Apparently, life at Toulon isn’t all rainbows, sunshine and million € contracts. Not only is Mourad Boudjellal threatening to tear up Leigh Halfpenny’s contract because the Welsh goal-kicking replacement for Johnny Wilkinson dared to sustain an injury.

Now, Boudjellal has threatened legal action over stars still on international duty in The Rugby Championship if they don’t return to Toulon to take part in this weekend’s Top14 competition.

Boudjellal is threatening Argentine star Juan Martin Fernández Lobbe and Springboks Bryan Habana and Bakkies Botha if they don’t return to play Brive this weekend.

According to ESPN, Boudjellal has threatened to not pay his stars if they refuse to return and has also issued an ultimatum, even threatening court action in France.

All three stars are with their respective squads preparing for the matches next weekend with Argentina set to host the All Blacks and the Springboks ready to host the Wallabies. But Boudjellal believes he has rights to his players this weekend and is prepared to take them to court.

“There is something that is quite simple – they defend the colours of their country and are paid rather comfortably by Toulon,” Boudjellal told French media. “The IRB decided the rules. That’s fine but I’m not here to fund South African and Argentine rugby and I will not.

“These players will return as we need them. If they do not and we receive no fee, they will not be paid by us because they will not be present in Toulon. We’ll see if the rules of the IRB prevail or if it is the rules of the Labour Code for French private enterprise. In any case, it is an aberration.

“We have reached a stage where we have to ask the opinion of the French law. Therefore, we will ask the French judges whether a foreign federation has the right to take my employees and force me to pay them. It’s just unthinkable we have players who are paid very well by us but cannot play them. Moreover, I have to pay the players replacing them. This is a double sanction.”

This power-mad behaviour on threatening legal action over Halfpenny, and the three southern hemisphere stars is a carry-on from Boudjellal – not so subtle threat to the Queensland Reds over star recruit James O’Connor.

The Reds believe they have signed O’Connor on a two-year contract, but the Toulon boss was having non of that, saying that his star utility back would return to France once the Rugby World Cup was complete.

“We always said James O’Connor had signed for three years at Toulon with a possible six months absence during the season to be able to play in the World Cup … so we respect what has been signed … He is committed for two years after the Cup,” Boudjellal told Radio Monte Carlo.

And what should be a worry for the Reds, is that Boudjellal doesn’t like to be told “no”.

However, there is one thing the billionaire is planning that the rugby world is looking forward to. A potential match-up between the Heineken Cup champions and the Super Rugby champions.

While this match has been planned in the past, and has fallen through for various reasons, out of all previous attempts, this is more likely than ever before to go ahead because of the precarious financial situation the ARU has found themselves in, in recent years. 

That would be a mouth-watering match-up that will be talked about for years to come, however, the banter is bound to surround who’s match-fit and who’s in the middle of pre-season.

Editorial note
Boudjellal may have made his fortune in comic books, but it doesn’t mean he needs to behave like a comic book character.

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James O’Connor is clearly a wanted man with both the Reds and his current club, Toulon, claiming that Australian utility back will play for their club after the World Cup.

Last week, O’Connor announced that he would be joining the Queensland Reds in advance of the 2015 World Cup to secure a place in the Wallabies World Cup squad.

Upon the announcement, the Reds claimed that O’Connor had signed a two year deal which would keep him at the Suncorp Stadium until 2016.

However, contrary to the Reds’ statement, Toulon President, Mourad Boudjellal, has claimed that O’Connor has signed a three year deal with the Mediterranean side, with O’Connor being allowed to return to Australia for six months to try and claim an Australian squad berth.

In an interview with RMC Radio,  Boudjellal was confident that the Australian’s future is at the Stade Mayol.

“We always said that James signed a three-year deal with a possible six month absence to be able to play in the World Cup, so we respect what was signed.”

“He’s signed on for two years after the World Cup, ” said the millionaire comic publisher.

Despite Boudjellal’s claims, the Reds’ Chief Executive, Jim Carmichael, maintains that O’Connor’s post World Cup season will be at the Reds’

“In the interest of all parties, I’m not going to discuss the detail of any players’ contract.

“However, I’m completely satisfied that the agreement we have set is in the best interests of the QRU, the Reds, Australian Rugby and James O’Connor,” said Carmichael.

Article Source: Planet Rugby.

