'Montpellier have all the money in the world, they can get close to success, but it was guys collecting paycheques'
In an Auckland hotel bed, Nic White stirred and reached for his mobile phone.
The screen illuminated, displaying a slew of missed video calls from Jack Nowell, the Exeter winger, heralding the culmination of a marvellous sporting story.
Back in England, the Chiefs had scaled the very summit of European rugby, conquered Racing 92 and completed a colossal Premiership and Champions Cup double.
The club White left prematurely in the throes of the pandemic had at last hit the apex on their glorious ascent. The scrum-half rang Nowell back and the phone was brandished around the champagne-sodden mayhem of the dressing room. Eleven-thousand miles away, tears trickled down his cheeks.
“I didn’t watch the Champions Cup final because it was the night before we played the All Blacks in Auckland,” White tells RugbyPass. “I remember waking up to all these missed calls from Nowellsy. They were still in the sheds, he gave me to Rob [Baxter, the Exeter director of rugby] and the boys, Jack Yeandle and Henry Slade, I spoke to all of them.
“It was just relief – they finally did it, they finally put a star on the jersey. Even on the other side of the world, I was a bit emotional at 8am waking up on game day.”
The feelings whipped up inside White that day were complex. He should have been there; he should have been part of it, at the eye of the euphoria. He was always heading back to Australia at the end of the season, his yearning to play Test rugby again white-hot after four years in Europe with Montpellier and then the Chiefs.
But coronavirus took a sledgehammer to the 2019-20 campaign. White never had the chance to help finish what Exeter started, to drape medals around his neck and revel in the rich fruits of their toil.
“In lockdown I did go through a bit of a ride – this is bull***t, this is unfair, you pity yourself. There was more than a feeling there; we knew we were going all the way that year. We knew it after the final the year before where we lost so narrowly to Saracens, that was the moment.
“I remember after that final on the bus back from Twickenham we spoke about it, we’ve gone toe-to-toe with the best and we know we can go another gear. I remember that I was a part of it.
“The club has not forgotten what a rugby club needs to be, almost exactly what Montpellier don’t have. Montpellier have all the money in the world, they can get close to success, but it was guys collecting paycheques, doing what they had to do and then leaving.
“That was the opposite of what you had at Exeter. It is a professional team with that amateur club feel about it. One of the little things I loved was going upstairs and having a couple of beers with the members, I thought that was so good. I’m just a bloke, and at first I was like, are you sure it’s ok to have a beer after a game? But it was encouraged to go up there and have a beer with the members.
“It just flowed through the whole club like that. I saw things very differently, everything around my rugby, the way I wanted to be and act. I can’t thank that place enough; I don’t have the words. I was a bit of a boy when I rocked up there and I certainly left a man.”
It is worth teasing a few memories from White about his time in Montpellier. He was taken to France by Jake White, under whom he had played at the Brumbies, in 2015. The coach followed his established blueprint – signing older, established South Africans he knows and trusts to the hilt – but it created a huge dichotomy.
The French players felt their team was being hijacked, and that the newcomers had no interest in learning about the culture and the country. Team meetings were conducted in English and sometimes in Afrikaans. White felt trapped in the middle of two factions.
He exhales when you ask him for the most madcap tales of his French odyssey, running a hand through the tousled mesh of curls atop his scalp.
“Mate, I could go on all night. I’ve got plenty of stories. I’m just trying to think of which ones I can tell ya.”
Eventually, he plucks a couple of tamer yarns from the archives.
“In the first half of my first season there, we were winning in Clermont at half-time. The tunnel there is tiny, and I copped a bit of a shoulder from the Clermont scrum coach, who was an ex-Montpellier player.
“In my poor French, I was like, ‘désolée’, and I got an absolute mouthful. This big bloke just grabs me by the scruff of the neck, boom, up against the wall. I thought, oh my god, who is this bloke, what have I done? I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
“Luckily all the boys were around me and it got split up pretty quickly, nothing really thrown. As we went out for the second half, I tried to sneak out to avoid this bloody big scrum coach, the game got stopped, the referee came over and red-carded him.
“The emotions fly high, but we beat Clermont, and in the function after we had a chat and a laugh.”
He speaks at length about Mohed Altrad, the Syria-born scaffolding mogul who owns Montpellier and wields immense power in the French game. Altrad rose from the depths of poverty to accumulate an estimated net worth of US$2.7bn.
'I’ve always loved rugby, pig on it, eating out on it, watching it, playing it. I’m still running around with these 18-year-olds and doing stupid stuff' @John_Afoa 's love of rugby hasn't ebbed, even if some memories still irk, writes @JLyall93 ???https://t.co/3q8Oxnzmve
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 29, 2021
In White’s second and final year, with the squad labouring in mid-table, Altrad promised them a spree of outrageous win bonuses should they make the play-offs. Montpellier duly embarked on a long winning streak, but the offer evaporated when they lost at home to eventual champions Racing 92 in the quarter-finals.
“Mohed is a funny one. He scares the absolute s**t out of me. He’s a very powerful man,” White says. “I tried to leave after my first year of my contract to go to Exeter and he called me up. They have a cut-off date at midnight when they have to have their squads in for the new season. A few guys were sweating on contracts; I got a phone call at 10pm, he was like, ‘I can’t let you go’.
“That second year became quite tense. He kind of held that over me for the next year, but I felt like there was always a bit of respect, and he let me go because they got Ruan Pienaar in the end.
“For mid-day kick-offs, we’d stay overnight at this hotel and golf course. I was rooming with Nemani Nadolo, who had played his first couple of games and I don’t think he’d scored a try yet.
“He gets a call late at night, and he gets off and he’s clearly a little bit taken aback. He said, ‘Mate, that was Moed, he said he needs to see me score some tries otherwise it’s, boom, catch ya later’. Obviously, it was a bit of scare tactic but Nemz scored three tries the next day. He had a pretty bloody good career for the next three or four years down there.”
Back home in Canberra, White is happy. At 30, he is one of the seasoned campaigners in a youthful Brumbies set-up. The franchise romped to the inaugural Super Rugby AU title in 2020, and are heavily fancied to win the competition again this year. He played for the Wallabies under new coach Dave Rennie, and is invigorated by what he sees in the international sphere.
“Harry Wilson is 20, Jordan Petaia could still play U20s. The Wallaby team is made up of Super Rugby teams that are so young. It’s the perfect time for a guy like Dave Rennie to come in with the coaches he’s got, a world-class coaching team all the way through to high-performance.
“They’ve got their hands on some kids that have come through age-groups and had the better of the New Zealand sides. They get to nurture them. Anyone who has had Dave Rennie, you won’t find a bad word said about the bloke. He’ll get the culture right, he’s got a great rugby IQ. Mate, it’s unreal.”
Unreal is a sound description of White’s experiences in the game, from the bonkerdom of Montpellier to the storybook stuff in Devon and then the brutality of Covid-19. It was at Sandy Park where he came of age, and his homecoming is a fabulous boon for Australian rugby.
Comments on RugbyPass
Gee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to comments