George Smith will be heading to the land of the rising sums next season
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The lure and lucre of a move to France is well known, but it faces competition for players from the land of the rising sums according to Shaun Edwards in The Guardian.
"Most, I think, always considered the Japanese league to be something of a rest home or a pension plan for guys who had done valiant service with their clubs and countries but were beginning to feel the aches and pains. George Gregan, 139 times a Wallaby and now aged 38, has only just finished with Suntory three years after a season with Toulon, and there are plenty who didn't quite make it so big as the record‑breaking Australian scrum-half.
"...However, it is the transfer of George Smith, the former Australia captain and flanker, that should ring alarm bells. After his successful season in the south of France, Toulon wanted to keep Smith, but they were outbid and the 30-year‑old, who has quite a bit left on his clock, will be lining up with Norton‑Knight after Sanyo Wild Knights offered him a reported €800,000 (£720,000) for a season that spans just 13 games before the play‑offs. That's almost football money and you can imagine a few players may be rethinking their plans."
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