Q Just why is French rugby so much better than ours? A Relegation
Skelton finds answer at thriving La Rochelle
AT 10am last Sunday, Will Skelton had still not been to bed. He drank through the night, man-of-thematch medal around his neck, and found himself eating oysters for breakfast at La Rochelle’s morning seafood market.
‘There are guys who have still not slept,’ he says, answering the phone at lunchtime on Tuesday. ‘It’s a bit of a blur. We had a charter flight booked to La Rochelle at 2am after the match but didn’t leave until 4am. We landed at 5.30 in the morning and there were fans who had been waiting at the airport all night.’
There were plenty of reasons to celebrate, with La Rochelle capping off their remarkable rise with a Champions Cup final win over Leinster in Marseille. The party went on for days. After a few hours rest on Sunday afternoon, they were back at it. Most of the town of 75,000 people came out to toast their local heroes on a bus tour through the port.
‘We got back together at 6pm and the bus parade was one of the most memorable experiences of my life,’ says the 19st 10lb Australian lock. ‘Half the town were out. It lasted five or six hours and then we had a DJ in the stadium. The kids were all up late. It was awesome. Indescribable. On the Monday, we had a lunch together at a beach bar on a little island called Ile de Ray. One of the boys got a police escort — two bikes with their sirens going down one-way streets — just to get there on time!’
Skelton has settled into French life. He is riding on a wave of rugby success across the channel, where the sport is booming ahead of next year’s World Cup. Having played in Australia, with the Waratahs, and England, with Saracens, can he put his finger on the nation’s success?
‘Ultimately it comes down to the players,’ he says. ‘France have been very strong in the Under 20s for the last five years. I speak to guys on my team and all those Under 20s guys are good mates, even if they are at different clubs. Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont: these guys are all in their prime and they are driving everyone up.’
But there is more to it, including the depth of club rugby in France’s big-budget Second Division.
‘Eight years ago, La Rochelle were in the Second Division,’ he says. ‘They came up, got absolutely killed, went back down to win it again and they have been back up ever since. The PRO D2 competition is class — every game is on TV.
La Rochelle are similar to Exeter Chiefs: an isolated town, not in the mix of London or a rugby hub. When you are winning, it’s unreal and when you are losing everyone’s asking you questions down the grocery store and you almost don’t want to go out. Flags, T-shirts, stickers on their cars. It’s a real rugby town.
‘Every game counts. At the start of the season, we were written off. We were fighting relegation and the chat was that every game was a must-win. I never really experienced that with Saracens. I’ve got friends at other clubs in France and the chat is, “Are we safe?” It makes for an exciting season. Games that wouldn’t necessarily become big games suddenly become massive because teams are scrapping to stay up. Organically, that forces teams to raise their standards and recruit effectively.’
English rugby’s powerbrokers should take note and scrap ringfencing from the Premiership.
Tonight, the final regular round of the Top 14 will reach a box-office climax, with nine teams scrapping for a place in the play-offs. La Rochelle are sitting pretty in fourth place — with their Irish head coach Ronan O’Gara taking many of the plaudits for the club’s turnaround.
‘Rog deserves all the praise he’s getting,’ says Skelton. ‘We were one win in four games at the start of the season, completely written off and people were saying he was going to get the sack. We never stopped believing and he’s turned it around. He wears his heart on his sleeve and tries to get all the details right.
‘Seeing how Racing and the Crusaders do their work has helped him. I wouldn’t say he is overly technical but he simplifies everything for us so we can be free on the field. Hopefully he’ll stay around a bit longer!’
While Skelton’s focus lies with La Rochelle’s push for a trophy double, he is keeping an eye on Saracens in next week’s play-offs, back at rugby’s top table after the salary cap scandal that ultimately forced Skelton to move overseas.
‘I had no doubts that Saracens were going to be back at the top,’ he says. ‘When you’re really successful for so long, it becomes a habit. That’s what they live for and that’s what they deserve.
‘I’ve still got really close mates there. They were the first ones to message me to say “congratulations” at the weekend. I learned so much at Saracens. I learnt about my body and how to use it a lot more effectively.’
Skelton will surely be a part of Australia’s World Cup plans next year but he is not expecting to feature in the series against England, with the Wallabies focusing on players based closer to home.
‘I haven’t had much contact with coach Dave Rennie. They might decide not to use the English or French-based players this summer. I’d love to go to the World Cup next year. They only come around once every four years and it’s hard to watch on TV. At the moment, it’s just about La Rochelle for me but
I’m always keen.’