Rugby: Speculation is intensifying amongst Biarritz Olympique supporters and the French rugby media that the Leinster, Irish and Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll is bound for the French champions after his much trumpeted and televised appearance as the club's guest of honour for their home match with Stade Français on Saturday.
According to witnesses, at the game or watching it on television, it was almost as if O'Driscoll was being paraded as a new signing to the home fans - much as a soccer club might do. However, Ireland's record try scorer was hardly likely to know the game was being televised live, or that such a fuss was going to be made of his appearance there.
Interviewed by Canal Plus at half-time, O'Driscoll said he was on vacation in the south east of France over the weekend, where he and his family have often holidayed. That said, O'Driscoll was formally invited to the game by the Biarritz president Marcel Martin, who led him on to the pitch before the game and asked O'Driscoll to perform the kick-off.
Furthermore, there were pictures of O'Driscoll yesterday on the Biarritz website sitting beside Martin at the pre-match lunch, posing beside the Bouclier du Brennus (the championnat trophy which Biarritz won last year) and alongside the club's captain Thomas Lievremont. O'Driscoll watched the game in the VIP box along with Martin and former French and Biarritz legend Serge Blanco, amongst others, and met Biarritz coach Patrick Lagisquet.
The Lions captain has never disguised his liking for French club rugby and when interviewed by L'Equipe afterwards, said: "I've never hidden the fact that at some stage I would like to play in France. My contract with the IRFU will finish at the end of June so I have got to make a decision and it would not be for monetary reasons only.
"At some stage I would like to experience a new lifestyle," added O'Driscoll. Asked if that could be in Biarritz, he responded: "Why not? I like the brand of rugby that they play and I like the place and the atmosphere."
His father and business manager Frank maintained the Irish captain was "on holidays" in France and that he merely attended Saturday's match, while O'Driscoll himself was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Figures are already being bandied about in French circles, but it is my understanding that no formal negotiations have begun.
Nonetheless, O'Driscoll, Denis Hickie and several others are out of contract at the end of this season, including some Munster frontliners, and the IRFU have yet to open negotiations with the majority, if any, of them.
By comparison, soccer club Arsenal are opening negotiations on a new contract with Thierry Henry next week even though his current contract doesn't expire until the end of the 2006-'07 season, and this is now common procedure in professional sport.
The dilly-dallying by the IRFU over the contracts of Shane Byrne and Leo Cullen - who subsequently joined Saracens and Leicester respectively - is known to have dismayed their Leinster and Irish teammates. Although the IRFU will be loathe to lose their most prized asset, O'Driscoll is almost a unique case. Monetary considerations will not be paramount and he might even be willing to take a pay cut.
Now 26, the time would appear opportune for him to fulfil his wish of playing in France and still have ample time to return to finish his career here if he so wanted, thereby availing of Charlie McCreevy's tax rebate.
As his Lions tour experience would have reminded him, to leave it another couple of years in such a high-impact, injury-prone sport would be a gamble.
Nor would the implied threat of losing out on the Ireland team carry as much weight with a player of O'Driscoll's calibre, while the lure of playing in France before the 2007 World Cup finals are held there would be an added attraction.
Furthermore, the upheavals at Leinster (four different coaches in six years as well as a steady drain of players) have weakened their hand in the Heineken European Cup, culminating in last season's disappointing quarter-final exit, as well as the Celtic League.
Saturday's developments will no doubt speed up renegotiations with the IRFU, as well as Biarritz and perhaps other suitors in France and England. O'Driscoll has much thinking to do, but for what it's worth, my guess is he will be playing in the red and white of Biarritz Olympique next season.
Mind you, if Messieurs Martin and Blanco were hoping Saturday's grudge match at the Parc des Sports Aguilera would be an enticing foretaste for the watching O'Driscoll, they must have been nervously casting sideways' glances.
Stade Français won 14-7 in a game that was marred by red cards for Biarritz's Imanol Harinordoquy and Stade flanker Arnaud Marchois, amid a level of violence which had referee David Rosich threatening to abandon the game.
O'Driscoll, along with the injured Malcolm O'Kelly, Gordon D'Arcy, Eric Miller and Anthony Horgan have not been named in Eddie O'Sullivan's 35-man Ireland squad for a three-day September training camp.
The two uncapped players in the squad are Paddy Wallace and Conor McPhilips, while several who are unlikely to be around for the 2007 World Cup are included - such as Shane Byrne, Reggie Corrigan, Guy Easterby, David Humphreys and Kevin Maggs.
Predictably, there is no place for Trevor Brennan or his new Toulouse team-mate Aidan McCullen.
Finally, Ulster centre Paul Steinmetz sustained a fractured jaw on Friday night against Edinburgh.
IRELAND SQUAD (for three-day training camp from Sept 26th-28th) Forwards (18): S Best (Ulster), S Byrne (Saracens), R Corrigan (Leinster), L Cullen (Leicester), S Easterby (LIaneli), A Foley (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), M Horan (Munster), B Jackman (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), M McCullough (Ulster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), J O'Connor (Wasps), A Quinlan (Munster), F Sheahan (Munster), D Wallace (Munster), R Wilson (Ulster). Backs (17): T Bowe (Ulster), K Campbell (Ulster), G Dempsey (Leinster), G Duffy (Harlequins), G Easterby (Leinster), D Hickie (Leinster), S Horgan (Leinster), D Humphreys (Ulster), J Kelly (Munster), K Lewis (Leinster), K Maggs (Ulster), C McPhilips (Connacht), G Murphy (Leicester), R O'Gara (Munster), D Quinlan (Northampton), P Stringer (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster).
Not considered due to injury: G D'Arcy (Leinster), A Horgan (Munster), E Miller (Leinster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster), M O'Kelly (Leinster).
