Jonathan Sexton
The arrival of many leading All Blacks to these parts to earn their keep playing rugby is no longer rare and undoubtedly down to some tempting offers that allow the Southern Hemisphere stars play at the highest level this side of the Equator in the likes of the Heineken Cup - without financial loss. However those that have done so made the move following glittering careers with their national teams, after appearances at rugby World Cups, Lions Tests and countless other honours.
The rare exception being perhaps Rocky Elsom who was here to regain form with Leinster - make some money along the way - but who has since returned to his homeland to captain The Wallabies in their World Cup campaign this year.
For Irish fans to see Doug Howlett, Jean de Villiers starting for Munster over recent seasons allowed the province get their money's worth and also the players benefit as with their new team's they found new leases of life. So much so that de Villiers regained his place with the Springboks as did CJ van der Linde from Leinster.
The arrival of All Black Jerry Collins at Toulon in 2008 followed a path well treaded by fellow Kiwi's Carlos Spencer, Andrew Merhtens, Justin Marshall and many others previous in the non professional era who ended careers playing in the Northern Hemisphere. They all did so having once they believed the All Black set up may not hold a future for them and did so knowing that they had achieved their potential with the best rugby organisation in the world
In a game that is offering potentially large salaries the challenging decision remains the same as it always has – what means more the money or the silverware?
As Irish rugby battles to stave off the financial challenges of reduced ticket income following the Guinness October Series, the potential threat to TV agreements, which the outgoing Government were proposing, the IRFU continues the financial balancing act with their operations facing the same challenges every household is in 2011. With the cycle of players contracts now up for grabs this seems an area which has attracted the most media attention as players look around at the telephone numbers being paid around Europe – albeit mostly in France - leaving them question whether the central contract with the Irish Ruby Football Union makes the most sense.
For most observers it is a case of Déjà vu all over again.
When Jonny Wilkinson arrived in Toulon back in 2009 he did so with a 2003 World Cup winners medal in his trophy cabinet, with much other recognition and at a time when he had been ravaged by injury. Perhaps he believed that a change from the English Premiership might be the means of prolonging his career – content to forgo more international caps – and joined alongside Jonah Lomu and signing for a reported €750K at the time.
But let’s not forget that Jonny was 30 years of age when he made that move.
Now two years further on the foundation laid has brought reward this season as Toulon have reached the Heineken Cup quarterfinals and Mourad Boudjellal the President of Toulon - who made his estimated £40million fortune from comics – has been vindicated in what was a strictly commercial deal in signing Wilkinson that has now proved one of his smartest ever deals. The value of Wilkinson as a merchandising proposition was clearly an asset from the outset and it was Tana Umaga's agent who calculated that the former New Zealand captain's annual salary at the same club had been paid off within three home games from the sale of tens of thousands of replica shirts in 2006.
Boudjellal explained at the time.
“Jonny is first of all a link in the chain of the team,” he said. “But it is also about what Jonny can bring for us off the pitch. If he can bring more in image rights, that is a bonus. There are many players who have an amazing image but on the pitch they can't bring you anything. That doesn't interest us.”
With the call of some less far flung clubs and the incentive to maximise earnings in a short playing career some of the Irish players have to calculate where club achievements outweigh their national team aspirations, appearances at the world cup and 6 Nations. Albeit Jamie Heaslip was part of the 2009 Grand Slam his Leinster team-mate Johnny Sexton was not and for one with so much potential the lesson from the Wilkinson career bears much thinking about.
Closer to home one only need look at the achievements of Brian O’Driscoll, who for many seasons, has withstood the lure of a big French rugby salary. It does not seem to have held his career back? Or left his trophy cabinet bare either?
No comments:
Post a Comment