Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal has demanded that Bryan Habana and Bakkies Botha quit the Springboks’ current Rugby Championship campaign and report for club duty.
Toulon recently lost 28-24 to Stade Francais, and currently sit at third on the Top 14 log.
Boudjellal is clearly not pleased with his side’s form at present, and has publicly lamented the club’s lengthy list of injuries as well as the absence of international stars like Habana, Botha, and Pumas flanker Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe.
SARugbymag
The three Test players are currently competing in the Rugby Championship, which is sanctioned by the IRB. Clubs have to release the players that are selected by their countries during the specified Test window.
And yet, the French publication Varmatin reports that the Toulon president is not happy following his club’s home defeat to Stade Francais. Boudjellal has demanded that Habana, Botha, and Lobbe all return to France by the end of the week or face the consequence of not being paid.
The law, at least as far as the IRB is concerned, is on the side of these players, as well as the Test teams that have selected them for the duration of the Rugby Championship.
Boudjellal, however, has said he is willing to take the matter to court. He feels that clubs like Toulon should be compensated during an IRB-sanctioned Test window.
‘There is something that is quite simple, they defend the colours of their country and are paid rather comfortably by Toulon,’ Boudjellal said.
‘The IRB decided the rules. That’s fine but I’m not here to fund South African and Argentine rugby and I will not. These players will return as we need them. If they do not and we receive no fee, they will not be paid by us because they will not be present in Toulon.
‘We’ll see if the rules of the IRB prevail or if it is the rules of the Labour Code for French private enterprise,’ he added. ‘In any case, it is an aberration.
‘We have reached a stage where we have to ask the opinion of the French law. Therefore, we will ask the French judges whether a foreign federation has the right to take my employees and force me to pay them.
‘It’s just unthinkable we have players who are paid very well by us but cannot not play them. Moreover, I have to pay the players replacing them. This is a double sanction.’
Toulon have also threatened to terminate the contract of Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny, who is yet to play for the club due to a series of serious injuries.
Looks like this might have the makings of an interesting case
My instinctive, first reaction is – screw you, you son of a bitch! However – there appear to be more complicated issues at play here. But, it just seems like the players were legitimately released, now the club is doing badly, so he’s throwing his toys around and demanding the players return.
@ nortierd:
Agree – it’ll be very interesting to see how both the IRB, as well as a court would deal with this situation.
Thats fine, take the legal route, when the ruling is made somewhere in 2016 both will have retired
In return Stade Francais responded. “Morne can stay as long as he wants to”
I havr wondered for a while now. how much money are guys like bakkies losing being with the boks?
It appears his club is still paying him. I think it is fair in cases like this to have a no play no pay situation when players are free for test duty.
Then again Boudjelal should blame his contractors for not having the foresight.
I think Boudjellal is missing Wilko more than those two, and of course Gittau is injured and also contemplating the Million Euro move.
Smacks of desperation, they have started poorly, but it’s still a bit early to hit the panic button IMO.
MacroBok wrote:
@ MacroBok:
Jy gesien, Flo is uit vir die RC?
Jy het mos gister gevra.
Niemand nog in sy plek nie, maar as hy n senter/vleul inbring vir n scrummie, sal hy seker n haker inbring vir n flank
@ nortierd:
Of nog n slot
@ MacroBok:
Ook moontlik
@ nortierd:
n jammerte, Louw speel goeie rugby
2 @ GoBokkeAndIreland:
Yep GB&I, agree, on both your comments
MacroBok wrote:
Hy het ok gedoen, vir my nie dieselfde impak as die laaste 2 jaar nie.
Kyk bietjie hier, en mense se McCaw is klaar 😉
Former Springbok flank Rob Louw was quoted as saying the Boks threw the game away, lauded the contribution of the Bok loose forwards and felt it necessary to dismiss the contribution of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, saying he was nowhere in the game.
McCaw was hardly nowhere because he was somewhere in collecting the ball from Kieran Read and beating the cover defence to score the try that proved the difference between winning and losing. It was McCaw’s fifth against the Boks and his 25th in 131 Tests, of which he has been on the losing side just 13 times.
I don’t think there is a Test match in which McCaw is nowhere.
In the context of the Wellington Test, McCaw’s contribution would have been very different to any of the South African loose forwards because New Zealand controlled field position and possession for the entire match. They made almost double the passes and South Africa made almost double the tackles.
But it triggered an intrigue as to the contribution of McCaw in the Rugby Championship, as opposed to Louw, whose performances have won rave reviews every weekend.
The two both played four matches, but Louw’s fourth match was cut short in the 47th minute in Wellington, so McCaw’s game time is 310 minutes against 276. On attack the return of the two players is such: McCaw leads ball carries 30-12, McCaw leads running metres 62-18, he leads clean breaks 1-0 and he leads passes made 20-13. He has stolen one lineout to Louw’s nil and made one clean linebreak to Louw’s nil. He has beaten two defenders on attack to Louw’s one and the South African has won three lineout throws to McCaw’s two. McCaw has also scored three tries to Louw’s nil.
On defence, McCaw has made 54 tackles to Louw’s 39 and missed five to Louw’s four. Louw has won four turnovers to McCaw’s two.
I would hardly say McCaw was nowhere in Wellington and he certainly hasn’t been nowhere in this Rugby Championship.
@ nortierd:
ek het daai gesien! amazing wat mens partykeer miskyk
@ MacroBok:
Yep, goeie stuk gewees
@ nortierd:
What fascinates me about Richie is his evolution… he has mastered the art of reading a game to suit his aging limbs…a true thinker with an amazing motor…But it is leading by example that will be missed the most when he hangs up his boots…I will shed tears when that happens…even if he is a Cantabs 😆
I like to see some International Player take his contract,
soak it in petrol,
stuff it up Mourad ‘s arse,
then set fire to it.
Oh go cry elsewhere!!! Would you be trying to recall them if you were still winning, and leading the standings?
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