Chabal expected to leave Sale
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:03
Sebastien Chabal clearly not a happy man at the moment.
Sharks Director of Rugby Philippe Saint-Andre fully expects No.8 Sebastian Chabal to leave in the summer after the Sale star admitted to having personal issues which require him to move away from Edgeley Park.
The larger than life character that is Chabal has become a cult hero in Stockport and across the Premiership but could be lost to the English game after he admitted that famliy issues have caused him to consider if it is best for him to remain at the club or consider a move, most probably back to the Top 14.
The powerful looseforward moved to Sale back in 2004 and, with his aggressive and determined performances, has established himself as a real feature of Saint-Andre’s side.
The price though has been hard on the family life of the French International – who then admitted that he had held discussions with his coach about the troubling issue.
"As it stands, I am under contract with Sale until 2011, with that last season an option," he told L'Equipe.
"Personally, I want to stay at Sale where I am playing at the heart of a very good team. I feel good there, but there are personal reasons which mean I could return to France.
"My wife and my kids live in England. They haven't moved away. But my eldest is studying in France and it is true that my wife, who has also stayed in France with the little one, hasn't come back since the end of the (summer) holidays.
"At the moment, I am coming and going and it is weighing on me.
"If I have a family, it is to live with them. So that is bothering me.
"I wouldn't have wanted to speak about it so early in the season but it was Philippe who brought up the subject. He said: 'You can't continue like this. You could return to France next season.'
"It was just an idea thrown out there by Philippe."
The 30 year-old has already had plenty of offers away from the Premieship club, including one from big-spending Toulon, and others from New Zealand and Japanese clubs, but has, until now, never looked likely leaving his beloved Sharks.
Should he decide to leave though the likely destination would almost certainly be back to France where he remains one of the countries biggest stars and also where obviously his family could easily re-settle.
While naturally he would be devastated to see Chabal leave, Saint-Andre says he has been concerned about his No. 8’s personal well being for some time and that he fully expects him to leave the club at the end of the season.
"I had an honest and frank discussion with Seb some days ago," said Saint-Andre.
"There is no problem with him on a sporting level. It's a question of problems outside the game, an estrangement from his family which is weighing too heavily on him.
"He will finish the season with us and he will leave. We can't keep a player against his wish and stop him from being happy."
