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'Les Wallabies' earn some new fans
By Gerry Collins
Wallabies full-back Julian Huxley has a big new group of fans and it's not because of his many skills on the rugby field.
Huxley was the star at a special reception for the Wallabies overnight in their base city of Montpellier.
The Australian team has been making themselves at home in this southern French city during their World Cup campaign.
And as the team has been adapting to their new home town, the people of Montpellier have been adapting to them, going so far as to honour them at a special function in the heart of the city.
Several thousand locals gathered to watch the mayor grant the Wallabies honorary citizenship of the city and it was obvious that the city has enjoyed having the Australians in its midst.
The Wallabies themselves were amazed when they turned up for their first training session and found 14,000 locals there to see them in action in the city's brand new Yves du Manoir Stadium.
That hospitality has continued and the gathering in the Place de la Comedie reflected the tremendous interest in the Wallabies.
While captain Stirling Mortlock was there to present a signed Wallabies jersey to the mayor, the undoubted star of the event was utility back Julian Huxley.
With Chris Latham back from injury and playing well, Huxley is reliant on only a few opportunities to show his wares on the rugby field and there's no doubting his rugby skills.
But it was his ability with the French language that won him the most fans on the night.
Speaking as the team's representative, he spoke in both French and English and there were cheers for nearly everything he said in the native tongue.
There were wolf-whistles and cheers as the good-looking Huxley stepped up to the microphone.
His opening words in French, "cheres Montpellieraines", brought a huge round of applause. In going with tradition and saying hello to the women in the crowd first, Huxley was appealing to the majority of those who had come to see the Wallabies.
There was little doubt that he had won the hearts of many of the Montpellier women within a few words. His competent French continued to earn a warm reception from the locals and the appreciation and amusement of his team-mates.
But when it came to the drawing of a raffle, Huxley found his match in the latest star of the team, Berrick Barnes. With his blonde locks and his flashing smile, Barnes proved to be a big hit as he drew the winning tickets.
The winners were given the option of which Wallabies player they received their prize from and Barnes was prominent.
Was the raffle rigged? Certainly a local middle-aged woman standing near me was suggesting it was.
"They've had four winners and they are all young women," she complained.
The Wallabies weren't concerned and stayed around longer than they were expected to, signing autographs and chatting to the locals.
And who was the most popular? My little survey suggested it was Huxley.
Julian insists that it was only schoolboy French. I suspect he was a very good student.
Whatever the case he is now a proud Honorary "Montpelliarain" (male from Montpellier) who is very popular with les "Montpelliaraines" (females from Montpellier).
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