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Toulon have announced a deal to sign the French star of the 2003 World Cup, Frederic Michalak, which should keep him at the club untill the 2015 World Cup.
Michalak, 29, has been playing with the South African Natal Sharks in the Super 15, and will see out his contract for the upcoming Super Rugby season before joining Toulon for the 2012/13 season. The 54 times capped France international is keen to establish himself in the plans of the new natonal head coach, Phillipe Saint Andre, for the 2015 World Cup. Michalak was hailed at the 2003 world cup as the future of French rugby, an exciting, maverick talent, he suffered from playing in a team moving away from their traditional free flowing game, which suited his style, earning him a reputation as unreliable as the team tried to play more controlled rugby. He struggled in the 2007 World Cup, and was not even in the squad for the 2011 tournament. Adept at either fly-half or scrum-half, in the tradition of many great French half-backs, he will be joining a Toulon side already brimming with talent, with a backline including Alexis Pallisson, Mathieu Bastereaud, Matt Giteau and his rival for the 10 shirt, Jonny Wilkinson. It was this that club president, Mourad Boudjellal, said enticed Michalak to agree a deal with Toulon. "I think he will be a Toulon player next season. He has been impressed by the chance to play with Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau." The deal has not yet been signed though, and Toulon fans and players alike will be keen to see the mercurial Michalak put pen to paper before he can be talked out of the deal by any other suitors. "Nothing has been signed but there is a verbal agreement to a contract for 3 years." It appears that Michalak is only the beginning of Toulon's player recruitment drive for the 2012/13 season, as they look to add to their already star studded team. "We need four to five players of a very high level, and Fred will be the start of that."
