Paulse to quit French club
18 Jan 2006
Springbok winger Breyton Paulse is expected to return to South Africa in June.
According to Independent rugby writer Peter Bills, Paulse is citing burn out as his main reason for ending his contract a year early. He played rugby from 3 January until 23 December, came back to Cape Town for a 10 days break, but was refused a request to extend his holiday.
Swopping Clermont for Cape Town seems to have been a mistake. Clermont is an outpost high in the hills of central France where the winters are long and cold, and journeys to play away matches take endless hours by bus. Clermont is also isolated by its geographical location.
Officially, Paulse will not make a decision on his future until next month. He will talk with Springbok coach Jake White before coming to a final decision.
“I am very aware I must look after myself carefully if I am to have a chance of making the World Cup squad.
“It’s fair to say I now understand this question of player burn out. I remember playing the whole of 2000 without missing a game and the same in 2001. I was very tired then.
“Managing players will be very important in the build up to the World Cup. But the French clubs are very demanding on their players all the time, especially their foreign players.”
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