Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Sebastien Chabal's 70m sprint try against Perpignan

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sebastien Chabal's 70m sprint try against Perpignan

Racing Metro went down 23-16 to Perpignan in the Top 14 on the weekend, but managed to pick up a losing bonus point after a late runaway try from France forward, Sebastien Chabal.

Perpignan had possession with time up on the clock but coughed it up when going for the scoring pass, allowing Racing to pounce and set everybody’s favourite caveman up for the 70m sprint.

A fairly feeble attempt from Rudi Coetzee gave him the space to get going, but the gas he showed was reminiscent of the two great tries he scored in the 2007 World Cup against Namibia.

Chabal was known as the highest paid rugby player in the world until recently, but now with talk of Dan Carter joining him at Racing Metro, that will change.

Carter is reported to be joining the club for a fee around £1.2 million per season, with the three year deal on the table, although nothing is confirmed yet.

Metro retain their second place on the table thanks to the losing bonus point that was achieved through the conversion from current flyhalf, Jonathan Wisniewski. Perpignan also kept their hopes of squeezing into the top six alive.

Time: 01:36

Chabal reminds me of the caddy in Happy Gilmore.

By Phil, at April 19, 2011 3:14 pm
that number 11 who ever you are hang your head in shame not only did you get out sprinted by a number 8 hes about 60 years old and cant see where hes going because of his tramp haircut lucky to make the bench next week number 11 no no no

By the hairdresser, at April 19, 2011 3:21 pm
BEAST

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 3:33 pm
chabal trademark style

Well spotted by the french commentator: Chabal is a special player not for his size or his beard, but for his pace. always good to have 120kg buddies who can find gaps, run fast and hard. Elsom and Spies are for me the 2 perfect examples. Both are better than chabal on a whole match because they have more skills and pass.

If chabal have somethin to play durin the rwc, it's just in "impact player" for the last 20 minutes. He will be fresh enough to do this kind of run and support.

By Colombes, at April 19, 2011 3:37 pm
Chabal is fast, but not amazingly fast. I can see how the 18 didn't catch him but the winger? He's either very slow or was very lazy because of the scoreline.

By BOobiEs, at April 19, 2011 3:43 pm
Where the hell were the Perpignan backs? He only had to beat a flanker (?) and a second row? Weird.

By Mike, at April 19, 2011 3:46 pm
Oh, that was a flanker he beat? Not a winger. That makes the try even less spectacular...

By LoRDboObulOus, at April 19, 2011 3:53 pm
It was Rudi Coetzee, left wing and SA drop out.

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 4:02 pm
bita life in the auld dog yet......
think gillette should sponsor him like spec savers sponsor the refs :)

By Ronan, at April 19, 2011 4:11 pm
highest played player, or u mean highest payed player?

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 4:39 pm
LMAO, he looked like he was thinking 'oh shit, ive gotta go all the way'

Like see Chabal doing his old stuff after the shockers in the 6N

By No.7, at April 19, 2011 4:49 pm
Ashton would have caught him easily

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 5:01 pm
Ashton would not have caught him at all

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 5:08 pm
He looked pretty fucked after that.... Fair effort tho

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 5:11 pm
Perhaps it should be said that the try-scoring bonus point in the Top 14 is given when a team scores 3 tries more than the opposition, so Perpignan were trying to get their bonus point and that is why they didn't kick into touch.
In the end, Racing got theirs and it can be very valuable. Those who don't follow it, check out the Top 14 standings, there's going to be a lot in play in the last two rounds.

By Manu, at April 19, 2011 6:01 pm
salvame jebuus

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 6:07 pm
Awesome, Chabal's got wheels! For all he's been critized (okay, here are better no 8s in France) this guy is always up to something, good runs, tackles, support...

As someone said before, a brilliant impact player.

By Juggernauter, at April 19, 2011 6:14 pm
Ashton would indeed have caught him, and Chabal would have knocked the all on, at which point Ashton would have picked the ball up and run over the touchline to end the game. He would then have walked over to Chabal and shoved the ball in his chest saying "see? see?".

By moddeur, at April 19, 2011 6:16 pm
Plenty of chat in SA rugby-world right now about the large and growing pay differential between the hemispheres.

The name that always comes up is Frans Steyn, who apparently earns twice as much per year compared to the best paid locally-based Bokke (who in turn are the best paid in the southern hemisphere). Don't blame anyone who joins the exodus, the maths speaks for itself.

And here's a thought - if Chabal can pull in the fat end of a million a year, what could Richie McCaw demand?

By Edbok, at April 19, 2011 6:22 pm
why is everyone making a big deal that Ashton could've caught Chabal? he's a bloody winger and the later is a number 8.

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 6:24 pm
Where was the breakdance celebration after the try? Otherwise, how do I know that, as a player, he's having fun and enjoying his job?

