Rugby: No rush to play overseas, advises Ward

Brent Ward says the decision to go overseas should be about personal growth as well as rugby. Photo / Richard Robinson

For a man who spent three happy seasons at one of Europe's burgeoning glamour clubs, Brent Ward has some sage advice for those looking to line their pockets with euros.

Don't do it - not without giving New Zealand a decent crack first.

"You've got to experience playing overseas, but I'd really like to see the guys stay around in New Zealand a little longer," Ward says. "Don't rush over and try to get the money straight away."

The Auckland fullback, who made an impressive return to national provincial championship rugby last weekend, said the best place for a rugby education was here, but young players who felt hard done by too often jumped at the first opportunity to play overseas without doing the necessary research.

"We need to make sure that guys put in a few hard yards here before they go," Ward says.

"We've got to stop that [mindset] where guys are turning 21 and 22 and haven't got a Super 15 contract, or haven't made the All Blacks, just shut up shop and go overseas. There are clubs [in Europe] you don't want to be aligned to, but guys think, 'I'm being offered all this money, I'll go straight away.' They don't do enough research into the clubs, which is disappointing."

Ward said the key to a successful sojourn was to understand that it should be a life experience as well as a rugby experience.

"It should not be all about the money."

Ward spent three seasons with Racing Metro 92, a club that formed in 2001 out of a merger with the once great, but faded, Racing Club and US Metro, the sports club of the Paris public transport workers (the "92" refers to the number of Hauts-de-Seine, the suburb where they play, which is about 6km outside the Boulevard Peripherique that separates Paris' inner-city from its suburbs).

When Ward arrived they were very much the city's junior club, playing in the second division while the glamour boys wearing pink at Stade Francais hogged the headlines.

"Racing didn't even register in Paris," Ward says.

"People didn't know what or who we were, who we were playing. The crowds were very small. Once we qualified last year for the Top 14 and got a few big signings, Sebastien Chabal was a huge one for us, we started building the spirit."

Chabal is a complex character, a man who has a cult following (The Chabalistas), but has a reputation among some as aloof and haughty.

Unfair, says Ward.

"Everyone said he could be really arrogant but I thought he was fantastic. Before he came to the club a few people were really worried about whether he'd be good for us, but he was great. We had a lot of English-speaking players and we'd been warned that he would not speak any English, he would only speak to us in French, but he was not like that at all.

"He integrated well and played a big part in creating a really good team atmosphere."

By the time Ward left, Racing were playing in the Top 14, France's national championship, had qualified for the Heineken Cup, the showpiece of European club rugby, and, as importantly, had beaten their city neighbours.

Which seems an appropriate point to bring us back to the now, following Ward's starring role in Auckland's derby defeat of North Harbour. He was a big threat coming into the line and said his motivation ahead of the match was based on a simple premise.

"I wanted to make sure I didn't come back and be a disappointment.

"I hadn't been happy with the way I had been performing in the pre-season games. I enjoy counter-attacking and getting my hands on the ball and I was disappointed I wasn't taking those opportunities.

"With these new rules, it's the fullback's job to inject himself into the game and last weekend I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to run into the line a couple of times."

Ward will start at the back again tomorrow against another close rival, Waikato. Given his early form it must be tempting to think about a return to Super rugby, a competition he has played in for three New Zealand sides.

"I really just want to focus on the ITM Cup. We've only played one game so it's hard to get too carried away. I want a really good campaign for Auckland and if everything goes well, put my hand up for a Super 15 contract."

WARD OF SEVERAL STATES

Age: 31

Height: 1.85m

Weight: 85kg

Provincial/ club rugby: Auckland 2002-2007, Racing Metro 92 (Paris), 2007-2010, Auckland 2010-.

Super rugby: Hurricanes 2003-05, Blues 2006, Crusaders 2007.