So...Carl Hayman is coming out of retirement
Former All Black Carl Hayman has agreed to come out of retirement to play in the French Federale 3 - the fifth, and very firmly amateur, tier of French rugby.
Hayman, who joined Top 14 outfit Section Paloise as forwards coach at the start of the 2016/17 season after five successful seasons with the Galacticos of Toulon, has will pull on his boots again for Bizanos, a small club in the suburbs of his hometown city of Pau in southwest France, according to local newspaper La République des Pyrénées.
The 37-year-old 45-cap prop was persuaded out of retirement by Pau's video analyst, Paddy Sullivan, who plays in midfield for the small Béarnese club. While their respective day jobs mean neither will be always available for selection, they hope to play alongside each other as regularly as their commitments with Section Paloise allow.
Bizanos' co-manager Michel Vergé told La République that the club's players were delighted to welcome Hayman to a pre-season training session at Stade Municipal Bizanos. "You had to see him in the middle of our guys, always with a big smile on his face, happy to be there. He's a fantastic guy, with phenomenal humility," he said.
Bizanos are due to kick off their 2017/18 season with a derby match at nearby Riscle on Sunday, September 17. Both Hayman and Sullivan may be available for selection, as Pau are due to entertain Castres Olympique at the freshly refurbished Stade du Hameau the day before.
Hayman is not the first former All Black to turn out for a French amateur side in recent years. In early 2016, scrum-half Piri Weepu - whose debut at the weekend for New Zealand Heartland Championship side Wairarapa Bush ended abruptly when he was helped from the field, after suffering an apparent asthma attack - joined sixth tier outfit Saint-Sulpice-sur-Tarn for a brief spell after his contract at Top 14 side Oyonnax was abruptly terminated. Weepu's stint at Saint Sulpice was limited to training ground outings as red tape tied up his registration until the end of the season.
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Ben Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
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