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Having been dropped from the Wallabies and Rebels setup, James O’Connor has been plying his trade in the Northern Hemisphere with London Irish. However he has been very vocal with his intent to play in the 2015 World Cup. At this stage the Queensland Reds seem the most likely Australian club to take the troubled but perhaps reformed young star.

 Nobody at Ballymore will confirm the lingering suggestion that O’Connor’s presence next year is a formality but nobody is denying it either, with both coach Richard Graham and Horwill hardly avoiding the issue when quizzed during the week.

 Questions remain about O’Connor’s record off the field but he appears to have been a model citizen during stints in English and French rugby over the past nine months.

 James Horwill, the Reds captain, expressed his faith in the QRU to make the right decision. However he emphasized the fact that “anyone that comes here, no matter who it is, has to come here for the right reasons and fit into our culture. That’s the most important thing we’ve stressed. No matter where they are, a Test player or a young guy, they have to come here because they want to play for Queensland, they want to fit into our way of playing and want to do things our way.

 After a dreadful season the Reds have been clearing their roster of names like Shipperly and Harris creating speculation for big signings. Another name being thrown up is Karmichael Hunt, currently playing footy on the Gold Coast. Having come from League, to AFL, could he have as big an impact as Israel Folau?

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We couldn’t have picked the 5 any better ourselves. We do feel a bit sorry for our cult hero The Honey Badger at the start, but hey, Rugby HQ provided us with plenty of laughs after.

Watch the video below:

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Fresh off the back of their consecutive Heineken Cup success, Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal looks to strengthen even more.

Much has been said about Toulon & other french teams in their signing of international superstars in the past few seasons. It has led to the creation of power houses in the European game but not every rugby fan agrees with these policies.

Boudjellal has said he wants to sign the 4 best players in the world when he was interviewed by Eurosport at the weeekend.

In a year, I will try to do the biggest thing I’ve ever done [in the transfer market]. I have an idea in my head, a crazy idea; I will try to make it happen. There are Quatre Fantastiques in the rugby world, I truly want to do that Grand Slam.”

With Toulon already confirming the signings of stars such a Leigh Halfpenny & James O’Connor to name a few, one wonders do Toulon really need more international stars?

He refused to confirm which players he has on his wish-list, but Toulon will be ready to pounce for the usual transfer frenzy after a Rugby World Cup in 2015. Here we take a look at some of the rumoured targets that could be part of the ‘Fantastic Four’.

So here’s our question to you, who would your fantastic four be if you were in Boudjellal’s shoes?

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James O’Connor in talks with the Reds

As senior players backed the Australian Rugby Union’s tough stance on Test eligibility, it emerged that O’Connor had piqued the interest of the struggling Reds and would most likely resume his Australian career in Brisbane next year.

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael would only say the province was open-minded about the controversial outside back, but Georgina Robinson, from Fairfax Media understands the Reds have made an offer for his services next season.

“I don’t have a closed mind on anything,” Carmichael said. “We’re working through what we would call the deficiencies we have as we speak. There’s a lot of pressure on us and we need to cop it on the chin, and just live in that pressure cooker at the moment without distracting people with who we may or may not sign.”

James O’Conner had his Wallabies contract torn up last year after a drunken run in with airport staff at Perth International Airport. In which he was escorted from the airport by the Australian Federal Police.

JOC in a Reds jersey (credit Just Rugby.)

Since then, O’Conner tried to ‘amend’ for his sins by signing with London Irish on a short-term contract and then joined fellow former Australian internationals Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell at Toulon.

It’s been reported that JOC wants to return to Australia. After talks with his former franchise, the Western Force dried up, he then turned to his former coach, Richard Graham and the struggling Reds.

ARU boss Bill Pulver revealed a Super Rugby contract was not O’Connor’s only option. Pulver said the former Force and Rebels outside back needed only to be registered to play domestically, meaning he could play a season of club rugby and be considered by national coach Ewen McKenzie at a pinch. However, that option would appear unlikely to be taken up.

Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie last year poured cold water on O’Connor’s World Cup hopes by suggesting that the test squad he picks this year will be his squad for the 2015 international decider.  With JOC being ineligible for Wallabies selection this year, if McKenzie holds true to his words,  there may already be no place for O’Connor in McKenzie’s World Cup plans.

Credit for images: Just Rugby News

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