Movable scrumhalves in France
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:37
Jérôme Fillol has packed his bags at Stade Français and moved the short Parisian distance to Racing-Mètro on a two-year contract.
Racing had a massive disappointment at the end of last season when they lost to Mont-de-Marsan and so failed to gain promotion to Top 14.
They have undergone a substantial purge. Gone from the playing staff are Puma scrumhalf Agustín Pichot who turns 34 next month, lock David Auradou, who turns 35 in November, loose forward Michel Dieudé, who played for France A and is 30 and flyhalf Jean-Frédéric Dubois who is 35. Gone is the coach Philippe Benetton, the former French international. Gone, too, is the manager Pierre Berbizier, once the captain of France and later the coach of France and then of Italy. Berbizier was a scrumhalf.
But in comes 30-year-old Fillol on a two-year contract. He moved from Toulouse to Stade Français and was in competition for the scrumhalf berth with Fabien Galthié. Galthié stopped and became the coach, and the conflict between the two continued. It reached a climax when Fillol was left out of Stade Français' semifinal against Toulouse. Alexandre Albuoy was chosen in his place.
Now Stade Français have employed 29-year-old Falie Oelschig from the Cheetahs on a three-year contract.
It is a tale of five scrumhalves.
