Top 14 clubs flock to sign hard-hitting flanker who punched coach
Giovanni Habel-Kuffner during the French championship Top 14 rugby union match between Stade Francais Paris and RC Toulon.
Top 14 clubs are lining up to sign Stade Francais flanker Giovanni Habel-Kuffner, who could be a free agent by the end of the week.
The New Zealand-born flanker, who is of Samoan heritage, is facing an internal disciplinary hearing after punching a member of Pau’s technical staff.
Habel-Kuffner punches Pau coach
According to multiple reports in France, the incident occurred during an unauthorised night out. The Stade Francais players were banned from going out after their 30-6 loss to Pau, Habel-Kuffner’s former employers.
The flanker ignored the ban and ended up in a nightclub, where members of Pau’s coaching staff were celebrating the win. An altercation led to Habel-Kuffner punching one of the coaches.
It is not known if any of his teammates were involved in the fight, but some will be facing disciplinary action for breaking the curfew.
The 28-year-old now faces the possibility of not only a suspension from the club but a potential dismissal. However, he will not be short on offers if his hearing results in the latter.
According to RMC Sport, six French clubs are interested in his services if his contract is revoked.
While none of the clubs are named by the report, it states that he is on the shortlist of five Top 14 clubs and one Pro D2 outfit.
“He drank too much… Laurent Labit has already done the right thing by speaking to the players and has drawn the consequences from this affair,” Stade Francais owner Hans-Peter Wild said of the incident in an interview with Le Parisien.
Stade’s improvement
Stade Francais head into the weekend’s Champions Cup and Challenge Cup action ranked fifth on the overall Top 14 log, just two points off league leaders Racing 92.
Since Wild’s purchase of the club in 2017, there has been a significant uptick in performances, with the side finishing 11th overall in the season before the sale.
The club’s owner believes that the development can be credited to the improved discipline.
“Now everything is clean, everything looks good before, everything was filthy and dirty,” he said.
“There was no discipline at all. Today, we are much more professional than six years ago.”
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