By negative nancy, at April 19, 2011 6:40 pm
at anon above,
nothing to do with chabal or ashton catching him, its lads trying to continue an argument on another post. just ignore....
and just to get a dig in ashtons a cock....

By Ronan, at April 19, 2011 7:04 pm
'And here's a thought - if Chabal can pull in the fat end of a million a year, what could Richie McCaw demand?'

I suppose it all boils down to how much a club has...McCaw could demand 5 million a season and who knows he may deserve it, but chances are no one would pay that for him...so he'd be the one left high and dry.

I guess this is where rugby is heading though, its turning into a soccer-esque american football sort of thing where players play for anyone and its all about money.

I mean take a look at some of the Soccer teams in the UK (i dont know a thing about soccer) you hear names like 'Rio Ferdinand' or something along those lines, playing for a team somewhere in England...chances are with a name like that he is not from the UK in the first place...this is what is happening, more players in rugby are moving elsewhere... A lot of English players are moving to France, and lot of SH players are moving to the NH etc etc... so now instead of being a relatively home grown sort of player...or at least playing in the country you were born, or playing in the country that the international team you are in is based, you play where the pay check is...

Not that i blame them...It just means when you come to creating the international team you'll have a mix mash of players than dont know each other.

I think that is why SA, NZ, France and Ireland tend to appear more 'gelled' or comfortable.. (with the two latter not quite showing it recently)

By No.7, at April 19, 2011 7:06 pm
"I mean take a look at some of the Soccer teams in the UK (i dont know a thing about soccer) you hear names like 'Rio Ferdinand' or something along those lines, playing for a team somewhere in England...chances are with a name like that he is not from the UK in the first place"

Is this supposed to be a joke? The guy is a former England captain. Classic lazy and ignorant criticism of modern rugby using football as an example.

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 7:21 pm
Good post no.7. Agree with you on that. I dont blame players for going where the mony is, thats exactly what id do. don't know a damn thing about soccer either.

By DukeofWellington'sbuttholehair, at April 19, 2011 7:23 pm
Well I apologise Anonymous, seeing as I am not from England and i already stated i know f'all about football i think cutting me a little slack might be in order...

Pardon my ignorance but replace that hugely strong English name 'Rio Ferdinand' with another hugely strong English name, infact, i'll google one just for you! How about Cristano Ronaldo, he plays internationally for Portugal yet DID play for Manchester United....(thank heavens for wikipedia eh!!)

Seriously though, well done for missing the point completely... and learning how to read must be a new speciality for you, seeing as i was not exactly criticising the modern game, more summing up the direction it is heading!

Did i say that was a bad thing?!? no....do i think its a bad thing? now you obviously need to know, i will say YES i do...

Will my opinion, or your opinion, or anyone elses change the direction rugby is heading in? NO...

My point was to merely use this COMMENTS section to point out my IMPRESSION of where the game is going.

By No.7, at April 19, 2011 8:03 pm
Good old sebass bet he hasnt run that far with a ball in his hand since he was about 14

By Fastmongrel, at April 19, 2011 8:54 pm
@fastmongrel Chabal didn't play rugby when he was 14!
& he was running less easily than normal cos he got injured earlier on, but stayed on.
Doesn't Ashton just hang about waiting for someone to give him the ball in front of a gap? Can't really see him tackling Chabal!
BTW Jonny Wilkinson gets more money than he does...

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 10:46 pm
Anonymous said...
@fastmongrel Chabal didn't play rugby when he was 14!

he didnt mention what sort of ball it was how the hell do you know what he was doing at 14

By Anonymous, at April 19, 2011 10:51 pm
and NH fans always suggesting SH teams can't tackle...

By Chris Boy, at April 20, 2011 12:05 am
Chris, we've taken it up a notch and now we don't even bother trying to tackle. I can't wait to see how you SH guys trump that. Not even turn up for the game, perhaps? :)

By Mike, at April 20, 2011 2:45 am
I believe these guys should get paid more. How much money is the club making off these players? If there going to risk there bodies for the sake of entertainment they should get paid well. I think it's a shame soccer players get paid more then rugby players.

By Hendrick, at April 20, 2011 9:13 am
Some say Ashton is the best winger in the world and that Ronan is going to spend the rest of his life repaying the EU loan

By Anonymous, at April 20, 2011 10:14 am
After this run Chabal can now return to playing average rugby and still will probably be selected for France in the WC.

By Anonymous, at April 20, 2011 10:38 am
Chris Boy, the winger who misses the tackle and then can't quite catch up with Chabal is Rudi Coetzee, an SH import.

We're learning how not to tackle thx to you boyz!

By Anonymous, at April 20, 2011 11:08 am
RD said: Perpignan also kept their hopes of squeezing into the top six alive.

