Abendanon: I’m coming home to push bid for 2019 World Cup
NICK Abendanon could yet compete for an England full-back spot at the 2019 World Cup after revealing he is likely to head back to the Premiership when his contract at Clermont Auvergne expires next year.
Abendanon, whose Clermont outfit take on Leinster today as they target a Champions Cup and Top 14 double, moved to France from Bath in 2014 following the thenEngland boss Stuart Lancaster’s refusal to pick him.
Abendanon, 30, concedes his chances are slim, but told The Rugby
Paper: “I’m probably getting on a bit for Eddie Jones’ liking, but in the back of my mind my contract expires next year and England’s definitely a possibility.
“There are young players like Anthony Watson, Jack Nowell and Elliot Daly playing well and putting their hands up for the Lions, but I could go back to play Premiership rugby and it’s something I will seriously consider.
“I’ve loved every minute in France and haven’t regretted it once. Clermont’s a big team, I’ve started a family here and have some great friends, but I’ll speak to my wife and maybe I’ll have another crack at England.”
Clermont are desperate to throw off the tag of European rugby’s bridesmaids after being beaten in two of the last four Champions Cup finals – against Toulon in 2013 and 2015 – and falling twice more at the semi-final stage.
Opponents Leinster triumphed over the Auvergne side in a last four tie in Bordeaux on the way to winning their third title in 2012, but Abendanon is confident the mental scars of past failures will not affect today’s performance.
He said: “The team’s in a very good place. It’s frustrating having failed to win this competition and we’ve got to get past that final hurdle, but the way we’ve been playing recently there’s no reason why we can’t go all the way.
“Leinster are a fantastic side who are well coached and pose a lot of threats in attack and defence, so it’s going to be a game of Test match quality, but we’ve
got a good team understanding this year and know can break our duck.
“We’ve got key players like Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra and Remi Lamerat who are in great form at the moment. They’re integral parts of our attacking machine if we get going forward and they control things very well for us.”
Clermont must keep Leinster playmaker Johnny Sexton and exciting full-back Joey Carbery under lock and key, Abendanon adding: “I hadn’t heard much of Joey before Leinster played Wasps but he was fantastic in that game.
“He showed great pace, good temperament and his ability to beat defenders is very special. He’s obviously on the danger list of players we need to keep a close eye on and we don’t want to give him any space to do his stuff.
“They’ve got great players across their backline and Sexton controls their game, but we’ve done a lot of analysis on them and if we follow our homework, hopefully the experience within our side will keep him under pressure.”
Ex-England boss Lancaster now coaches Leinster but Abendanon insists bygones are bygones, adding: “He didn’t pick me but it’s water under the bridge. We’ve both moved on and if I see him after the game, I’ll talk to him.”