The Sports Corner

Does Gasnier have a future in international rugby?

Rugby league star Mark Gasnier created a lot of controversy this year when he opted to leave the game that is synomonous with his famous surname and embarck on a rugby career in provincial France.

Of course the reported $1 million+ a season for a two year deal would have been tempting enough for the 27 year old, coupled with the fact his fiance is French and his family has roots in the country.

But few could see Gasnier leaving the St George Rugby League Club, a club made famous by his uncle Reg’s exploits and pursue rugby union after several high profile attempts were made by the New South Wales Waratahs three years ago to bring the stylish back across the codes.

How times have changed since that first attempt three years ago.

The Waratah’s coach at the time Ewen McKenzie was certain that Gasnier’s natural skills would transfer across to the 15-man game, despite Gasnier never having played rugby as a kid.

Now McKenzie is the new coach of Stade Francais and his star recruit is the man he so desparately wanted three years ago in Sydney. McKenzie is convinced great things lay ahead for Gasnier after only 5 games of provincial rugby such has been his impact on the team.

“He’s got a great skill set and good aptitudes. There’s no question. Once he’s got 30 games under his belt, he’ll be a very good package.” McKenzie said. “I mean, he’s our reserve goal kicker at the moment. He’s doing touch kicks. He’s in the game. You can use him in the game in many different ways. You can play him in multiple positions.

“And he can organise people. The problem is he’s got to develop his French so he can organise, but he’s getting through that quite comfortably. But he’s out there. He’s lost at times, but what do you do? If he doesn’t play, he doesn’t get any better.

“His kicking skills were better than I thought they’d be. I underrated his ability there,” McKenzie added. ”His uptake; he absorbs information quickly and he asks questions on the field, during training. He’s eager to learn. He’s happy to put his hand up.

“He makes mistakes and teams target him but, as a result, he carried the ball three times as much as anyone else last week and broke tackles and beat the line and scored a try. Other players aren’t doing that. They don’t have that capacity. And, what, he’s played four and a half, five games of rugby.”

McKenzie created a stir in some rugby circles last season when he suggested Gasnier may not ultimately play for the Wallabies. Gasnier himself has been non-committal on the issue, preferring to put the topic aside and talk about the long road ahead of him as he learns a new code and adapts to life in France.

But there is a possibility Gasnier may just run out onto an international pitch in the future for France.

Gasnier’s family has links to France, his fiance is French, and under French rugby laws if he completes three seasons in the French provincial competition he becomes eligible for selection for the French team. Whilst Gasnier is only signed to a two year contract, McKenzie has a third year option and would undoubtedly want to see Gasnier stick around.

The next Rugby World Cup is not until 2011, giving Gasnier enough time to accrue three years in France and make himself eligible for selection.

Previously, it seemed a done deal when it came down to where Gasnier’s alliegiances were, he had played international rugby league for Australia and it seemed natural that whilst he took the French money to learn the game for two years, he would then take a considerable pay cut to return to Australia and play the season leading up to the World Cup for one of the Australian Super 14 teams. Current Australian Rugby Union selection guidelines forbid foreign based Australian players from being selected to national teams, so Gasnier would have to either hope for a rule change (unlikely) or play at least one season in Australia if had any desire to suit up for the Wallabies in 2011.

However, according to McKenzie that may not be the case.

“I don’t glean from any of my conversations with him that he is desperate to play international rugby,” McKenzie said.

“He’s certainly good enough. No doubt. But I just keep looking at it and people make assumptions and I’ve spoken to him and he says: ‘I’m just trying to learn the game here. I’m not worried about what I’m doing in two years’ time’. He’s done a lot already in his career. He has experienced the international stage. It’s not like he hasn’t done it. Okay, it might be in another sport but he’s still been there. I think as a professional player, that will come. But he’s just trying to establish credibility at the level he’s playing now.

“Once he gets that credibility, he’ll feel confident. At the moment, he wants to develop the confidence. But the euro’s so strong, he might just enjoy staying here. That’s from a financial point of view.

“There’s no doubts there. He’s very happy with the decisions he’s made,” McKenzie said. “He’s just enjoying the game here. The press pressure et cetera just doesn’t exist. What he calls the goldfish bowl is not there for him. He’s enjoying that. He just enjoys the day-to-day walking the streets (being) unknown, travelling in the gaps, seeing Europe; he was in Rome the other week. You know, it’s just a different life.

“I’m sure some people will be thinking that if he’s not scoring three tries a week, then he’s failed. But that’s disrespecting the opposition and whatever. That’s just not realistic.”