Samo opts for Paris over Cardiff
Saturday July 01 2006
Australia lock joins Stade Français
Australia lock Radike Samo has rejected an offer from Cardiff Blues to join Stade Français on a two-year deal.
Radike Samo: Heading for Paris
Samo has struggled to break into the Brumbies Super 14 team this year, and after he was overlooked by Australia coach John Connolly for the June Test squad, he cast his eyes north.
Both Cardiff's Dai Young and Stade coach Fabien Galthié made approaches, but Samo opted to head for the French capital, leaving the Blues short at lock after Craig Quinnell's retirement.
"I played seven years in Australia with the ACT Brumbies, which means I had been in Super 14 a long time," he said to the South Wales Echo.
"I just wanted to get some fresh air and discover a new country.
"I came twice to Paris and I remember being very attracted by the city. I thought Stade Français would be the right place to start fresh.
After successive Top 14 victories in 2003 and 2004, the Parisians lost in the 2005 Top 14 final and Heineken Cup final, and lost in the semi-final of the Top 14 this season.
Samo believes he will find the French game a novelty after so many years establishing himself Down Under.
"I wanted to boost my career and to offer a different life to my family," he added.
"I also hope to discover a new rugby style. I want to experience the difference between southern hemisphere rugby and the one played in France.
"I believe it will be a huge novelty for me compared to what I knew in Australia. The aim is definitely to discover, have fun and enrich myself from a new culture. I really can't wait to start."
http://www.planet-rugby.com/Tournaments/To...ory_52207.shtml
