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Toulon has officially changed hands
By Ian Cameron
Controversial rugby magnate Mourad Boudjellal has officially sold his majority share in RC Toulon.
Reports from France over the weekend suggested that Boudjellal was set to sell his shares to Bernard LeMaitre – a pharmaceutical multi-millionaire, and it has been confirmed today.
LeMaitre already owned 44 per cent of the famous club, and the sale of Boudjellal’s controlling share means has become Toulon’s effective owner.
LeMaitre made his money with LeMaitre Vascular and his personal wealth is estimated at close to €200 million.
“The Top 14 requires significant financial capital, especially to provide our club with high-level sports infrastructure,” explained Boudjellal at a press conference in France today.
“I am pleased that Bernard Lemaitre’s collaboration allows us to compare ourselves to the best clubs in Europe."
Boudjellal’s time with Toulon has been marked by both controversy and success in equal measure. The club won three European Champions Cups and a Top 14 in 2014, but his outbursts have frequently made headlines.
His treatment of All Black Julian Savea last season was widely condemned by players past and present.
Savea’s bumper salary – believed to be a million euros per season – was a trigger for Boudjellal who believed he wasn’t getting a return ‘at that rate’.
“At one point, it was him or me! Quit paying someone as much … especially at that rate.
“I may have been too harsh with him, but I am someone excessive and whole. I never shower with lukewarm water,” Boudjellal told Midi Olympique in May.
Toulon’s disastrous season saw the club fail to get out of the pool stages of the European Champions Cup for the first time, with losing to the bottom-placed Premiership club Newcastle Falcons at home a low point. They finished 10th place in the Top 14 with their worst placing since they were promoted.
“The RCT has never been so poorly ranked in the Top 14 since I was president! I would love to remake the Toulon Laporte years with, at least, one final per year. I’m working on it, by the way,” he said.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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