If they get into the top six dead I don't think they'll go any further anyway 8–)

By the Prof., at April 20, 2011 11:22 am
This try is funny because everyone is complimenting him for his ability and his work-rate, but at the ruck before he got the ball he just sort of stood there and did nothing and didn't actually protect the ball at all, and the when he got the ball he just ran in a straight line until he scored.

Great player though. Definitely the best no. 8 in the world. Not a completely useless article.

By Reality, at April 20, 2011 1:05 pm
"Some say Ashton is the best winger in the world"

Yeah, and some people think that the world will end in 2012. Having nutters like that around makes the world a more interesting place.

By Mike, at April 20, 2011 2:03 pm
No.7's right in saying that Richie McCaw probably wouldn't command anything like the salary Chabal gets. Nobody knows who Richie McCaw is in France. Ask ten people of any age who Chabal is and they'll all know (despite not knowing the name of the French captain, fly half, JP Rives, Blanco etc.)

Chabal came to prominence around the time of the last world cup which was basically a corporate event at which the media jumped on the sponsorship bandwagon and adopted Seabass because he had a beard, scored a few storming long range tries (ok, two of them against Namibia) and perfectly fit the French notion of what it is to be a rugby player. Chabal has a deep voice, caveman looks and is one of the few rugby players I'm aware of who seems capable of using his image to his advantage both on and off the field. Richie McCaw would be of little interest to the French public. Victor Matfield, George Gregan, Dan Carter and SBW all came and went at Toulon without most French supporters batting an eyelid, let alone the media, public and corporate sponsors. Chabal, on the other hand, has been on billboards, web adverts and TV ads everyday for the past four years. He represents French rugby irrespective as to whether or not he's on the bench for the national team. People in France believe in what Chabal represents and the FFR and Metro Racing are more than happy to lap up their share of the proceeds.

Were Stade Français (another Paris team, like Metro) to hire Richie McCaw, they might attract a few hundred extra die-hard rugby fans genuinely interested in seeing one of the greatest players of all time. Were they to sign Chabal, French men, women and children would flock to Jean-Bouin to see the beast in action.

By Disco, at April 20, 2011 2:21 pm
Basically what I'm saying is that Chabal's salary and comparisons with other players are irrelevant. Chabal has been fashioned into the representation of what rugby is in this country and that attracts sponsors, money, crowds and hence, better players. Note that he was a replacement in this game against Perpignan. He's as much a financial asset to Metro as he is a physical one.

Dusautoir, Bonnaire, Harinordoquy and Nyanga are, in my opinion, far better back rowers but this said, credit to him for fronting up and getting back to what he does best (ie. running hard and fast) after a poor 6N. I think the guy suffers a lot from his image in a similar way Jonah Lomu (or David Beckham seeing as we have football officionados on this thread) did when he made his various comebacks. The People love a fallen hero but the fact remains, there are few rugby players, international or otherwise, capable of stopping either the great Jonah Lomu or the not-so-great Seb Chabal in full flight. Pure power; the guy has a freakish BMI, I don't remember the stats.

There will be a huge amount of corporate and media pressure for him to be brought along to the 2011 world cup but with performances like this one off the bench, I'd have him in the side on merit.

By Disco, at April 20, 2011 2:21 pm
No.7: Your point is sort-of valid but the player's name you chose was hilarious! :) I don't think it was intentional but bloody funny anyway :P

As soon as sport becomes professional it's instantly not about the team, it's a business, and the players are employees, the team is a brand.

By Matt, at April 20, 2011 2:26 pm
'I believe these guys should get paid more. How much money is the club making off these players? If there going to risk there bodies for the sake of entertainment they should get paid well. I think it's a shame soccer players get paid more then rugby players.'

hendrik, i think its a shame soccer players get paid anything at all...

By Sam, at April 20, 2011 4:21 pm
Im with Disco on this one... The media kills players...

Jonny Wilkinson, remember how he "won the world cup single-handedly" ?

then he got injured.... "but fear not british public, our shit english team will be shit no longer, because Jonny Wilkinson is BACK".... that sort of crap puts immense pressure on a player.

You ever had people hyping you up before a match. 'He is awesome at lineouts, steals opposition ball all the time' I played an entire half dropping my own f*cking ball on the lineouts...

The media hypes Chabal up to be FRENCH RUGBY...like disco said, irrespective of whether he is in the squad or on the bench...this only means that when he plays HE is under pressure for the team to win, and to do something spectacular.

As NH fan, when a new SH guy comes on the scene a lot of you SH guys know everything about him, whereas we only just hear about him, however RD is changing things like that...but its true you could ask any football mug who jonny wilkinson is and chances are that tw*t was probably screaming "go jonny go" when Charlie Hodgson was wearing the 10 shirt, but he will still reply with 'yeh that english rugby guy that won us the world cup'

If we asked who richie mccaw is, they'd probably say an actor, or a singer or something...

