At Bath Rugby Nick Abendanon delighted us all with his prowess, commitment and unwavering talent, when he signed off for the last time at The Rec tears were shed and now less than twelve months down the line he is adored by the Clermont Army in exactly the same way.
Currently in Europe, Full Back is a position of great strength across all of the nations with Kearney, Hogg, Masi, Spedding, Halfpenny and Brown showing their worth on an International stage whilst Abendanon, Goode, D Armitage, Dulin, and Foden pre injury are amongst those doing so on the domestic stage. The greatest of Full Backs calm their teams by never faltering as the last man in defence, being the safest of hands under the high ball and making scathing breaks that ignite the team going forwards. Abendanon does the lot, with bells on, he deserves his place on the European Player of the Year shortlist and it is this form that has induced lengthy discussions regarding whether or not he should be part of England's World Cup Squad. It is a debate that is rampaging around the country, opinions are strongly voiced everywhere however it is something the man himself gives little attention to as he shared at yesterday's pre-Final press conference;
‘To be honest with you I know that there has been a lot of talk about it, but at the end of the day it has got nothing to go with how well Stef and I play. I think that we both have played our part, as players, to get our teams into this position and Stuart is going to be the only one that can make that decision and so I’m sure that we will just go out and do exactly the same as we have done throughout the tournament and it is out of our hands, it isn’t really something that we can change.’
The move to France was a brave one, we know that many players have found the transition tough and not quite as exciting as they imagined however the early signs are that Nick bendanon isn’t one of them. During the course of the European Competition Nick has made 761 meters, 165 more than any other player and he has shown time and time again how importance his presence is. It is Nick's electric talent that delightfully compliments so well the enigmas that are Wesley Fofana and Noa Nakaitaci in front of him. A strong sense of self awareness is key for all successful professional players and rightly so Nick knows that his performances have continued on an upward trajectory since his move across the channel, this is fact and not arrogance;
‘I think I have improved as a player. I was very comfortable at Bath having been there for 10 years and playing every week for them… coming to a new team and getting coached by new coaches and playing with new players, some of the best that I have had the privilege of playing with, you learn new things, you pick up little slight intricacies and different things that are going to help your game. Therefore in that respect it has been something that has really helped my game and it is a great thing [moving to France] that I feel that I’ve done.’
Nick isn’t shy in saying that he headed to France in search of playing on the largest of stages and running out in European Finals, that was his motivation and today he will achieve it at the first time of asking, it is ‘a dream come true’. The pressure on Nick to perform is tremendous, he may not have the historical hurt that some of his team mates have regarding previous European knockout losses however the importance of breaking the Final curse hanging over the side will not be lost on the man. Toulon’s driver is making history however Clermont’s runs deeper for no team ever wants to hold the tag ‘the best side never to have won the trophy’ for too long. Today I expect to see Abendanon unleashed on the Twickenham turf and I implore you to sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
