French connection won’t distract Simon Zebo

Simon Zebo admits he would have little difficulty in settling into a new life as a rugby player in France, but the Munster and Ireland wing is postponing all thoughts on his club future until after the upcoming World Cup.

The Cork wing has one more year left on his current deal and he will be one of the first high-profile Irish players to conduct negotiations with the IRFU on the back of Paul O’Connell’s switch to Toulon, which may yet reopen continental eyes to possible Irish recruits.

Zebo’s father Arthur was born in the French overseas region of Martinique and, with family in both Paris and Toulouse, there would be few of the cultural difficulties involved which many English-speaking players routinely encounter when making for the continent.

Toulouse were rumoured to be interested in his signature the last time he ultimately extended his stay at Munster and his electric playing style and all-round improvement at the behest, in part at least, of Joe Schmidt would make him an attractive target.

“It would be way less of a deal,” he agreed at the unveiling of Munster’s latest adidas home and alternative kits, when asked about O’Connell’s decision and a hypothetical switch of his own at some point down the line.

“I have a lot of family over there, I speak French, but that is something that I would have to think about come contract time, which is actually quite soon. I’ll be negotiating soon enough, maybe after the World Cup.”

How O’Connell’s move, allied to the temporary loss of Jonathan Sexton to Racing Metro, affects the French-Irish landscape remains to be seen, but Zebo does believe that players here are no longer as “reluctant” to contemplate upping sticks as was once the case.

It is more than two years now since Rob Kearney hinted strongly at taking up a foreign offer ahead of dealings with the IRFU. That wasn’t Zebo yesterday. He was, rather, simply responding to a line of questioning and his heart clearly still belongs to his home province.

Yet, rugby has changed and continues to change.

The budgets available to the French giants, many of whom are backed by sugar daddies and all of whom are availing of eye-watering TV deals, is pushing up the salaries available to the world’s best players. “Soccer money,” as Zebo called it yesterday.

That sort of cash loosens loyalties.

“It would have to. It would definitely have to and it’s happening already. People have to look after themselves and it is such a short career.

“We don’t have the luxury of being in this business and earning this money for 30, 40 years.It’s massively important, but it is extra hard to leave a club like Munster, which, I think is different to every other club because of loyalty, passion and what you get back from the fans is different to any other club I’ve played with or been to.

“It would be doubly as hard [to leave] but, at the end of the day, you have to look after yourself and your family.”

It is hard not to imagine that Zebo’s thoughts will be affected by the naming of Schmidt’s World Cup squad.

One of nine wings and/or full-backs in the current training squad of 45, he is not guaranteed what is likely to be one of the five back three slots on offer.

He is one of at least five of the back three candidates capable of filling more than one role. In his case, that is wing and full-back though he doesn’t feel the need to be stressing that versatility as the coaching staff goes about its deliberations.

Ireland have almost six weeks in camp and a quartet of warm-up games to negotiate before the final cut is made.

Make it and another IRFU contract would be hard to turn down. Fail, or make it and see little action in England, and the prospect of a new chapter would surely increase.

“It’s down to each individual. It’s great because the competition is very high in training.

“Obviously there is going to be class international standard players who are not going to travel. That’s just the way it is. That’s sport.”