Ben Barba faces months of being a Top 14 spectator, with his new rugby union club Toulon casting doubt on him getting regular game time until 2018.
The former NRL fullback will battle not only a lack of experience in the 15-man game, but also fierce competition for backline spots in a star-studded outfit.
Barba inked a two-and-a-half year deal worth a reported $1 million a year with the French powerhouse Toulon following his shock exit from Cronulla this month.
Toulon assistant coach Stephen Meehan said Barba could be forced to wait until the 2017-18 Top 14 season begins in August to make his debut.
“Unless there was major injury problems throughout the club, I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Meehan told Fox Sports.
“Frankly, I imagine it’s going to be slow. For the first six months, for him it would just be a question of getting your head down and working on everything as hard as you can, get to know everything, study the game.
“Honestly, if all these guys are available, I can’t see him getting a lot of game time this year.”
The 27-year-old joins a squad bursting with fullbacks, with former Wallaby James O’Connor, Welsh star Leigh Halfpenny, France’s Pierre Bernard and Japan fan favourite Ayumu Goromaru all wearing the No.15 jersey this season.
Barba, a Dally M medallist and NRL premiership winner with the Sharks last year, claims to have played rugby in high school.
He left rugby league after the NRL delayed registering his Cronulla contract while facing a 12-game ban for a second positive illicit drugs test.
Meehan, who’s in Australia for Toulon’s Brisbane Global Rugby Tens campaign this weekend, was hopeful Barba would prove him wrong.
“But that’s a challenge for him. He might prove me wrong. He might take to the game like that,” Meehan said.
“(But) I haven’t seen anyone come in and light up the code immediately.
“There’s going to be a period for adjustment over there, ever more difficult because we’ve got various languages on the pitch.”
Bakkies
Guest
The players tend to live up in the hills in the Var. Bakkies and Wilko lived up that way. About 20 minutes or so outside of the city. They get mobbed if they picked accommodation in amongst it.
Bakkies
Guest
Sorry Axel Muller. Not sure if he is going back to Arg. Selections depend on who is coaching them next season. Ford is looking shaking and Cóckerill is linked to Edinburgh
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Grrrrr, couldn't finish/change my comment. Here it is in full: Hi there TM, maybe it is nirvana for someone from New Zealand. (Wicked smile). Seriously though I haven't been to Toulon for many many years but I do remember two fabulous nights out on the town checking out the restaurant and bar scene at a reasonable cost. Like most of the South of France, its pretty run down. I think Ben Barba would be sensational at Union and in his original position of 5/8. If I recall, that was his position before he moved to Brissie Broncoes. Lightning feet, a good field kicking game and has vision, though in a RL sense so definitely needs time there. Shows you the money on offer when they can pay $1 megabucks to a training warrior. Think its time I found them old boots and swat up on my French "Passe-moi la balle, frog drongo" :) But as someone else has alluded to, I hope Barba has his family there as being on his own with no-one to relate to, all that money and free time is a recipe for disaster. I hope not as I wish the bloke all the best.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Hi there TM, maybe it is, for someone from New Zealand. (Wicked smile)
taylorman
Roar Guru
Ha ha, start with running up a hill first perhaps Jacko...then go from there?
taylorman
Roar Guru
Geez it depends on who you talk to then as others have painted a picture of vibrancy, colour, energy etc etc.
kevin Malone
Guest
true riddler
riddler
Guest
if you know anything about the south of france then you would know that toulon is very, very ordinary.. ugly town with not much else there. you have to head a long way east to see the south of france that people think of when people talk of the south of france..
Kevin Malone
Guest
Toulon is a pretty crappy town
jameswm
Roar Guru
But the lifestyle's sensational.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Seriously? What's their B team like?
In Brief
Guest
Big question mark over any player going to France. I can't think of any rugby player who has come back a better player for the experience, with the possible exception of SBW (who came from league) and Giteau, but that was more about maturity. Seems like a pretty unpleasant place to play rugby - I don't like the culture of the clubs, the way the game is refereed or the way the game is played in France.
Jacko
Guest
A million bucks a year for training and not playing? Where do I sign?
Gary Russell-Sharam
Guest
I agree with Meehan, Barba will struggle early to get any game time. That may be to his detriment as he might have some time on his hands sitting on the pine or not playing each week. And you know what happens when idle minds and bodies infuse, they think of other ways to entertain themselves. He will have to be very strong minded to stay away from other nefarious options for entertainment. In the past he has shown a certain weakness in this area. We will have to wait and see. His rehabilitation effort will come under a lot of pressure. I hope for his families sake he does have the intestinal fortitude to hang in there and make a success of his venture, because when he is on, his game he is a fine player.
Bakkies
Guest
Tuisova, Habana, Alex Muller, O'Connor, Radradra, Ashton Mitchell won't be there next season.
jameswm
Roar Guru
What wingers do they have? If Mitchell is one of them, I could see Barba being a lot more dangerous, if green. Why pay someone $1m a year to get splinters in their butt?
Bakkies
Guest
I don't think that Halfpenny has signed a contract for next season and has been linked to a move back to Wales