I honestly think going to Toulon will be a great career move for Quade, and JOC (James O'Connor) too.
In Australia, as JOC (James O'Connor) pointed out this season, they are subject to constant scrutiny and they often have huge expectations placed upon them. When you couple this with the fact that these players have been riddled with injuries, its almost impossible for them to get any confidence back. When they do, we sing their praises and demand that they replicate their form each week. When they don't, we heap criticism upon them and demand that they are dropped / sacked / exiled from Australian rugby.
In France, however, they are just another player in a sea of stars. Not only that, but the training regime seems to be lighter (although I think a lot of the Toulon based players seem to be in fantastic physical condition - compare Drew / Giteau to before they left Australian rugby) and the culture seems to be focused upon enjoying your rugby first, and then through that enjoyment, playing good winning rugby.
I have a friend who is a fantastically talented natural athlete. You should see him play touch. He throws magnificent ~30m cutouts, executes chip kicks to perfection, has a great short game and most of all, reads the game fantastically well. Absolutely dominates the game, and the majority of my close friendship circle play 1st / 2nd grade Shute Sheild, or have played 1st colts in the past so its no cakewalk in terms of skill levels.
And while he was a good player at school, he was never the player he could have been. He heaped huge expectations on himself, and when it came to contact and games that mattered, he retreated into a shell. Self doubt can destroy a player.
When we play touch, and his focus is upon enjoying himself, he plays with confidence, and its beautiful to watch.
From seeing Giteau's and Mitchell's respective journeys in France, it seems that the relaxed culture there has reminded them that, at the end of the day, rugby is just a game, and that games are meant to be enjoyed.
At the World Cup, I don't think they really cared if they won or lost the grand final. I honestly believe that. I think they just wanted one last shot to redeem themselves for the way the squad had played in the past. They just wanted to give it a good crack, and I'm sure they are now resting easy knowing that they gave it their everything.
I think Quade will undergo a similar journey, and from watching the game on the weekend, I think its already begun. He's playing with confidence, and whilst I don't think Toulon is necessarily where he wants to be right now, I think it is exactly the place he needs to be.
Good game Quade, lets hope you can replicate it on the weekend.
If not, go and enjoy one of the several thousand other things you can enjoy in the sunny South of France.
Theres more to life than rugby. I hope Quade et al embrace this fact.
