|
Wanted
man: Shane Williams
Photo: Michael Paler |
Toulon flanker and FRC columnist Joe El Abd
this week talks about the French transfer system and reveals
why he believes Welsh winger Shane Williams is set to become
the club's latest high-profile signing.
For most
rugby clubs in Europe the last four months of the campaign
are the most interesting of the season. For one, it is the
time where everything gets decided. Whether you are
competing for championships, trying to fight off relegation
or competing in European competition you really are entering
the ‘money’ end of the season. If this wasn’t enough the
second aspect which makes it interesting is all the
speculation surrounding the movement of players between the
clubs around Europe. At a club like Toulon such speculation
is never too far from the headlines.
Top 14 Transfers 2010/11
So far
we have
confirmed the signings of Dean
Schofield and Paul Sackey from the English
Premiership and three players Jean-Philippe Genevois,
Karena Wihongi and Clement Baiocco from the French Top 14. I
have played against the English players many times before
during my time at Bristol and I must say that I think both
are shrewd signings by Philippe Saint-André. Both have been
at their respective clubs for some time now and I am sure
that both will be excited by the new challenge being offered
by Toulon.
The
third ‘foreign’ player that we have been
strongly linked with over the past few
weeks is former world player of the year Shane Williams.
From what I have been reading in the French papers (sorry I
have no inside information!) it sounds like our president
Mourad Boudjellal is chasing him very hard. Only time will
tell if he finally gets his man but I must say that he
usually gets his own way!
While
all the speculation is interesting from a spectator’s point
of view the current transfer system in rugby certainly
throws up some problems for both players and clubs alike.
Unlike in football - where transfers usually take immediate
effect - rugby players usually only move at the end of their
contracts. Therefore, even though leaving players might know
where they are going to be playing the following season
they may still have four months of the most important part
of the season to play at their respective club. Such a
system could potentially throw up some interesting
situations. For example let’s imagine a player is playing
against the team he is moving to, and beating them will mean
they will not qualify for the Heineken Cup, therefore
meaning he will not be playing on the highest stage the
following season. From a playing perspective I don’t think
this poses a problem as I don’t know a professional player
who wouldn’t keep giving his all for his club and his team
mates, however, it would be an interesting situation
nevertheless.
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Fixtures
One real
problem in the transfer system for the players is the risk
of injury during the remaining part of the season. As we
all know rugby is tough and injuries happen. Usually after
signing for a club mid-way through the season it is often
still subject to a medical before everything is set in
place. This obviously puts players in a precarious
professional situation.
Let’s
imagine another example where a player has signed for
another team but gets a six month injury while playing in
his final game for his current club. Such a scenario is not
so far fetched as it happened to Felipe Contepomi while
playing for Leinster before coming to Toulon. Such a
scenario poses a difficult problem for both the player and
the club. For the player he has turned down all the other
offers available to him and usually at such a late stage
most clubs have there squads in place for the following
season. Therefore the clubs have a lot of power.
Luckily
from my experience most clubs honour the contracts that have
been set in place, however it still remains a possibly
contentious area. I am often asked if I think the system
will ever change to take more of a football appearance where
transfer fees are paid for players. If it does I don’t think
it will happen for some time yet, although if you are to
believe everything you read in the paper Toulon maybe paying
a ‘transfer fee’ to get Shane Williams – may be its a sign
of things to come.
A
bientot
Previous columns:
11.02.10 -
Siege mentality will help England, but France are still my
favourites
08.12.09 -
'I see the Top 14 play-off race going all the way down the
last game'
24.11.09 -
'Gym-monkeys, IPGs and the pain of being sidelined by injury'
04.11.09 -
Star turns and the glamour play - how to judge a performance
27.10.09 -
Why I relish the role of 'gratteur', and the key to back row success
21.10.09 -
'My brothers think I'm mad when they see all my rugby scars'
07.10.09 -
'I keep telling them Rovigo is not Rome, but they're still excited'
28.09.09 -
'The three-part conundrum of winning
away in France'
22.09.09 -
'There's more to Jonny than just kicking'
14.09.09 -
Lesson number 1 - 'Pas de melée,
pas de victoire'
08.09.09 -
'The money's good, but so is the
weather, the rugby and the
crowds'
