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Struggling Biarritz ready to swoop for out-of-favour Munster pair
By Liam Heagney
Fallen French giants Biarritz are set to raid Johann van Graan’s Munster fringe, lining up the summer signing of two players surplus to requirement at the Irish province.
Back row Dave O’Callaghan and scrum-half James Hart have failed to get much of a look-in during the South African coach’s first full season in Ireland.
O’Callaghan has managed just a pair of PRO14 starts this term with Hart even faring worse, featuring just twice off the bench in a season where he slipped further down the pecking order when Munster snapped up former All Black Alby Mathewson on a short-term deal as cover for Conor Murray.
That inactivity at a club that has qualified for an end-of-March Champions Cup quarter-final at Edinburgh has made them prime targets for a change of scenery and reports in France claim Biarritz are willing to provide it.
French rugby would be unfamiliar territory to 29-year-old O’Callaghan, but Hart, 27, earned his stripes at Grenoble and Racing 92 before moving to Munster in 2017.
There are currently eight players from Ireland playing in this season’s Pro D2. They include Jamie Hagan (Beziers), Stuart Olding (Brive) and Dan Tuohy (Vannes), a trio of former internationals who moved to France to keep their professional careers alive.
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Time have changed drastically for Biarritz since they were battling head-to-head with Munster for European honours. The clubs clashed in the 2006 European Cup final and the 2010 semi-final, but Biarritz have slipped out of the picture since then, losing their their Top 14 status when relegated in 2014 and only an LNR reprieve saved them from being regelated into Federale 1 following financial problems.
That threat of embarrassing demotion was avoided and Biarritz are now mid-table in Pro D2 with hopes of making it through to the end-of-season promotion play-offs.
Along with O’Callaghan and Hart, they are said to have also lined up Leroy Houston, the former Australian international who is now at Bordeaux, for a move down the French Atlantic coast.
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Latest Comments
The way Ratima has been treated he needs to look OS. Same with Perofeta and Love, Hothem too. Razor is a token coach. Gives debuts but very few mins. Also DM too. Just go earn millions elsewhere DM as all you get in NZ is bagging.
BB is coaches favourite and I say let him have BB right thru to the next 2 or maybe even 3 World cups.😁😁 Have JB outside him at 12...That just works so well.
Go to commentsIt certainly needs to be cherished. Despite Nick (and you) highlighting their usefulness for teams like Australia (and obviously those in France they find form with) I (mention it general in those articles) say that I fear the game is just not setup in Aus and NZ to appreciate nor maximise their strengths. The French game should continue to be the destination of the biggest and most gifted athletes but it might improve elsewhere too.
I just have an idea it needs a whole team focus to make work. I also have an idea what the opposite applies with players in general. I feel like French backs and halves can be very small and quick, were as here everyone is made to fit in a model physique. Louis was some 10 and 20 kg smaller that his opposition and we just do not have that time of player in our game anymore. I'm dying out for a fast wing to appear on the All Blacks radar.
But I, and my thoughts on body size in particular, could be part of the same indoctrination that goes on with player physiques by the establishment in my parts (country).
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