Signing a long-term contract extension at Top 14 side Pau wasn’t the best or most important life decision Joe Simmonds has made recently. Because he popped the question to his now-fiance that same week.
“Extending Joe’s contract has been one of our priorities,” club manager Sebastien Piqueronies said in a club statement after Simmonds committed to the Piqueronies’ project at the Stade du Hameau until 2028. “(He is) an experienced and trusted leader…his scope is complete and his determination to grow our projects is a tremendous asset.”
Having won 20 World Rugby Under-20 Championships with France, it is clear the coach sees Simonds as a foundational player in his long-term plans for the ambitious club. It is still too early for the announcement of a French contract extension season to make an impression.
Confront Goliath | The story of Italy taking on the mighty All Blacks | Rugby Original Documentary
Confront Goliath | The story of Italy taking on the mighty All Blacks | Rugby Original Documentary
There are now four games left in his second season at Pau. It is also clear that the former Exeter fly-half has no qualms about extending his adventure to five years. He said, “Pau offered me (a contract) early, and it was hard to refuse.” “I could have waited a few months, but it felt right and ‘Pique’ wanted me to stay.”
Simonds said making the jump across the Channel to France at the end of the 2022/23 season after playing nearly 180 games for Chiefs over seven years was a big decision, but necessary for his career. “I’m not afraid to say it. My rugby at Exeter was not where I wanted to be. “It’s hard to pinpoint, but I felt like I needed to get out of my comfort zone.”
So a switch within the Premiership didn’t solve the problem. “I felt like I wanted to love rugby again. I loved my time in Exeter and wouldn’t change a thing, but it was the right time to try something different.
pho
French Stadium
“It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. “The atmosphere here in France is very different and crazy than the Premier League.”
Brother Sam decides to leave Sandy Park to compete in the top 14 In the same year, Montpellier also influenced Joe’s decision. “We’ve never seen them play together,” Simmonds said. “We both grew up outside of Exeter, we played a lot of games together and it felt good for him to leave.
“I wasn’t in the best position rugby-wise. “I think with him leaving, the decision to look elsewhere became a lot easier.”
Ambious Pau, a team yet to experience Champions Cup rugby, ticked all the right boxes.
“I wanted to go in a direction where I could bring something different. Pau has been in the top 14 for some time, but has always been fighting relegation or at the bottom of the table. I wanted to go there and change it and hand my game over to another team.
“The first year was very positive. We finished 9th, but we were very close to Champions Cup Rugby and a top 6 place, just a few points away from that.
“Our target this year is a top six finish. I want Champions Cup rugby. I never experienced it (here) until a few years ago, but I felt like the team was uniquely improving. “It’s a great club to be a part of.”
Even young ones. His teammates include Emilien Gayuton, 21, and Theo Artisogbe, 19, both of whom are already senior players for France. In fact, Simmonds is a 27-year-old veteran. Only six players on the team have turned 30, including fellow halfback import Dan Robson and new tighthead Harry Williams.
He sees it positively. “With the young players gaining Top 14 experience at such a young age, they are only going to get better and better. The team will be better from it. It’s very exciting to see these players, and I think a lot of them have long-term contracts, so we’ll keep them. They are already great players, but it will be great to see them develop.
“That’s a good thing about France. They see something in you and your training, and if you work hard every week you will get a chance to play.
“I think Emilien played almost every game in the Top 14 last season and Théo has done the same since he joined. It’s good to have players like that.”
Four games into the season, Pau sit in eighth place with 10 points, with two five-point home wins offsetting two heavy defeats on the road.
The youth team came from behind to win 30-16 at home to Stade Francais on Saturday. Gailleton and Attissogbe both produced spirited second-half fightbacks that had the Hameau crowd cheering, while Simmonds scored a bonus-point try in the 78th minute to take his personal record for the night to 15 points.
But as always, there is work to be done. Discipline in away games was an issue. Pau picked up three yellow cards in the opening loss to Clermont and another two yellow cards in the 49-25 loss at La Rochelle.
“We can never win a game like that. We need to change because we are killing ourselves,” Simmonds said. “We are leaking easy points and if you look at the La Rochelle game, a lot of those came from our mistakes.”
That’s right. Pau have conceded 133 points in four games so far, with only Vannes scoring more.
As a top 14 player in the Premier League, moving from England to France piles on additional potential cultural and language challenges. Players and their families can and do struggle to settle down.
Simmonds knew the decision to sign for three more years would not only affect him. “It’s always easier for the players because they have to work every day, participate in the group and also think about their families,” he said.
“My girlfriend has adapted well (to life). She has made friends and enjoys the lifestyle here in France. This was very helpful. There has to be a balance with family.”
He said support for the club extended beyond the players to their families. He also attended one-on-one language classes to improve his French skills. His fiancée “feels involved, whereas at other clubs it’s just the players,” he said.
“It’s a whole family deal here. Everyone is participating. It really helped my fiancee decide to stay here. Because it would be easy for her to come up with an excuse to go back to England and want something different. But she likes it.
“When you move to France, you have to realize that this is your home. People come and think, ‘Oh, I’ll just be here for two years and then I’ll go back to England’ and it’s hard. But this will be our home for the next five years.”
Friendly and easy-going, Pau was helpful to both the club and the city. “They were very welcoming,” Simmonds said. “Not only the players, but also the people around Pau.
“It’s a proud moment. We’ve talked about it with our parents, but it doesn’t come around often.”
The first time Sam and Joe Simmonds started a Premiership game together, it was a huge win. @ExeterChiefs…
And the grand prize goes to Big Brother 👊 pic.twitter.com/TeXhDAjqQ8
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyntnt) March 23, 2018
“It’s a really small city. I went into town for a coffee with some of the boys and I could tell they loved rugby here. They are all very welcoming and want to talk to you. Even when the stadium here is full. It’s a bright atmosphere.
“It’s completely different from the British way. The fans are really involved in this and feel it with you. It’s really great to be able to play in front of such a great and positive crowd.
“I enjoy playing rugby again. When I was in England, I may have put pressure on myself by overthinking all the time, but I think I’ve lost that now. “I’m enjoying rugby again and enjoying life outside of it.”
