Willie Mason signs with Toulon

[Guru]

Willie Mason will line up alongside Matt Giteau in French rugby next season for Toulon in a shock code switch.

The cashed-up Top 14 outfit has outlayed 450,000 Euros to ensure Mason follows in the footsteps of his former Canterbury-Bankstown teammate Sonny Bill Williams.

It's likely he, like Williams, will play inside centre, switching from a rugby league forward to a powerful rugby back.

Mason visited Toulon last Wednesday with his London-based manager Greg Keenan.

According to French reports he was "seen having coffee with [Toulon president] Mourad Boudjellal".


Boudjellal is the eccentric comic book publisher who owns Toulon and signs the biggest cheques in world rugby to recruit the best players.

Giteau recently signed a $900,000-a-year contract to join Toulon's galaxy of stars.

English Test star Jonny Wilkinson is already playing for Toulon, and Springboks hardman Bakkies Botha will join the side next year.

There's also speculation that Williams will return to Toulon, and once again will play alongside his former Bulldogs teammate.

Toulon recently offered the All Black a staggering $1.8 million per season to return to the south of France after the Rugby World Cup.

Williams joined Toulon after fleeing his Bulldogs contract in 2008, and played for two seasons before returning to New Zealand last year.

In dominant form for the Crusaders, Williams has been among the best players in the Super Rugby competition and his former French employer is keen to re-sign him.

But the signing of Mason as a centre could also be Toulon's back-up option.

Mason is not in the same class of athlete as SBW but Toulon may be keen to see if they could transfer his 118kg size and handling ability into a line-breaking role at centre.

Mason also holds a Tongan passport, which would mean he does not qualify as a foreign import for Toulon.

Mason has considered a code switch before, having spoken with then New South Wales Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie about joining the team in 2007.

He also visited Japan in 2009 to talk with rugby clubs.

The former Kangaroo recently joined English Super League club Hull on a three-year contract.

[Burgs]

Yep, bring on that salary cap JO'N...

[Happy]

well I spose if you can get it then you'd be mad to knock it back .. that club must have its own printing press

[KenyaQuin]

The cashed-up Top 14 outfit has outlayed 450,000 Euros to ensure Mason follows in the footsteps of his former Canterbury-Bankstown teammate Sonny Bill Williams.

It's likely he, like Williams, will play inside centre, switching from a rugby league forward to a powerful rugby back.

You're shitting me..twice

[fulvio sammut]

Can the trickle, now a flood, of broken down rugby players of all persuasions to France be accurately described as being the result of Toulonic Irrigation?

[jazza93]

Giteau and Henson will probably be fighting for that #12 spot, Willie Mason has absolutely no hope. He'd be better off somewhere in the scrum. Maybe #8. All he can do is hit the ball up, there is no way he'd be able to develop the running game needed at #12, SBW is a completely different player and actually started out on the wing.

This may turn out to be a huge waste of money. But saying that i haven't seen how he's been going in the superleague.

[mudskipper]

Willie Mason at Toulon, go figure.... it must be to advance his boxing career...

[benny]

Willie Mason has had 1 good season since he's come on the scene that was his rookie season @ the Bulldogs (NRL) there after at the bulldogs > Cowboys > and now Hull he is old / slow and cant keep up with the young legs. Its a bonus for his pension thats the only reson he is going to Toulon and a waste of money. (full stop)

[zimeric]

so yesterday he was weighing up his options.. today hes signed... wow mustve been a powerful meeting:

ive done a bit of digging and the only sites that mention anything about the deal actually being done are Aussie (daily telegraph and news.com.au) all other sites are still mentioning that he has been courted...

not saying it hasnt happened, i just have a huge scepticism of these websites since the whole "JOC is signing for the Rebels on monday!!" thing

[jargan83]

Even if he doesn't get any game time he wiould be stupid to knock back that amount of money. I wonder if there will be any form of performance clauses or will it just be a wage.

This salary cap JO'N is bringing in will be a laugh
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[Burgs]

Can the trickle, now a flood, of broken down rugby players of all persuasions to France be accurately described as being the result of Toulonic Irrigation?

Oh, bravo!!! haha

[kelv]

I only thought he was talking bout signing just like he was going to gridion 5 years ago.

[beige]

This article might explain things: http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2...884361,00.html

[James]

Willie Mason going to Toulon is great news.

It is half a million dollars a season that isn't being spent on someone from the Australian franchises. It hurts rugby league losing a pretty well known player, while at the same time benefiting union. If he was actually decent, it would be great to see him run out for Tonga.

[mudskipper]

This salary cap JO'N is bringing in will be a laugh
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It will apply to all OZ S15 teams, most NZ and SA players don't get the same reward.