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Jimmy Gopperth to play on aged 40 after French move confirmed

(Photo by James Baylis for Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

Provence have confirmed as true last week’s speculation that a deal was struck to sign Jimmy Gopperth, allowing the Kiwi to continue to play professionally at the age of 40. It was early May when the New Zealander – the oldest player at the age of 39 to ever appear in the Gallagher Premiership – confirmed his end-of-season departure from Leicester after a one-season pit-stop.

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Now, just weeks before his next birthday, he has officially signed for Provence, the French Pro D2 side that recently finished their 2022/23 campaign in the mid-table position of eighth.

Gopperth, who started the May 14 Premiership semi-final for Leicester versus Sale in place of the injured Handre Pollard, had insisted he was keen to play on rather than retire and he has now got his wish.

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A statement read: “Provence Rugby have announced the arrival for one season of Jimmy Gopperth, the New Zealand fly-half, from Leicester Tigers. Gopperth, whose characteristics correspond precisely to the staff’s desire to bring experience, leadership and professionalism to the current squad, has played nearly 500 games during his immense career.

“It’s a longevity owed to an irreproachable lifestyle, but also to great technical qualities and a 10/12 versatility. This has earned him many games at fly-half and in midfield since his arrival in the English league in 2009.

“Gopperth played 20 games last season – including the semi-final against Sale as a starter. He has played three New Zealand NPC finals, a Super Rugby final, two English Premiership finals and was voted best player of the season in 2017. Chosen to be the successor to Jonny Wilkinson at Newcastle and Johnny Sexton at Leinster, Gopperth has an experience that will be an undeniable asset for the club’s progress in the short term.

“A hard worker who has repeated over and over that he is not ready to hang up, this surf enthusiast has decided to embark on one last great challenge: to take Provence Rugby to the finals for the first time in its history.”

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The Provence coaching staff is headed by ex-Argentina prop Mauricio Reggiardo and they recently confirmed that former France scrum-half Julien Dupuy will be their backs and attack coach next season.

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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