Two French legends stand on the verge of a decade old Top14 record
The name Laurent Arbo is probably not one many rugby fans outside France will recognise.
He did not grace the international scene as a player, making his first appearance in Les Bleus’ kit as a trainer in 2011 ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand, and four years after he had laced up his boots in anger for the final time.
His domestic career bears all the hallmarks of an honest, long-serving journeyman. It ran from the early years of professionalism in 1991, when the Top 14 was the Top 16, until 2007, and included spells at Perpignan, Brive, Pau, Castres Olympique, and Montpellier.
Yet in those 16 years of service in the French top flight, he set a record that still stands today. On November 17, 2006, in an otherwise unremarkable match between Montpellier and Stade Francais, Arbo scored his 100th try in French top-flight rugby.
No player in the professional era in France has touched down more times. Only two current players are even close. And both are about to enter what looks set to be their final seasons.
The 36-year-old Vincent Clerc scored most of his 98 domestic tries during a 14-season spell with Toulouse, before heading to the south coast to join Toulon at the start of last season on a one-year deal.
After just three matches in Toulon colours, a ruptured achilles ended his campaign in January. That injury came close to ending Clerc’s career, when he was three touchdowns shy of a new French scoring record. He finally re-signed with Toulon in early July for one more season, having been a visitor to the local job centre for a few weeks after his contract ended.
Arbo believes Clerc is the player to break his long-standing mark. “I am a little proud of this record,” he told French rugby website Rugbyrama in May. “I was never the toughest player, but I managed to get through some stretched defences.
“But … Vincent Clerc had an international career that I did not have, injuries that he had to come back from. To last so long, I have to raise my hat to him. And I think he’ll come back again: he has the mind for it.”
Arbo’s prediction has come true – Clerc has come back. But he will have to make the most of what are likely to be limited chances, with Josua Tuisova, Chris Ashton and Hugo Bonneval likely to dominate back-three selection.
And he has a rival. In January, one-club man Aurélien Rougerie signed a contract extension that keeps him at Clermont for another year. The centre has 95 domestic tries to his name, and may have a few more chances than Clerc to reach his century-plus-one if he stays fit.
Arbo admits his record would have fallen already if either of these two players had not enjoyed lengthy international careers. Clerc has 34 international tries in 67 appearances in France colours, while and Rougerie has 23 from 76 internationals, which means their career totals including internationals leave Arbo’s for dust. And who knows what their numbers would have been had they remained injury free?
But, for now Arbo remains the only player to have scored 100 tries in professional domestic rugby in France. The question is: for how much longer?
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments