Former Toulouse player Jean-Baptiste Elissalde comes out of retirement – Rugby News
French Top 14 side Stade Toulousain, commonly known as Toulouse, has announced the return of their former scrum half player, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, to fill the club’s depleting backs resources. Club officials have confirmed the return of their former backs
player Elissalde from the retirement in a statement on Wednesday, September 14.
Toulouse manager, Guy Novès, confirmed the news in a chat with reporters. He termed the situation the club was in as very “absurd” and added that it was an SOS call and the club frankly had no other choice. He admitted that the move could be a risk to Elissalde’s
health. He added, “As of next week he (Elissalde) will be training with (scrum/fly-half) Nicolas Bezy and they will share the position until our three scrum-halves return from the World Cup.”
Elissalde was named to the Toulouse squad following the announcement of their backs player Jean-Marc Doussain as a replacement for David Skrela in France’s 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) 20-man squad.
Novès added, “We asked Jean-Baptiste Elissalde this (Wednesday) morning to get his license and to get kitted up again. He's said yes.”
Besides Doussain, Toulouse was already without the services of their other two scrum half players. The duo includes, Luke Burgess and Nicolas Vergallo, who are currently on national duty to represent their national sides, Australia and Argentina, in the
ongoing 2011 RWC.
Elissalde retired from the game after the 2010 Heineken Cup final, which Toulouse won. After that, he only played competitive rugby once, when he was named in the French Barbarians squad to play against Tonga, during November 2010.
The 33-year-old Elissalde has to seek clearance from the club to play in the top level French Championship. However, the duration of this license is related to the progress of the Les Bleus in the World Cup. As soon as they are eliminated from the World
Cup, the license will expire.
Elissalde has also represented France in 35 international matches and has scored 212 points. He has played enough competitive rugby to fill out the club’s gap in the absence of key players.
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