By Sam, at April 20, 2011 4:32 pm
@ Disco

Agree that marketability plays an important role in what salary these guys can pull down, but success on the pitch matters too. I would put it to you that signing McCaw on Chabal's salary would more than pay for itself in terms of pulling crowds in to watch a successful team.

Of the players you cited, Matfield played for Toulon when they were in the second division, Gregan likewise, Carter went to Perpignan and spend most of his time there injured, and SBW was new to Union, so those are really not exact comparisons.

And Carter is now set it seems for Racing Metro, and becoming the highest paid player in the game. I'm sure this is because Metro's owners want to win stuff, not just because they can put Carter's face on coke bottles.

By edbok, at April 20, 2011 4:32 pm
The number 11, Rudi Coetzee, is normally a center but he played the match as a winger because of the huge amount of injuries at Perpignan.
He is not especially fast as a center but always manages to attack well. So as a wing, he is even slower.

Perpignan was attacking, searching for the bonus point, so no fullback to cover.

Chabal did not starts the match, but came in for the last 30 minutes.

With all this said, it is more understandable that Coetzee did not catch up Chabal (with good pace and hand-off).

By Anonymous, at April 20, 2011 5:48 pm
As of Chabal's pay, I think it's much more from advertisement (he is the French's most liked sportsman) than from his salary.

By Anonymous, at April 20, 2011 5:50 pm
Animal

By fitness equipment, at April 20, 2011 5:54 pm
But how many of us would actually PAY to score a try like this in Top14? or any other decent championship? Be it northern or southern.
Thumb up to Chabal then, to score it the way he did AND to get a load of dough. And to still have a tiny chance to be in the French squad for NZ WorldCup. Not too bad for an overrated player.

Honestly, I would pay.

By Ruckfield, at April 20, 2011 8:05 pm
The man himself has long ago said that he was tired of being this media beast, that he would rather being just a rugby player.
Of course he took the best of all this hype (TV shows, salary, he has his own apparel brand...). Only a fool would not do so.
Metro Racing has massive ambitions and their signings reflects that, money is not an issue for the club.
Chabal is overrated, true in the sense that he is a one dimension type of player but still Chabal is a great player, one of the best at his position in France.

By Frenchy, at April 20, 2011 9:22 pm
edbok, im not so sure...for instance if you pulled in mccaw at 8 (lets say for arguments sake he was an 8) that would mean you'd drop chabal...which i reckon would be the death of a club....

By Sam, at April 21, 2011 1:33 am
Chabal got famous because of his look, and his two charges against NZ (Masoe and Williams).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy5vc90ATws

In France, everyone knows him, even non-rugby followers. He is a public figure, more than a rugby player.

Ask any random french about Dusautoir for example, he won't have a clue about who he is. Quite annoying considering the fact Dusautoir is one of the best player ever in France, captain of french national team and Stade Toulousain.

Not really surprising if Chabal is so well paid, he's paid for his popularity.

I think he's really overrated, of course. As many of french supporters.

But he's a great guy, he knows his popularity is well exaggerated, and doesn't see himself as the best rugby player, as said before by Frenchy. If he earns that much money, good for him.

By Anonymous, at April 21, 2011 6:04 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YFtKT3_M-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy2pwVi_RuM

And the best one :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN7YqsJdSi8&

By Anonymous, at April 21, 2011 7:57 am
good offload by mirco bergamasco

By And, at April 21, 2011 11:57 am
'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YFtKT3_M-U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy2pwVi_RuM

And the best one :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN7YqsJdSi8&'

Those are brilliant anonymous! loved the tackle for question 4!!!!

By No.7, at April 21, 2011 5:50 pm
Excellent links! Especially the last one with the tacklesi

By Ruckfield, at April 21, 2011 9:34 pm
COOL DEFENCE

By Anonymous, at April 23, 2011 5:09 am
Chabal was anonymous before he had long hair. Funny what letting you're hair grow out can do for you...

Chabal is not a very good player. You see these clips on youtube about his big hits and big runs but I saw him play a match against Leinster this year and every single time he got the ball he was smashed backwards by their forwards. He never made any ground. He did get the ball in space once and ran at their fullback (Isa?) and their fullback smashed Chabal who was at full space. If all it takes is an average northern hem team (I'm NH as well) to kick your ass, then you cant be that good

By Anonymous, at April 23, 2011 3:19 pm
He seems to have improved in recent weeks....but I still hope Lievremont let him home and pick a big potential for Biarritz: Raphael Lakafia.

Young player not making too much noise, succeeded to steal the n#8 to Harinordoquy (played n#7 recently).

He is going to be very interesting for France.

About Chabal, the more I see him the more I am getting annoyed.

By Flipje, at April 25, 2011 2:15 pm