Two French stars retire in aftermath of World Cup exit

If they left, say, Sudan to get work in Europe because of limited options they may not return home.

If they left behind their wives and children dependant on their income back home in the Phillipines, they may want to go home and reunite with their families.

If they were leaving their country of birth to evade criminal prosecution, or religious persecution - they may not.

If they left to excercise free will and to untap opportunities afforded by a global labour market, and the free trade of skills for employment and benefits, they may return or stay put. Depends I guess on cost of living too.

If they left home with a currency of 20:1. Damn straight they’re going back home.

And if they’re from Sunny, beautiful and friendly South Africa. Where the biltong flows like wine. They’ll definitely come home.

A few bob in the banks numbs the discomfort caused by even the most inconvenient sized pothole, corrupt politician or the ever present loss of earthly possessions.

if they’re from New Zealand, the weather is probably as k@k or worse. Probably stay put.

Hard to say I guess. Context matters.

Why aren’t you backing the Lions? Aren’t you an Irish supporter?

International rugby isn’t as important in France as in other countries, except for the six nations (sometimes) and the RWC, and perhaps the odd other game, on occasion.

But the point is the same - if they don’t care about the winter tours (your NH hemisphere bias is showing there 😀) then the only such tours they will end up going on are development ones (where teams will use the fact that France sends a development team to blood their own development players - see the ABs this year for an example).

I for one think that’s a bit sad.

If not for Caleb Clarke’s long-term injury opening a roster spot for Fainga’anuka (unless Razor decides to bring in a specialist wing, like Carter or Kneepkens), ALB was at risk of being cut.

Dunno why NZR bothered inviting France. Frankly, for the fans that is irrelevant. This tour could have been great. That it isn’t is down to France, no matter what the reason. Saying «but you should have known» is irrelevant. Dumb articles like this are just ways for NH writers to complain about the ABs, which seems a bit of a national sport up there.

As for the stadia issue - there are no stadia of that size in NZ so it is not possible to get crowds of 70-80K. NZ is roughly 3.5x the size of Ireland, and is long and thin. If everyone lived in the same place, sure, a 70-80K stadium would work. But they don’t. That’s why we have more but smaller stadia, spread around the country.

Just because you want it to be true that SR has small crowds, doesn’t mean it is true.