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Six Super Rugby Heroes Who Turned Out To Be Top 14 Zeroes

Quade Cooper was described as pâté by Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal. Image: Getty

Meet some of the big stars of southern hemisphere rugby who found the game in France is somewhat tougher than they may have been led to believe

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Contrary to the opinion of many a Super Rugby-raised armchair critic, the French Top 14 is not quite the cushy cash-rich pension plan enjoyed by old All Blacks, along with a litany of less-deserving has-beens, coulda-beens and never-weres.

Here, in no particular order, are just a few of the hyped-up Super Rugby stars who have struggled to cope with life on the other side of the world in the longest and toughest domestic competition in world rugby.

PIRI WEEPU
In a French adventure as short as it was unsweet, 2011 World Cup-winner Piri Weepu joined ambitious Top 14 side Oyonnax on a two-year deal at the start of the 2015/16 season following a brief spell in the UK.

His contract ended the following January in what was described at the time as: ‘an amicable separation between both parties’. How amicable that separation actually was is in some doubt, as Weepu is claiming €500,000 from the club.

His time at Oyonnax – a side that has since dropped to the ProD2 – was dogged by injury and overshadowed by allegations concerning his behaviour.

Thanks to a little help from former All Black teammate Sitiveni Sivivatu, an officially unemployed Weepu next popped up training with Saint-Sulpice-sur-Tarn, an amateur side playing in the sixth tier of French rugby, and was last seen plying his trade with ProD2 club Narbonne.

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MORNE STEYN
To give the South African his due, he has stuck it out at Stade Francais  – but for the longest time it looked certain that the words ‘mutual consent’ would appear on a press release about the untimely end of his three-year deal, signed in August 2013.

In an interview in May 2014, Stade’s ever-diplomatic president Thomas Savare described Steyn’s first year at the club – in which he started just nine out of 26 domestic games – as ‘one of the season’s disappointments’.

The following January when he barely registered on the team list, featuring in a couple of outings in the competition-no-one-wants, the European Challenge Cup, and a little bench-warming work, he finally got a chance at a Top 14 start. And promptly got himself sent off for doing this.

Stade’s coach Gonzalo Quesada is another of king of the understatement. All he said afterwards was: “He wasted a great opportunity. There’s not much more to say.”

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Steyn, at least, was able to turn his Parisian fortunes around, making the most of a last chance when Plisson was injured, to marshall Stade to Top 14 glory in 2014 and then sign a two-year contract extension, but it was a close-run thing.

DIGBY IOANE
If Steyn’s start at Stade was difficult, Ioane’s was desperate. He arrived in 2013, after a successful spell with Queensland Reds and the Wallabies, but – like so many before him, in and out of rugby, struggled with the change in culture and language.

Rumour has it he sounded out then-Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie about an early return to Australia before the end of the first season of his two-year contract. In the end, he stuck out the full term of his deal – scoring five times in 25 matches – before moving to Honda Heat in Japan.

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QUADE COOPER
Unlike his counterpart at Stade Francais, Toulon president and cartoonish moustache-twirling Top 14 baddie Mourad Boudjellal is rarely one to mince his words. After one particularly poor performance, he was asked whether Australian 10 Cooper would ever fill the big boots left by a certain Jonny Wilkinson at the club.

His response? “It’s difficult to go from foie gras to pâté.”

Cooper’s card was irredeemably marked. After initial excitement following the signing, Boudjellal never rated Cooper in the same league as Wilkinson, Matt Giteau or veteran Frederic Michalak.

Cooper struggled to force his way into the star-studded Toulon side, managing just 15 games before activating a trapdoor clause in his two-year deal that allowed him to leave at the end of his first season.

ZAC GUILDFORD
One of the game’s troubled souls, Guildford has found trouble wherever his career has taken him – whether it’s in New Zealand, Australia or in France.

Shortly after making his debut for Clermont, he was injured in a late-night assault in the town and forced to miss a couple of games. He then suddenly quit halfway through a two-year deal and returned home, citing personal reasons. Sadly, as has been reported far and wide, his troubles have continued.

DAN CARTER
Yes, the double World Cup-winning Dan Carter and routinely acknowledged best 10 ever. Not, it has to be said, the current one, who’s living it up in Paris on a tasty €1m-plus-a-year deal in between playing some seriously good rugby for Racing 92.

No, we’re talking about the Dan Carter who, in June 2008, took a sabbatical from New Zealand rugby and signed a six-month contract with then-Top 14 side Perpignan, for a reported £30,000 per game.

He only managed five games before rupturing his achilles against Stade Francais.

The Catalan side went on to win the Top 14 title without their expensive signing, but have struggled since on and off the field, and are currently in the bottom half of the French second-tier ProD2. Even today, on some streets in the Catalan city, Carter’s name is Mudd, with many blaming his inflated salary eight years ago for the club’s current parlous state.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 3 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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