Clarke getting some French flair
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:49
South Africans are a dime a dozen in France, but at Racing Metro 92 there is a little-known SA player who has made a bigger impact than many of his more illustrious compatriots.
While most people around the world will be familiar with Racing's World Cup-winning signing in Francois Steyn, another South African - flank Ashley Clarke - has also been at the forefront of Racing Metro 92's rise up the French Top 14 rankings.
Speaking to rugby365.com while on holiday in South Africa, Clarke says that it is not just those outside Racing Metro that are surprised by their fairytale start in the Top 14.
Currently lying in fifth place, with genuine title hopes, the Top 14 newcomers, Racing Metro 92, are only eight points behind log-leaders Perpignan.
The Parisians have surprised everyone in French rugby circles by spending their first season in the Top 14 challenging for honours.
One of the players responsible for their move from D2 to Top 14, and their subsequent climb to the top, is the South African-born flank, Clarke, currently playing his fourth season for the Paris side.
"We never thought in our wildest dreams thought we would be up there bouncing around third, fourth and fifth place. We have outplayed ourselves, it's awesome." said the son of former Western Province wing Bossie Clarke.
"It's due to the fact that the management have laid down good structures - everyone is familiar with everything. It's not difficult to fit in with the vibe. Every time we have done things, it seems to have been spot on."
Clarke says that the foundations to success in France don't differ from the rest of the world.
"We have a great forward pack that always gives us momentum, so we can basically do what we want in the backs - there is not much pressure on them to perform. The forwards can dominate then the backs can do their thing."
The Parisians have had an influx of big stars this season, and while high-profile signings can often be met with scepticism due to players looking for easy rides with big pay checks, Clarke says that the new signings at Racing have all been willing to get their hands dirty for the cause.
"The players that they have recruited like Sebastian Chabal, Frans Steyn and Lionel Nallett have all fronted up. Everyone thought that maybe they were just coming for the payday, and obviously they have come for the money, but they have also added huge value to the team and they are all great guys. They get involved, and they are not negative at all. If the fitness coach gives us extra work they don't complain, they just stick their heads down and get on with it. They don't get special treatment.
Clarke is definitely qualified to talk about the make-up of the squad; he is one of a handful of survivors of the assembled squad that met him on his arrival.
"I arrived at Racing Metro in 2006. The have maintained the same structure from when Pierre and the new management team first arrived but there has been a big player turnover. Since my arrival in June 2006, there are only about 4 or 5 of us left from that original squad."
With such a large group of quality players, getting some time on the field can often be a problem. Though for Clarke, it has been an unfortunate run of injuries that has kept him off the park, and he is currently recovering from a particularly unlucky niggle.
"It does get a bit tough if you play all the games. I haven't really been rotated in and out this year because I have been a bit unlucky with injuries. The other day I was trying to steal the ball in a game and my own teammate came in to clear the ruck and stood on my hand. I got 11 stitches at the base of my thumb and they didn't clean it out properly in the emergency room so I had to go back in on Monday because it was enflamed. So here I am still sitting 2 weeks later with a problem."
When he is fit he is sure to return promptly to the fray, and if so he will have to ensure that he has been keeping fit during his time off, as the French have the habit of playing a helter-skelter brand of rugby union - something Clarke appreciates.
"I do enjoy it because it is a great challenge. It's a bit quicker because of the lack of structure and it can be messy. A guy like Frans [Steyn] has come in and lost 7 kg's to adapt to the style of play."
Though the flank forward is quick to dispel any thoughts that the French game is completely without structure.
"Our practices are quite structured. It's not like the coaches just chuck the ball up in the air and tell us to play! We do our line-outs and our phases off line-outs and defensive and attacking plans. So there is a plan, but it's not like being at a South African side or a British side. All the British sides are very structured and you aren't going to get as structured as that in France. They believe that if you structure the game too much, you lose that creative flair that the French are so well known for."
Clarke feels that the unpredictability of the French gives them an edge in games, and says that teams with too much structure are often easier to play against.
"I must say, when we played against London Wasps it was a lot of fun. When you play against a French side, they play a very unstructured game; they are prepared to run it from anywhere. My job as a number 6 is to slow the ball down and to get in there and steal the ball. It's a hell of a lot easier to do that against a structured side because you can sort of predict where the next phase of play will happen and where they ball might end up. Whereas in France, with the flair, it is very difficult to predict what's coming."
For the big loose forward, it hasn't just been the style of rugby that he has been forced to adapt to, as he has also integrated into a new culture, but the burly South African says he is thoroughly enjoying living in Paris.
"The French language was a bit of a barrier for about a year and a half or two years, but you learn to get around that. Going out in the Champs-Elysees every now and again after a game is really nice. Big nights out and meeting people once you have learned the language is really great."
The French public is fairly far removed from their rugby-mad South African counterparts, and Clarke says that in his adopted home city, fans don't surround the players as much.
"In Paris they normally don't have a clue; they have no idea who you are! But now with the two Parisian sides doing well, if you drive around the streets in your car (our cars have the team badge on the side) they come up to your car and wave at you."
In South Africa, the life of a rugby player is slightly different.
"I was having a beer with Schalk [Burger] the other day and he was getting swamped. Obviously he is a huge star, but he and the Stormers guys were all getting absolutely swarmed. In France, maybe you get one or two people coming up to you and asking for a photo or an autograph, after the game it's quite big. Other than that they don't really hassle you too much, especially in Paris, unless you are Chabal, Francois Steyn or Nallet."
Whether it is the lifestyle or rugby that has kept Clarke in Paris, the bruising flank is happy where he is, and is keen to remain a feature of the Racing setup - with a southern hemisphere accolade the only possible carrot that would lead him away.
"I'd like to stay at Racing for at least another three years or maybe more, injury permitting and form permitting obviously. I'd love to come back to SA one day too. I've played Vodacom Cup, Currie Cup but there's one thing that I haven't played and that's Super 14. I'd really love to play Super 14; it's a niggling thing that I maybe could have done, but never did."
With his team set to make an appearance in next season's Heineken Cup, it would be difficult to pry the South African away from Racing. As long as he is in France, the flank will be working to ensure that his team features in the knockout stages of this year's Top 14 competition. If they make it all the way, it will be an historical end to what has been a great journey for the team and the players.
By Keith Moore