The 6'8, 145kg Aussie who chose Toulouse over a shot at the NFL
Only a few people ever get a shot at making it in the NFL. Even fewer have the ability to turn down American football and become a professional in another sport.
At just 23 years old, Emmanuel Meafou’s career has already followed this path. The Australian second row now plays for reigning European champions Toulouse, but started out playing rugby league before being approached by NFL scouts for a shot at gridiron.
The 6’8, 145kg giant is now a regular feature for the French giants, having risen from obscurity within the space of not much more than a single season.
“I wasn’t very good at league because I was big and not very fast. It’s a quick game,” Meafou said on Le French Rugby Podcast. “I only went to play union because my friends were playing it.”
Meafou then spent some time in the Melbourne Rebels academy. Soon after he tried to break into Super Rugby, but a professional contract wasn’t forthcoming.
A shot at the NFL then materialised, just as Meafou’s rugby career looked to be in jeopardy. With no offers coming in, the Australian believed his dream of playing in Super Rugby had evaporated.
Naturally he began to look down other avenues and found interest in America’s most profitable sport.
“At the time they were running trials in Australia, called an NFL combine. I was living in Sydney but the trial was in Queensland, where my family was living.
“I just thought of it as a free trip home to see my family, so I went over and did it. It was very professional. They measure the width of your hand, your fat percentage and ran you through some drills.”
Similar trials are held around and world. Five athletes are then picked for an intensive three-month training camp as part of the NFL’s International Pathways Programme. Each of these players is then given a starting contract with an academy based in America.
Meafou was offered a place at the IMG international academy in Florida after scouts saw potential in the size and power of the lock, tipping him to become a defensive lineman. This position has one simple demand – tackle the opposition quarterback before they fling the ball downfield.
But to get to the quarterback, the defensive lineman must first evade the huge man-mountains in the opposition’s offensive line. It takes an enormous amount of strength and physicality to perform the role at the highest level but the challenge was not something Meafou shied away from.
“I loved the idea. I weighed in at 150kg at the time but they wanted me heavier, gyming three times a day to get up to 160 kg of pure muscle. I thought: ‘I can live this life’,” he said smiling.
The idea of packing on the pounds was not the only appeal for Meafou. The NFL is one of the richest leagues in the world and with that comes astronomical player salaries. If he had taken the Florida offer, Meafou could have been on the way to receiving a rookie contract worth $1.5 million. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl winning quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, is earning roughly $45 million annually.
Closer to home, former Australian NRL prospect Jordan Mailata – who boasts a near-identical back story and build to Meafou – is now earning $16 million a year as a defensive linesman for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Such financial incentives are hard to turn down but for Meafou it wasn’t just about the money. Rugby still held a place in his heart and so, not willing to move on just yet, his agent proceeded to send footage of the lock over to France.
“Rugby was still a passion and dream of mine. The only reason I went down the NFL road was because I had no offers. For me rugby was over.”
And it was then that rugby came calling. Offers from numerous French sides began to flood in, including one from European powerhouse Toulouse. Turning away from the NFL was not something Meafou struggled with.
“I still had a drive to make it in rugby. It wasn’t too much of a tough decision so I dropped the American thing and came over here.”
Before then, Meafou had not considered leaving Australia. But at the age of 20 he took a step into the unknown, joining the Toulouse academy with a limited grasp of the French language. Understandably, the transition to life in the south of France did take its time.
“I found it really hard. It was easier off-field than on-field. But I had people like Jerome Kaino there. He’s my dad’s favourite rugby player and he’s one of the reasons I went to Toulouse in the first place. Jerome gave me a call and my dad said: ‘Yep, Toulouse is the one’”.
Fellow second row Joe Tekori and New Zealand prop Charlie Faumuina also stepped in to help Meafou adjust to his new surroundings.
“These guys in the Island culture looked after us young boys coming over. I appreciate those boys and everything they’ve done for me.”
Despite the off-field support, getting to grips with the style of French club rugby proved to be a bigger challenge.
“The rugby I experienced in Australia and the rugby I experienced in France was totally different. I couldn’t wrap my head around it because I was used to a bit more shape. It was a bit chaotic for me and I couldn’t keep up. I struggled for the first three months but eventually got the hang of it.”
Since acclimatising to the French league, Meafou has gone on to win the Top 14 title and European Champions Cup with Toulouse. Clearly, he’s doing just fine without the NFL.
And he’s not the only player to consider crossing codes. Former British and Irish Lion Richie Gray came close to make the move at multiple stages in his career while more recently Christian Wade has actually taken the plunge, swapping wing for running back. He is yet to feature in the regular season but has made the Buffalo Bills practice squad.
Although he maybe came close, Meafou has not followed in Wade’s footsteps and instead is edging closer to fulfilling his lifelong dream.
“My goal was always to play for the Wallabies.”
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments