The Herald reports

Where in the world does Rory Lamont go to next?
Published on 29 Nov 2011

Stuart McAllister

HOW much of a pay cut is Rory Lamont willing to take to put himself back centre stage in his ambition for more Scotland caps?

It is a question that is being discussed by coaches up and down the country now that the player once hailed as the next big thing in Scottish rugby is suddenly on the market.

The circumstances that drove him out of Toulon are still a source of mystery and intrigue. Mourad Boudjellal, the club’s owner, and coach, Bernard Laporte – the man once in charge of France – wasted little time in pointing the finger of blame at the player, which smacks of getting their shots in first since Lamont’s contract does not officially come to an end until tomorrow and he can’t get his side of the story out into the open until he is a free agent.

In the meantime all he has been able to do is make public messages of support he has been getting from his team-mates at Toulon, including club captain Joe Van Niekerk, to rebut the claim from club officials that he refused to fit in with the squad.

What is clear is that his problems started when Laporte came on board, replacing Philippe Saint-Andre, the coach who had taken him to Sale in 2008 and then persuaded Lamont to follow him to the Mediterranean.

Now that he has moved into Laporte’s old job trying to bring some sense to the French team, it has been obvious that Lamont was seen as unwanted baggage by the new management.

After a disappointing World Cup, where he played only once for Scotland and was not in the squad for any of the key games, he had not featured for his club with David Smith, a Kiwi signed from the Western Force club in Australia; Christian Loamanu, a Japan-qualified Tongan; and Alexis Palisson, the France player, winning all the wing selections. Luke Rooney, an Australian rugby league convert, and Benjamin Lapeyre have taken the full-back slots.

From Lamont’s point of view that was an untenable position. At 29 he still has some of his best rugby years in front of him but with only 26 caps and six Test tries to his name, he is still something of an unfulfilled talent and time is running out.

Injuries have played a role – according to his brother Sean, the self-preservation gene went missing when they were putting Rory together – and he has suffered badly from the continuing need for Scotland coaches to include Chris Paterson for his goal kicking, regardless of who is judged the better under the high ball and the stronger runner. For all that, after breaking into the team six years ago, more was expected from a player of his talent.

One thing which is brutally clear is that he cannot hang around. The RBS Six Nations Championship training squad will be announced in about eight weeks, and Andy Robinson, the head coach, has been ruthless in only picking players who have been performing well.

Fortunately for Lamont, he was so far out of favour at Toulon that they did not include him in their squads for either of the Amlin Cup matches they have played, which means he could still be added to his new club’s European squad – four of the eight weeks he has to try to fight his way back into international contention are tied up with European games.

So far neither of the professional clubs in Scotland have been shouting about trying to get him. Sean Lineen, the Glasgow Warriors coach, has made his admiration for the player clear so often that it would be amazing if he did not at least ask Lamont about the prospect of returning, and the new administration at Murrayfield about adding to the wage budget after already splashing out on David Lemi. If he did sign, it would offer the chance to try out Stuart Hogg, who has been playing full-back, at outside centre where his speed and creativity might provide the spark the back division needs.

Edinburgh seems a more remote possibility, while the Welsh clubs need to look after their Welsh-qualified players. Of the Irish provinces, Ulster might be in the market since they have been so desperate for a full-back that Simon Danielli, a wing by choice and instinct, has been playing there, but the rest are well covered.

Which leaves his probable destination as England. Newcastle grabbed the last Scot to leave a club in mid-season when Euan Murray decamped from Northampton last season, and are certainly in need of some spark that might rescue them from seemingly inevitable relegation. Alan Tait, the Falcons’ coach, knows Lamont from his Scotland days and is another who would certainly be interested.

Elsewhere, Sale have become something of a home-from-home for exiled Scottish players, but it is hard to see many other vacancies south of the Border where games would be assured.

It seems improbable that any club is likely to come in for a player who has left his club under something of a cloud, however unjustified that may be, at the kind of money that he has been getting at Toulon. So, whatever happens next, a pay cut seems inevitable. It would be worth it, though, for regular rugby and the chance to get back into a Scotland shirt.

This article was posted on 29-Nov-2011, 08:24 by Hugh Barrow.