Toulouse offer berth to Clohessy

NEWS: In what is surely one of the unlikeliest post-scripts to any playing career, and most certainly Peter Clohessy's, the former Irish international prop has been offered the chance to come out of retirement in, of all places, French club rugby. In light of a severe shortage of props at Toulouse, the powerful French outfit have sought to lure a reluctant Clohessy with a lucrative four-month contract.

A spate of injuries have compounded the departure of Franck Tournaire to Leicester, leaving Toulouse with a critical lack of front-row cover. With Christian Califano also having flown the coop to Saracens, French clubs had moved for a number of props from overseas during the summer, and having scoured Britain and Ireland for alternatives, Toulouse found all of them already under contract before being alerted to the potential availability of Clohessy.

The 36-year-old confirmed yesterday that Toulouse had formally approached him with a deal until the end of year, incorporating a lull in the November window for internationals. "I must admit it's a very tempting offer. Although I had no intention of ever playing the game again and was looking forward to some time away from rugby, it's the chance to do something different, as much as the money, which appeals to me."

Clohessy and his wife Anna have thought over the Toulouse offer at length in the last week or so. "The reasons I had for retiring haven't changed and I still don't think I will play again," said Clohessy, who admits that the effort, travel and time away from his young family had made him weary of the game before his farewell season culminated in Munster's European Cup final defeat by Leicester on May 25th.

"However, this is so out of the blue that we've had to think about it. It would even be a great chance for Luke to learn the language and I'm sure it would be an experience for all of us," admits Clohessy.

Somehow there seems no getting away from the French for the former Munster and Irish prop, even though as Clohessy himself once admitted last season: "Myself and the French never really did see eye to eye."

Long since regarded as a bete noire of French rugby, Clohessy was inevitably booed and whistled at any French ground he played in, although there were some signs of a grudging admiration for him when he won his last of 54 caps in Ireland's defeat at Stade de France last April.

Were he to go to Toulouse, no doubt he would quickly be adopted as one of their own, though he admits: "Even though a part of me is very tempted to go for it, I probably won't come out of retirement. I'll think about it some more and make a decision next week."

The notion of Clohessy playing French club rugby in the red and black of Toulouse is still hard to fathom, all the more so when pictured alongside Trevor Brennan. "The Claw" and the "Barnhall Bruiser" together at Stade des Sept Deniers? Stranger things have happened perhaps.

Brennan made his competitive debut for Toulouse (who have won the French championship 16 times in all) last Saturday at blind-side flanker, playing for the first 51 minutes in a 32-17 defeat on the opening day of the championship away to Perpignan.