Ronan O’Gara: In France’s Top 14, Simon Zebo remains a man for all seasons
Racing 92's Simon Zebo takes to the field. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
Leinster might very well become the first side in Heineken Champions Cup history to win the tournament without leaving their backyard in the knockout phase.
If Leo Cullen’s side are in the final — not a certainty of course, but a strong possibility given their semi will also be at the Aviva Stadium — the indications are that the final will also be at Lansdowne Road.
Saracens may come full of positive intent tomorrow to Dublin for the quarter-final, but theirs is a squad minus too many of its leading lights, and with Owen Farrell missing too through suspension, being competitive for as long as possible is probably as much as they can hope for.
Where once Saracens could also unleash a brutal bench after 60 minutes, they will now pay the price of past sins in the final quarter against the Leinster juggernaut.
All things being equal, Leinster will face Clermont or Simon Zebo’s Racing 92 in the semi-final. Racing would be favoured in the quarter-final but this might be a bad time to be visiting Clermont’s Stade Michelin. Last weekend, they led Bayonne 19-7 but managed to lose the game 21-19.
There will have been some shit-kicking this week in training. But any side that can bring the mercurial Finn Russell and dazzling Virimi Vakatawa to the party has to be feared. It’s great that in this data-filled world, there are still players like that which computers can’t control.
If Racing came to a spectatorless-Aviva in the semi-final, it might just be the sternest examination Leinster could face at the moment. They need to get there first.
Zebo’s not just waiting to hear whether he’s involved this weekend, he’s also pondering his long-term future at the moment, with his contract in Paris up at the end of the season.
Chances are he could end up staying put. Zebo has a lot going for him as a Top 14 proposition. And from a personal point of view, he has already made the hard move in leaving Cork and Munster.
Club presidents in France like the idea of a player like Zebo who won’t be heading off on international duty any time soon. That may be a brutal scenario for a man who loved to pull on that green jersey but it’s appealing for a Top 14 club to have someone of Simon’s class available all year round. He also has a really good coach and manager in Laurent Travers in Racing, who understands how Zebo is wired and understands his relaxed character.
In his first year in Paris, the Cork man whipped up a storm whereas in his second season, he was perhaps guilty on occasions of tucking into the old Pains Au Chocolat... Now in the final season of his contract, he was flying before a foot injury grounded him in the spring, but all the indications I’m getting is that his attitude is spot on.
The difference between a switched-on Simon Zebo and the alternative is night and day. With Kurtley Beale suspended until the semi-final at least, there’s a timely window of opportunity there for Zebo to remind everyone what he is about.
There’s another very important issue playing out in the background here for Zebo and how Top 14 clubs will go about signing overseas players in the future. A proposal is on the table to increase the requirement to have 16 homegrown players in your matchday squad up to 17 of the 23 players. A year ago, it was 15, so that’s a serious change in the composition of any squad. That change isn’t just restricted to matchday. In affects your recruitment, your Academy and your thinking as a head coach in terms of whether a signing is a guaranteed starter or not. A Top 14 side can only have six overseas players in its match-day squad and must have 17 JIFFs as they are called (Joueurs Issus des Filières de Formation) – essentially homegrown players who have come through the club system.
So Zebo ticks a lot of boxes in that scenario – not least the fact that he can play different positions and will not be lost to international call ups for extended periods of time. But Simon can look after himself.
As a head coach, it’s an area I have to get a lot better at – and fast. It increases the risk of overseas ‘punts’. It underlines the importance of the Academy. As Donal Lenihan has said in this newspaper, Munster at its strongest, was littered with lads from Cork, Limerick, and Tipp with the occasional Howlett, Tipoki, Halstead, etc thrown in.
One can very clearly see why football clubs have appointed full-time Heads of Talent and/or Heads of Scouting and Recruitment. It’s a full-time job in itself and to be frank, it’s something I used a lot of thinking time on in the lockdown. That period offered coaches the opportunity to see what each fella brings to the table – accountability and reality v perception. It’s very different when you go through hard data on some players.
Obviously, I haven’t coached at international level, but the differences are stark. The club must manage salary cap, budgets, and get recruitment spot on. At international level, it’s more about building a group, developing skillset, mindset, and structure. The change in eligibility rules has diluted that chemistry a bit but that’s a debate for another column. Since professionalism, international rugby is a different animal.
I got a close-up look at Cheslin Kolbe last Saturday in Toulouse. Too close for comfort. The Springbok winger might just be the deadliest player in world rugby today. He would be worth the admission fee alone. Ulster get to ‘enjoy’ the same close-up view of Kolbe on Sunday in another of the quarter-finals.
Toulouse’s nine, Antoine Dupont, is another operating at an elite level now, and has developed hugely in the last 12 months but Kolbe in king. I knew was nippy and fast but his power through contact makes you appreciate how special this guy is.
Ulster will be brave for sure and better, one hopes, than the PRO14 final, but they’re not good enough to topple Toulouse in my opinion. They won’t rip you apart with Schmidt specials, but their excitement on turnover ball is impressive to watch and they keep the ball alive at all costs. The fibres in their brain twitch when they see the possibilities off a turnover.
With a sunny day and a hard surface, it’s difficult to defend; of course, the flip side is you don’t want to be doing that sort of stuff if you’re behind. I’d like to see Ulster test their pulse. La Rochelle were 26-23 down after 72 minutes last Saturday and we had a moment to shine a light on them, but we never put our foot on their throat.
They scored ridiculously good tries against us, and while they are not near the Toulouse team of the Noves pomp, they are certainly getting there. It could transpire that they square off against Exeter in an intriguing cup semi-final. Then the old questions return regarding discipline in a cauldron-like situation. English and Irish set pieces are perennially too good for the Top 14 sides.
We could be looking at a Leinster-Exeter final.
