Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

The strained relationship that led to Sergio Parisse's split with his beloved Stade Francais

By Liam Heagney
Stade Francais was the club of Sergio Parisse's rugby life, but their relationship is now over (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Sergio Parisse took to Twitter to thank Stade Francais for giving him the chance of playing for the French Top 14 club for 14 seasons. 

ADVERTISEMENT

However, beneath the seemingly amicable parting lies a story of a fast-deteriorating relationship which resulted in the Italian talisman quitting the club a year before his contract was due to expire in 2020. 

Stade Francais was in its Max Guazzini pomp and cermony heyday when Parisse first came on board in June 2005 and it was notable how the 35-year-old Italian forward included the former Stade owner in his social media sign-off while at the same time making no mention of the current regime. 

He wrote: “Thank you, Max. Thank you to the players, friends, brothers. Thank you to the fans and all those who have contributed to making this incredible love story possible!! Thank you Paris!!”

Parisse’s message had followed a brief statement by the club confirming that they are to go their separate ways. “Stade Francais and Sergio Parisse have decided by mutual agreement to put an end to the contract that binds them,” it read.

“Sergio Parisse wishes good luck and a lot of success at the Stade Francais. Stade Francais thanks its captain for 15 years of success in Parisian colours.”

What gives? According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Stade were concerned that the player who won two league titles was no longer the great he once was. Calf and knee injuries had restricted his availability to just 11 of Stade’s 26 Top 14 matches this past season. 

ADVERTISEMENT

This lay-off wasn’t helped by an alleged undercurrent of dissatisfaction on Parisse’s part with how the club was being run under that baton of South African coach Heyneke Meyer.

Parisse’s friend Julien Dupuy was dismissed from Meyer’s staff in January. Then Stade revealed they wanted Parisse to stop playing at the end of the 2018/19 season and instead join their management staff for next season. 

This was a ploy aimed at getting the costly Parisse off their salary cap, as coaches’ wages are not included, but this plan backfired when the Italian decided not to accept their offer. 

Then in May, it is alleged that prior to the league derby versus Parisian rivals Racing, Parisse told owner Hans-Pieter Wild what he felt were some home truths about the German’s running of the club. 

ADVERTISEMENT

The fall-out now sees Parisse become the third big name to exit Stade in recent weeks. Alexandre Flanquart was released from his contract and allowed to join Bordeaux, while Djibril Camara was sacked for alleged gross misconduct before signing for Bayonne. 

Now, Parisse has departed. He will be free to fully concentrate on preparations for Italy’s World Cup campaign in Japan later this year where they are drawn in a pool with New Zealand and South Africa.

However, it is unclear if the veteran intends to fully quit the game following the finals or line up a different club. 

View this post on Instagram

The end of an era at Stade! #SergioParisse #Top14

A post shared by RugbyPass (@rugbypass_) on

Parisse spent a number of seasons playing for Treviso before signing for Stade 14 years ago and a return to the Italians would surely be an attractive development for their profile following a season where they qualified for the PRO14 knockout stages for the first time and secured Champions Cup qualification.

In the meantime, what is clear is that Friday was a dramatic day at Stade’s training centre. Parisse had attended in the morning for an individual gym session, yet by the afternoon the club had released a six-line statement to signal his sudden departure. Quite an ending after 14 years. 

WATCH: Episode four of the RugbyPass Rugby Explorer series where Jim Hamilton treks through Italian rugby and spends time in Treviso

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

35 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

35 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'It's an All Black discussion': The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys The pair of young Hurricanes tipped for black jerseys
Search