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Jack Dempsey reflects on decision to switch allegiance to Scotland

By PA
Scotland's flanker Jack Dempsey prepares for a scrum during the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Scotland and Tonga at Stade de Nice in Nice, southern France on September 24, 2023. (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

Jack Dempsey is relishing the “ultimate test” as Scotland bid to prove they have grown since their last meeting with world champions South Africa 14 months ago.

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Gregor Townsend’s side struggled to lay a glove on the Boks as they lost 18-3 in a World Cup pool-stage match in Marseille in September 2023.

South Africa went on to win the tournament for the second successive time, but Dempsey is excited to see how his team fare against them in Sunday’s Autumn Test at Murrayfield.

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“I’m itching for it,” said the Australia-born back-rower. “It’s the ultimate test.

“They’re the back-to-back defending champions, the best in the world. And they deserve to have that crown. They’re the ultimate litmus test in terms of being a professional rugby player.

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“We’re at a point now where we want to see how much we’ve grown from the World Cup, from when we played them last time. They’re the best country for eight years straight.

“We’re not under any illusion about what’s coming, but we’re glad to have them here and glad to play against the best in the world.”

The last meeting between the teams was Scotland’s lowest-scoring outing of the past five years and the only time they have failed to score a try for four years.

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But Dempsey believes his team need to concentrate on delivering their best performance rather than focusing on the scoreboard.

“I think in Test rugby, the scoreline never truly depicts what happened, depending on how you look at it,” said Dempsey.

“We know that they like to take threes (kick penalties). And we know we like to score tries.

“We’re not thinking about whatever the points were last time we played and whatever it will be this time.

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“We just want to test ourselves and play our best game. That’s really all we’re thinking about.”

Dempsey has won 20 caps and established himself as a fixture in Scotland’s back row since switching allegiance from Australia to make his debut for Townsend’s team two years ago.

“Yeah, I’ve loved it,” he said. “Two years already, it feels a lot longer. There have been ups and downs like anything, but I’ve loved every second of it. I said at the time to get that second chance in the Test arena was a dream come true again.

“But to fast-forward two years and the bonds I’ve created, some of the friends I’ve made, the experiences while I’ve been over here have been unreal.

“It’s just been a good fit. I said the same thing when I moved to Glasgow, where I think there was just a bit of a need for a guy with my kind of skillset to come.

“It’s just kind of been a match made in heaven with the style Gregor wants to play, with the history and the kind of identity that Scotland have always kind of had and played with.

“They want to be an exciting team. They don’t want to play a boring brand, which is not what I want to do.

“I think all those things combined have just added to positive results and experiences.”

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N
NB 38 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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