TOP 14

News | Fixtures & Results | Standings | History

Blanco vows to stop foreign `freelancers`

Wednesday 30th July 2008

Freelancer: Future Perpignan fly-half Dan Carter (R) with the Catalans' captain Perry Freshwater

France's Ligue Nationale de Rugby President Serge Blanco has voiced his opposition to the growing trend of short-term contracts given to foreign players by French clubs.

Faced with an ever-increasing flow of foreign players into France, the LNR president has would like to see a mechanism put in place to prevent Southern Hemisphere players making lightning visits to the Top 14 - a trend Blanco believes could distort the results of the domestic championship.

"I don't think it's in the interest of our rugby," Blanco told Europe 1 Sport, citing the example of All Black fly-half Dan Carter's six month contract with Perpignan starting in December.

"In my opinion we can't have short-term freelancers. I'm afraid it's bound to skew the (Top 14) Championship."

And the former international is determined to do more than just pay lip service to a situation that threatens the development of young talent in France.

"In this regard, we are going to try put a rule in place in the next few months what will not allow this sort of thing. It will be voted on at the next directors' meeting," explained Blanco, who will swap his national post for the presidency of Biarritz at the end of the year.