He had disappeared from the radar for two weeks. We will not see him again soon in Top 14, the championship of France rugby. After the end of Fiji at the World Cup in Japan on October 9, neither his club, Racing 92, nor his agent could have heard from Leone Nakarawa. Expected October 28 at Plessis-Robinson, headquarters of the Ile-de-France club, the second-line had unilaterally doubled his holidays, returning from Fiji fifteen days late. Suspended, at first, the one who was crowned "best player in Europe" in 2018 was fired Friday, December 6.
"Abandonment of more than two weeks has hurt Racing 92"said the club in a statement, speaking of "Proven disciplinary breaches". Faced with this "Deplorable example for players" and "The inconceivable individualistic attitude" Nakarawa, qualified as"Characterized insubordination", the club chaired by Jacky Lorenzetti made the decision to separate from the player. "Leone was trying to finish the construction of our two-story house in Waila. It was almost finished and that's why it was a little delayed. He told the club about it », had justified, at the end of November, the father of the player with the Fiji Sun.
"Of course we prefer to have Leone with us, anticipated the captain of the Sky and White, Henry Chavancy, before the resumption of the European Cup in late November. But I can fully understand the decision of the club, which ensures the respect of the institution. Why should we have more empathy for a Fijian than for an Argentine, a New Zealander or a Georgian? "
This is how Jacky Lorenzetti justified himself on Friday in The Team : "In a group, you need common rules. When I see Virimi Vakatawa who is going to bury his mother in Fiji and comes back immediately; when I see Guram Gogichashvili who lost his father in a car accident and who is absent so little (…). Vis-à-vis the other players, we could not pass. " No question for the institution Racing 92 to yield to "A stardom policy" even if, "Sportingly, it's a big loss". The player's representatives have not reacted yet.
The difficult adaptation of Pacific islanders
Leone Nakarawa is not an isolated case. If the Fijians and more generally the islanders of the Pacific (Samoa, Tonga, Fiji) are players sought by the French clubs for their performances, their adaptation is not always easy.
The most striking example is undoubtedly that of Rupeni Caucaunibuca, former Fijian winger as elusive on the field as his club Agen, which has multiplied the trips to try to recover the player. "The tribe of Rupeni's family lives in another era. Another civilization, another world », said the former General Director of Sporting Union Agen, Laurent Lubrano, in 2012 in South West.
He had gone in search of "Caucau" a fall. He had described a trip to Indiana Jones to Lambasa, the player's village. "Everything then explained the behavior, the reactions, the way of life of Rupeni. His discomfort. (…) His relationship with time, with nature, with men is light years away from what is imposed on us here. "
"My life is like that, it's normal for me, but for a professional, it's not good" : Last year, Rupeni Caucaunibuca had a long time to look at his career, in a video portrait put online by Pacific Rugby Players Welfare, an association responsible for softening the lives of Pacific players.
The former winger told the difference between his daily life and that discovered in southwestern France. "I would never have imagined flying across the world just because of my rugby shoes. In my village, if someone speaks, I can understand it, but in France, they speak only French, it's difficult. "
Possible rebound in England
Faced with the difficulties of adapting island players, things are changing little by little. "I do not know if the academies are doing it already, but there should be one-month courses to learn the French way of life, and everything a player should know before leaving the country", insisted last year Joe Rokocoko, a former Fijian-born All-Black who became a Racing executive, and who has embraced the role of godfather for the uprooted island players.
"We can not find a general solution, however, considers Robins Tchale Watchou, president of Provale, the players union. I do not think we can anticipate, the situations are diverse and varied, and depend on the context. When cases arise, we try to manage at best. "
Provale was associated with the Nakarawa case discussion and accompanied the club and the player "To try to find a solution at best in this dispute". according to The Team, the player refused to accept the financial penalties that could have led him to reinstate the team.
Now free of any contract, the second-line could end the season in Australia before returning to the northern hemisphere, England for example, according to The TeamSale's club among the contenders. It remains to be seen whether this time, he will have no delay in returning.
