Will Skelton has won three European Cups and captained his country in a World Cup, but the pressure of his profession never relents.
His French club, La Rochelle, has not won a game in eight outings and the beautiful port city is stunned. Its citizens have come to expect regular, world-class servings of two things: seafood and rugby.
Skelton cares deeply about his adopted home, where the baker, butcher and barber typically act as unsolicited selection and strategy advisors. And the second-rower is all too aware his own form has not been good enough and that he must improve dramatically to earn his place against the British and Irish Lions.
“To put on the gold jersey is always a privilege, So whenever I do get the opportunity to go [and play], I really cherish it,” Skelton said. “I try and soak up and take in every experience like it’s probably my last, especially with a big Lions tour coming up.
“All I can really control is my form here at club, and I’m not in great form at the moment. I’ve got to really get my standards back up and perform a lot better if I even want to be in that Lions conversation.”
On Saturday, Skelton has the perfect opportunity to turn the tide. La Rochelle will face Munster – their Irish coach Ronan O’Gara’s former club – in the last 16 of the European Cup. The population of La Rochelle is about 75,000, and the club’s Stade Marcel-Deflandre – capacity 16,700 – is sold out for every home game.
Will Skelton playing for the Waratahs against the Lions in 2013.Credit: James Brickwood.
You can safely assume Joe Schmidt will be an interested observer. Skelton played under the Wallabies coach against Wales and Scotland last November and speaks glowingly of the elite standards he has set and delivered. Have the two men kept in contact since Skelton last played in gold?
“We’ve had a few phone calls and texts since November, but no,” Skelton said. “That’s the thing with Joe, he’s pretty tight-lipped and he runs a really tight ship. And I know he really wants that homegrown squad and if he is going to choose some overseas guys, they’re going to have to be playing world-class footy.
“I’m head down here, and I’m really trying to do as best I can for this team and then if it comes [Wallabies selection for the Lions], it comes, mate.”
Skelton and James Slipper are the only current Wallabies with experience of playing against the Lions. In his debut season with the Waratahs, Skelton featured against the 2013 tourists in front of a sell-out crowd at Allianz Stadium. The Waratahs may have lost by 30 points on the night, but it remains one of Skelton’s most treasured memories – and he is desperate to experience it again.
Will Skelton and the Wallabies training in November under Joe SchmidtCredit: SNS Group via Getty Images
“It was one of my first 80-minute games, I remember the coaches said after that I played all right for 40 [minutes] and then I just bloody walked and I was a passenger for the next 40. But they wanted to get me out there and get that experience,” Skelton said.
“I definitely enjoyed the game. It was physical, it was fast. The build-up was unbelievable … you can see how much it means to those boys as well, playing for the Lions. For us, we had a commemorative jersey, which I’ve still got at home, which will always be pretty special.”
When Skelton first left Australia, to join Saracens in 2017, he wasn’t sure if or when he would next play for the Wallabies. The subsequent Test caps have been cherished, but haven’t come without their challenges.
In November, Skelton missed out on playing against Ireland in Dublin due to the Test falling outside the international window. The balance of giving your best for your club and country is difficult to strike.
“It’s just making sure that the [Wallabies] head coach and the union has an open relationship with the clubs,” Skelton says. “I think that’s the main point, that there is an ongoing conversation, and we’re real transparent on what we want and what’s needed because at the end of the day, I think there’s only a handful of overseas players. The bulk of the squad is homegrown, and it has to be like that,” Skelton said.
“If you are choosing the select few overseas, those guys have to be, first off, wanting to play and wanting to have that fire to continue playing for their country and also coming in to add value and make a difference. In the past selections that I’ve come in, I really wanted to make a difference and play my game and learn and share the experiences I’ve had overseas.
“For me, it’s just to give a bit of expertise. It doesn’t have to be spoken, either, it could be through actions. It could be through how I’ve learnt a few things, how we defend in a maul in certain situations, how I scrum … video nowadays, you see everything, but I guess that first-person, that live experience, is something that some guys haven’t really felt.”
Skelton is one of Australian rugby’s most successful exports and a large part of that can be put down to his willingness to embrace the culture of his adopted home. Skelton had an opportunity to move to France to play for Lyon in 2014, at the start of his Wallabies career, but he decided he wasn’t ready and continued to develop in Australia before moving to Saracens three years later.
One of Australia’s brightest rugby prospects, Heinz Lemoto, is considering a move to France, alongside offers from Rugby Australia and Penrith Panthers in the NRL. What advice would Skelton give Lemoto, or any young player considering the move abroad?
“Before, it was almost like once you left overseas, [you’re] done,” Skelton said. “But there’s opportunities now where you can leave, go, do two, three years in an [French] academy, develop as a player, learn a different style of rugby, and then also come back.
“You’ve got to really weigh up what you want in rugby. And if that means, I can come back and I’m still eligible and I can play in Australia and learn, that’s definitely one way to look at it.
“Everyone’s different, everyone has different backgrounds. And if you really look into what you want to do with your rugby career and where you want to be in 10, 15, 20 years, I think that’s definitely a way to look at it and just really stay open to whatever opportunities come your way.”
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