Simon Zebo: 'I'm not overly surprised that more players don't go'

Simon Zebo admits that it’s not an easy decision to leave Ireland to play in France and says that if he didn’t have a French father, he might not have made the leap of faith in 2018 and joined Racing Metro.

Former Ireland and Lions star Zebo, who is now a Premier Sport pundit, spent three years in France before returning to finish his career with his home province Munster.

Zebo spent a lot of time as a child in France with the family of his Martinique-born French athlete dad, Arthur, and understands why the vast majority of Irish players stay with their provinces throughout their careers.

Luke McGrath is one who recently decided that he would leave Leinster and move to Perpignan next season, while Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe have also been linked with moves to French clubs.

In the early days of professionalism, Jeremy Davidson moved to Castres, Mick O’Driscoll departed for Perpignan, and Trevor Brennan jetted off to Toulouse in 2001.

More recently, Zebo joined Racing Metro, as did Johnny Sexton, while Ronan O’Gara started his coaching career with the Parisian giants, and Joey Carbery jumped ship to Bordeaux-Bègles.

Whereas less-established Irish players have no difficulty moving to the Top 14 and Pro D2, the feeling among club recruitment chiefs is that international players tend to use them to pressure the IRFU into giving them a new deal.

“It’s very hard to leave your club or your province in Ireland. Me speaking on behalf of Munster and the fan base and the history and tradition of the club, what it means to represent Munster. It’s no easy decision, and you know.

“If I didn’t have a French father or French family, or if I hadn’t grown up spending a lot of time in France, maybe my decision would have been different.

“But for other players, growing up, playing for Munster, and representing the provinces, it’s the ultimate, so I’m not overly surprised that more players don’t go, to be honest.

“I always wanted to play in France, so it’s probably a little different to their perspectives. My father, being French and having a French family and living in Paris, was very differently motivated, I suppose, to move to France.

“France is an incredible league, probably the best league to play, the best atmospheres, the best players. So it’s natural that some players will, you know, want to taste that or try that out, but you’d hope that players will continue playing their rugby in Ireland,” he said.