LONG READ Kolisi's short-term French leave shows Top 14 is no playground for superstars of the game

There was a rather unfortunate headline at the start of this week on France 24, the Gallic version of BBC World. ‘Olympics force Kolisi’s Racing to move games to fourth-tier football ground’.

The story was about the fact Racing will have to play three home games at the start of the Top 14 season at the modest home of Creteil-Lusitanos because their own stadium, La Defense Arena, is hosting the aquatic events for the Paralympics.

It was a shame no one had told the broadcaster that Siya Kolisi is on his way to the Sharks in Durban. The two-time Springboks World Cup winner joins a lengthening list of big names who have bombed at Racing. To reel off some: Dan Lydiate, Jamie Roberts, Johan Goosen, Jonny Sexton, Emiliano Boffelli, Kurtley Beale, Brian Mujati and Pat Lambie.

But Kolisi is probably top of the flops. When he arrived in Paris last November having signed a three-year deal with Racing, he declared: ‘I need to prove myself, learn a new language and get to grips with a new culture. The day I leave the club, I want people to be able to say that I gave it my all.’

They won’t be saying that, certainly not Racing’s owner, Jacky Lorenzetti. He may have hastened Kolisi’s departure after describing his performance in the Top 14 semi-final defeat to Bordeaux in June as ‘transparent’.

As Kolisi departs, Owen Farrell arrives. If the former Saracens and England fly-half felt the weight of expeection before he unpacked his bags in Paris he will now know that all eyes will be on him in the coming season. Not least those of Lorenzetti. It’s nearly 20 years since the Swiss tycoon began pumping money into Racing and in all that time he has one major title to his name – the 2016 Top 14. How long will his interest and investment last?

If Farrell will feel the pressure to succeed in Paris so too will his mentor, Racing’s director of rugby Stuart Lancaster,  the man who as England coach nurtured Farrell’s international career in its early years.

As well as Farrell, France internationals Demba Bamba and Romain Taofifenua have been signed by Lancaster, along with his son, Dan, a fly-half who joins from Ealing, and Sam James, who arrives from Sale Sharks.

None will be pocketing the same wages as Farrell which, according to the French press, will be around €66,000 a month.

That’s 60,000 more a month than one of Farrell’s former England teammates will be earning for his stint in France.

It’s less than a year since Farrell and Jonny May lined up for England against South Africa in the RWC semi-final. Although Farrell would make one final appearance for his country – in the Bronze match win over Argentina – the Boks game was the last of May’s 78 Tests for England, a career that spanned a decade and included 36 tries, a number that only Rory Underwood has bettered in a white shirt.

The 34-year-old May is only eighteen months older than Farrell but has opted to see out his playing days with Soyaux-Angoulême. Don’t worry if the name is unfamiliar; it is to most people outside Pro D2 circles. Soyaux-Angoulême is not exactly a powerhouse in French rugby. Three years ago they were playing in the Nationale, the third tier, before winning promotion to the Pro D2. They finished 14th in 2022-23 and edged up to 12th last season, playing their home games at the 8,000 Stade Chanzy.

So how did such a club – based between La Rochelle and Bordeaux – manage to lure one of the greats of English rugby to their ranks? When May announced he was leaving Gloucester earlier in the year, the local press speculated that he  would ‘move to either the lucrative Japanese League or the French Top 14’.

Soyaux-Angoulême’s president, Didier Pitcho, recently revealed to Midi Olympique how he pulled off one of the transfer coups of the decade: ‘It’s quite simple, Jonny May wanted to come to France and he fell in love,’ he said. ‘Strange as it may seem, it was my girlfriend who was instrumental in bringing him to France.’

On hearing that a move to France was one of May’s options, Didier Pitcho thought to hinself ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’. His girlfriend, Séverine, a teacher of English in Paris, contacted Jonny and his wife. They exchanged messages and video calls and, according to Midi Olympique, ‘the couple fell for the teacher’s convincing pitch’.

The salary was Pitcho’s greatest concern; according to reports May turned down the initial offer of €5,000 a month but settled for €6,000.

The Mays have been France for a month and by all accounts everyone is happy. ‘It only took two or three training sessions to see that he hadn’t come for an early retirement,’ club captain Gauthier Gibouin told the press last week. ‘He’s got real gas, great technical qualities…worthy of his status. What’s more, he’s really a great guy. He really wants to fit in as quickly as possible.’

May and his wife, Sophie, are taking French lessons and it seems they’re determined to get the most out of their two years in France.