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Last summer, Brock James joined La Rochelle after a decade at Top 14 rivals Clermont. He spoke to James Harrington about his new club’s remarkable season, the future, why he left Australia – and how he nearly played for France
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In 2006, after just 13 Super Rugby appearances for two clubs in two seasons, Brock James left Australia for a new life in the French Top 14.
Two clubs, 11 years, 314 matches, and 2,705 points later, he is on the verge of completing a remarkable debut season with La Rochelle, the side he joined at the end of last season following a decade with Clermont.
“I was actually looking for a bit of security in my old age,” he said of his summer switch from the perennial Top 14 high flyers to a side that has languished in the lower reaches of the French top flight since winning promotion in 2014.
“Clermont were quite open about the fact that they were looking for someone younger to step into my place, so they were keen to sign me for just one year.
“I knew Patricio Fernandez was coming along nicely, and I wasn’t sure if I would get two more years as a player if I had to sign a new contracts each year. La Rochelle were keen to get me over here for two years – that played a big part.
“After 10 years in one place, a bit of change of scenery and a change of ideas has been quite a good thing for my head. I’m enjoying my rugby at the moment.”
Top 14 signing of the season?
Despite what James said, this has been no easy pension plan boost. The 35-year-old has arguably been the Top 14 signing of the season and is clearly relishing his elder statesman role at the club.
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He has scored 222 points in 25 outings in the black and yellow, and his arrival coincided with the start of a campaign that could be likened to Leicester City’s march to soccer’s English Premier League title last season.
La Rochelle had finished ninth in the past two seasons, and were pretty much written off by pundits and armchair experts ahead of this campaign. But, going into the final four rounds of the regular season, Les Corsaires are 11 points clear of James’s former club at the top of the table. They have already qualified for the end-of-season play-offs, and will face English Premiership side Gloucester in the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup in front of their passionate fans at Stade Marcel Deflandre.
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La Rochelle, who are at home to Bordeaux in the Aquitaine derby this weekend, just keep winning. They have not lost a Top 14 match since November – and have beaten the likes of Toulon, Toulouse and Castres Olympique on the road. James said: “I think we’re just enjoying our rugby, enjoying playing together and I think it shows.
“I think one of our strengths this season so far has been we take each game as it comes. We haven’t planned too far ahead, even if we’ve won two or three games on the trot, we’re always focused only on the next game. I think if we keep that recipe, there’s no reason we can’t compete on two fronts.”
Title-chasing
James is clear about which of the two titles La Rochelle are chasing would mean more to him: “It’s been a while since I’ve had success in Europe – I won the Challenge Cup with Clermont in 2007. But I think the Top 14 [which he won with Clermont in 2010], with the challenges throughout the season, and with it being such a long season, to be in the situation we’re in at the moment, that’s the most exciting.”
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History would have been very different if the decision to leave Australia had not effectively been made for him: “The door there was pretty much closed on me,” he said. “I was at the Western Force, and the coach and the CEO both told me I was well down the ladder.
“It was the year they recruited Matt Giteau and they ranked me as the fifth-best number 10 at the club. So they invited me to look for other opportunities.
“That’s when Clermont came in. With my wife, we decided to give it a go – and, 11 years later, we’re still here in France. Obviously we’re enjoying our time here, and it’s not quite finished yet. It’s almost the same picture as the team this year. We’re just taking everything as it comes.”
‘As it comes’ has included recently taking coaching qualifications for when he does finally hang up his boots, though James said that he does not know how, when or where he might end up coaching. A return to Australia is an option. “I won’t shut the door on any possibility. My kids were born here, we’re pretty comfortable and we’re enjoying France, so we’re not in any hurry to go anywhere – but I won’t shut the door on any opportunities.”
Record breaker
In his first season at Clermont in 2006/07, James played every game, and was the Top 14’s leading scorer, with 380 points. Two seasons later, between January 4 and March 28, 2009, he landed 41 consecutive kicks at goal to set a Top 14 record that has still to be broken. It was three shy of Welsh goalkicker Neil Jenkins’ world record.
That streak led to him being named as one of the 50 best players in the world by British newspaper The Independent at the end of the northern hemisphere season. He was the only one on that list to have no senior international caps.
He had represented Australia at under-16, under-19, and under-21 level, but his move to France put paid to his senior international chances, with the Wallabies then operating a strict no-overseas player policy. But James admits his chances of wearing the gold jersey were slim.
“In Australia it was never really going to happen – that was made pretty clear to me. I loved playing for Australia, I loved representing my country. But, I have no regrets.”
In fact, he nearly ended up playing for France nine years later. At the start of the 2014/15 Top 14 season, his name was reportedly included on a list of 10 foreign players that then-coach Philippe Saint-André was considering as possible recruits ahead of the 2015 World Cup.
James said: “It was all quite smoky, really. But I spoke to [France’s backs and defence coach] Patrice Lagisquet to say that I was interested if ever the interest was reciprocated.”
The offer never materialised – and James thinks he knows why: “I ended up having a shocker, and Camille (Lopez) ended up playing most of the first half of the season, so I never ended up getting a call back.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Will rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
2 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
2 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to comments