Toulon's president Mourad Boudjellal is convinced that the recruitment of the injury-prone England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson is a gamble worth taking.
Wilkinson, 30 next week, was one of a host of new signings unveiled yesterday by Toulon, the ambitious, big-spending club from the south of France.
Since dropping the goal that won England the World Cup in 2003, Wilkinson has been plagued by injury problems and he has not played since dislocating a kneecap on Newcastle duty at Gloucester last September.
Before that, knee ligament injuries, shoulder trouble, damaged ribs and a blow to his kidney have restricted the fly-half to fewer than 50 Newcastle starts since landing that famous extra-time kick in Sydney.
Boudjellal knows he has indulged by bringing in Wilkinson but admits he could not resist making him his marquee signing for next season. "If it doesn't work out, we'll put it down to a moment of folly," said Boudjellal, who has bankrolled Toulon for the past few years after making his fortune from the comic-book business.
"But who hasn't fantasised about a rugby player like Wilkinson, a great among the greats, a player who is out of this world?"
Wilkinson has signed a two-year contract with Toulon and his sojourn to the French Riviera will provide him with a chance to kickstart his career.
Fitness permitting, his competitive debut for Toulon will come on the weekend of 15-16 August. "I spoke to him on the telephone," Philippe Saint-André, Toulon's new director of rugby, said. "He is going to take medical tests to be sure he will be at 100% for the start of the season."
Wilkinson, who today flies back from the United States and could be introduced as a Toulon player to the media on 26 May, has confirmed he will undergo a medical next week but does not expect that to cause any problems.
Saint-André, who has seen Wilkinson at first hand during his coaching stints in England with Gloucester and Sale, is delighted to have the No10 at his disposal. "He is one of the best fly-halves in the world," the former France captain said. "We will have to see how he goes because he hasn't played for a long time.
"But when you have the means to buy him and you get a present like Wilkinson, you can't refuse it."
It is also believed rumours that Wilkinson will earn €800,000 (£704,000) a season during his time at Toulon are far-fetched. According to the French media this morning, he is likely to earn half that amount.
"He has been charmed by the atmosphere of the Stade Mayol and the region," Boudjellal said of Wilkinson. "And honestly, there wasn't much of a question about money – negotiations went quickly and his salary is the market price for a player like him."
Wilkinson is expected to be present when Toulon return for pre-season training on 1 July. Such is the clamour around his signing that Toulon's acquisition of 15 other players has largely gone unnoticed.
Among them were players who plied their trade in Britain and Ireland, such as the Sale trio Sébastien Bruno, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Rory Lamont, the Munster prop Tim Ryan, the Bristol flanker Joe El-Abd, the Saracens back-rower Kris Chesney, the Cardiff Blues centre Jamie Robinson and Leinster's Argentina international Felipe Contepomi.
Tom May, Wilkinson's former team-mate at Newcastle and named on the shortlist for player of the year in the Guinness Premiership, has also been lured by Toulon. The utility back, who was at the Stade Mayol last weekend to see Toulon round off a decent end to their Top 14 campaign with a win over Montpellier, has been taken aback by the fervour the city has for rugby.
"When I came down here, it felt a really passionate town," May said. "But having been to a game and watched videos, it just takes on a whole new meaning now and it's bordering on religion as opposed to a normal game of rugby."
May could share kicking duties with Wilkinson for the south-west club, who finished ninth in the Top 14 this season. "I saw the crowd on Saturday – you don't want to be missing in front of them!" he said. "But it's an exciting time to be here and we are both looking forward to it."
