Effigies, banners, giant forks... when Ospreys faced up to French fury
YOU don’t need to hitch a lift in a time machine and head back to 2009 and the Ospreys’ game with Perpignan at Stade Aime Giral to conclude that a steely nerve is sometimes required for a European rugby trip to France.
But, still, what happened nine years ago has stuck in the minds of those who witnessed the match in the shadows of the Pyrenees.
The scene had been set when the Ospreys hosted Perpignan at the Liberty three months earlier and Paul James had sent visiting hooker Marius Tincu crashing to the floor with a punch. An open-and-shut case for a ban for the Welshman, then? Not quite. Instead it was the Romanian who copped a lengthy suspension, with disciplinary chiefs placing him off limits for 18 weeks for making contact with the eye area of the Wales international.
James himself was banned for a week, but, with the Ospreys having imposed their own suspension on him, he was deemed free to play.
French fury knew no bounds and a hot reception was promised for the Welsh team when they played the return leg – and a hot reception Sean Holley’s side duly received, with supporters not only jeering visiting players as they got off their team bus but also holding up effigies decked out in Ospreys kits and brandishing accusatory banners and giant cardboard forks wrapped in tin foil.
And their mood was hardly calmed when Filo Tiatia committed a professional foul on Chris Cusiter after just three minutes.
Such are the joys of playing an important European game in France.
Ahead of the Ospreys’ Champions Cup date with Clermont Auvergne on Saturday, a match they need to win to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals – a 4-0 match-points success would do the trick – MARK ORDERS recalls arguably the most menacing challenge the Ospreys have ever faced on their European travels... THE BACKGROUND The match against Perpignan at the Liberty that season had been scarred by indiscipline.
The French had three players sin-binned and there was a weird incident when Paul James unleashed a lights-out punch in the direction of Marius Tincu, poleaxing the visitors’ hard-man hooker. No-one around the ground appeared to be sure what had caused the incident, but within days James and Tincu found themselves cited.
It transpired James had marks around the eye area and the claim was that Tincu had caused them.
The Romanian was subsequently banned for 18 weeks and the Welshman received a one-week suspension. As the Ospreys had already stood him down for a week, he was free to play.
The rage from the south of France could hardly have been greater. PUBLIC ENEMY No. 1 Perpignan’s fanatical supporters branded James public enemy No. 1 and they weren’t exactly cheerleading on behalf of the tournament organisers, either. The club issued a statement arguing there was insufficient evidence against Tincu and calling the decision to ban him “scandalous, even grotesque”.
Dripping with fury, the message from the club went on: “It is a shameful decision worthy of a banana-boat republic where people get punished on someone’s say-so, without any material proof.
“USAP will use all means possible, including going in front of civil courts if necessary, to defend their player.”
The suggestion was they might even pull out of the Heineken Cup. OSPREYS’ VIEW Hooker Richard Hibbard insisted the ERC beaks had nailed the right man.
“It was a scrum. Paul felt something in his eye and managed to grab his (Tincu’s) arm, saw who it was, reacted badly and threw a punch.”
And those marks around the eye area?
“Paul had the scars and the eye to show for it,” said Ospreys coach Sean Holley at the time. THE WELCOME IN FRANCE It would be difficult to confuse Perpignan’s Stade Aime Giral home base with a garden of sweetness and light.
Known as the Bullring, it is intimidating for a routine game, complete with steel fences aimed at keeping supporters off the pitch.
But when supporters were riled, well, it was time to adopt the brace position. And they were riled for this one. “As we arrived at the ground, their fans were waiting to jeer and shout abuse at us,” recalled Holley.
“There were people holding dolls that were decked out in Ospreys kits.
“They had it in for Paul and were really hostile.
“During the game they were caged behind these steel fences but the noise they were making was deafening.
“But a lot of Ospreys supporters had made their way out there and they did all they could to make themselves heard above the din.” TINCU’S GLARE During the warm-ups Tincu — “what was he doing there?” Bill McLaren might have said — positioned himself on the halfway line and frequently glared the way of James and the Ospreys.
The Ospreys had to run past him to the tunnel and as they did so the crowd broke into a low chant of “Tincu, Tincu, Tincu.” THE BANNERS There were countless banners around the ground but one stood out.
It said: “ERC, OSPREYS, LIARS, JUSTICE”.
Evidently, the author had a penchant for capital letters; whatever, it was not a friendly greeting. THE GAME The mood of the crowd wasn’t improved by Filo Tiatia committing a professional foul on Chris Cusiter after three minutes.
The jeers and whistles continued throughout but that is normal for French rugby.
Perpignan edged the match 17-15 but at no stage did the Ospreys take a backward step.
“I remember we picked a pack full of tough characters mentally and physically,” said Holley.
“We had Filo Tiatia, Marty Holah and Ryan Jones in our back row, Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Jones in our front five and true warriors like Richard Hibbard and Paul as well.
“For any side going to play in France, it is important to pick a pack that will stand firm.
“We didn’t win that day, but we got a bonus point and at no stage did we back down.”