered more options, making the job harder for opposition defense coaches. But without the benefit of parallel universes, where all the alternative ideas could play out, no one will really know.


I believe what the information shows, and what seems to be plausible, based on that information. There can be many, sometimes contradictory, conclusions that can be drawn from the same information. Without reading the minds of all involved we can just speculate based of the information that we have.


I brought those facts up to as I believe that both Hansen and Foster didn’t really want Mo’unga at 10 and only used him at 10 when they ran out of other ideas (which they both did). Foster and Hansen would’ve had long term planning discussions while Hansen was the main coach and Foster was the assistant. The next 10, after B Barrett would’ve been discussed during the 2016-2019 cycle as B Barrett (while very good) didn’t have the ability to consistently manage the really tight games (I’m not sure any 10, even Carter, could do it alone against the developed rush defenses that are common now). Also, as with any long term planning, they would’ve been thinking about B Barrett’s eventual replacement. They seemed to want another player who played like B Barrett.


Hansen and Foster seemed to be grooming McKenzie as the replacement 10. No wonder Mo’unga chose not to die for the team, and made sure he would be set for life by the time RWC 2027 comes around.


I have shown my reasoning and the information that led to those conclusions. If you have contrary information, post it, I’d be interested to see it. I’m happy to change my mind. I am very interested to discuss this type of thing, especially when someone has different views. It makes the discussion more interesting. I am happy to agree to disagree on this. You make some good comments, I’m sure we will sometimes agree and sometimes disagree in future :)


[Bonus Comment] Also, here’s an idea that is a bit left field that you can sink your teeth into. McKenzie should’ve made his primary position as a 9, covering: 10, 14, and 15 (McKenzie has been seen as valid 9 cover, he played 9 when Perenara got sin binned in Wellington, vs France in 2018). Start Aaron Smith and have Mo’unga at 10 and Barrett at 15; bring on McKenzie with 20 minutes to go. Three playmakers. That would’ve been a nightmare for defense coaches to defend against. Imagine A Savea taking the ball off the back of a mid-field scrum on the 22, with those three options to offload to. You can’t rush all three players. That is the way to beat a rush defense, create too many options to cover; but you need a 10 who is a game manager that can take advantage of the options.

106 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING One change as Steve Borthwick names his England team two days early One change as Steve Borthwick names his England team two days early
Search