Australia on Caveman alert

French No.8 Sebastien Chabal is set to take the next step on his career following his sacking from Racing-Metro by playing in Australia with lowly Balmain.

Chabal, sacked from the Parisian-based Top 14 club earlier this month after falling out with coach Pierre Berbizier, will make a one-game cameo for Balmain against Petersham on February 25 as a curtain-raiser to a Waratahs v Reds game.

"Caveman alert!" said The Daily Telegraph. "Frenchman Sebastien Chabal to wreak havoc for Balmain in Sydney subbies."

Balmain play in the second-division sub-districts league in the inner west of Sydney, three levels below grade rugby, and last year saw Wallaby duo Drew Mitchell and Matt Giteau both turn out for the small club.

"We had a spot in our international roster with Matt (Giteau) now playing in France. We looked for the biggest profile rugby player in the world and that's Chabal," Balmain club president Warren Livingstone said, quoted by The Telegraph.

"We contacted them in December about him coming over to play some games in between when the French season finished and when the new one started. I sold him on seeing Australia in between the games," Livingstone said.

The so-called "Muzzled Wolves" have succeeded in attracting major sponsorship, Livingstone saying of the club he steers: "We started from scratch and are making our way up through the divisions.

"It's just a local club, good blokes playing but every now and then we'll do something out of the box, just to give everyone a buzz."

Livingstone added that Balmain's opponents Petersham would not be scared to run out against the "Caveman", capped 62 times by France.

"I think they'll really enjoy playing against him. When Drew and Gits played the other team were getting photos with them at the end of the game, and that's what it's all about," he told the paper.

"It is obviously good natured stuff. But I am not sure what they'll think when they read this. We're rivals anyway, we don't like them."

AFP