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Loving life in Paris, Mark Gasnier has categorically ruled out ever returning to the NRL but also laughed off the suggestion he may one day choose France over Australia to become a dual international.
Speaking to the Australian press for the first time since his departure from St George Illawarra the day after their elimination from the NRL finals series, Gasnier also set the record straight about why he turned his back on the 13-a-side code.
With Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and ARU high performance unit manager David Nucifora watching on keenly from the stands, Gasnier lasted just 19 minutes before limping off with an ankle injury in Stade Francais’s 19-12 home win over Castres in the French Top 14 on Friday night.
The former Kangaroos Test ace had started in the centres for the first time and was feeling “more instinctive” than on the wing, only to break down after having a hand in the only try of the game, continuing his wretched run since linking with the Ewen McKenzie-coached side nine weeks ago.
Gasnier has managed less than five full matches but maintains he has no regrets about his high-profile move.
“It’s hard because you come over here wanting to get into it and then you have to take two steps forward, one step back,” Gasnier said.
“I guess that’s why I’m banging my head against the wall when I miss one or two (games) because I get frustrated.
“I came back really early to try to play in the Stade de France game and every week it’s been giving me little tweaks and I think tonight was the sign to maybe back off a little bit.
“I’m excited, though, and hopefully I can stay 100 per cent fit for a big block of games and then I think I’ll get more accustomed to it.”
Injury aside, Gasnier said he was loving living in Paris.
He and French fiancee Claudine – who Gasnier stressed was “born and bred in the northern beaches (of Sydney)” – have a plush apartment in the Trocadero district just blocks away from the Eiffel Tower.
“It’s real Paris,” Gasnier said.
“It’s an unbelievable city. Look, everything about it is great, except the parking; I’ve never seen anything like it.
“The parking’s just crazy and it’s like a game of chicken on the road.
“They (the club) sort of throw you in the deep end and it’s sink or swim because you arrive here and meet everyone and everyone’s nice and they put you in your car, put the GPS on English and away you go.
“But, no, it’s good, Paris. It’s a beautiful city.
“It’s been a year today actually since I started training (for the 2008 NRL season) but, like I said to Ewen when I arrived, I think mentally you get more tired from a long season than physically and coming over here was refreshing.
“It’s a different game, it’s a different language, it’s different surroundings. Everything’s different.”
But the 27-year-old said it was too early in his new career to contemplate representing the Wallabies and insisted his meeting with Nucifora this week was nothing more than a friendly rendezvous “to discuss how I was enjoying rugby”.
“If I ever wanted to come home, I guess they (the ARU) were probably finding out how fair dinkum I was about rugby, which is fair enough,” he said.
“But I think it’s a bit unfair to talk about the Wallabies and stuff like that because, if you include half games, it’s about four and a half games I’ve played.
“Not that I don’t care in a disrespectful way but I really focused all my energy on learning the game.
“Until I do that, it’s pointless (to talk with the ARU).”
Gasnier conceded the prospect of appearing in the 2011 Rugby World Cup was appealing but he needed a lot more time before considering a return to Australia to play in the Super 14, one of the ARU requirements for anyone hoping for a Wallabies call-up.
“There’s a lot of maybes. I might re-sign here, I might … there’s so many maybes,” he said.
“I’ve got a two-year contract and I wouldn’t be able to give a fair dinkum answer until I play at least two years of rugby.
“They’re of a very high standard in Test matches, so you can’t kid yourself … you can’t just say you want to play in a World Cup. There’s actually a long pathway to get to play in it.
“If I play a big block of games and be honest with myself, then we’ll see how it goes.”
Gasnier, though, promised he would never consider representing Les Bleus over the Wallabies, as coach McKenzie suggested last week.
“No way,” he said. “My mother and father would disown me.
“I’m a very proud Australian. I didn’t take it for granted when I played for Australia in rugby league. I was proud and Australia’s a great country, so I would never play for any other country. I’m proud of that fact too.”
Gasnier said there was also no way he would return to the NRL.
“No, I’m definitely over that,” he said.
But, despite believing the league fraternity were looking for more sinister reasons behind his cross-code switch, he was merely eager to challenge himself in rugby.
“I didn’t leave because of any fishbowl existence,” he said.
“I probably don’t really like it when the press write it but I know it’s because people say it.
“I was very happy.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.