BACK IN BLUE

Opponents breathed a sigh of relief when UINI ATONIO retired after the World Cup. But then the giant France prop had a change of heart....

-  Paul Eddison

LA ROCHELLE was a second division club when Uini Atonio arrived on the French Atlantic coast on a one-year deal. Little did the huge tighthead prop know what that move would turn into: a decade-long international career, a Grand Slam, two Champions Cups, a restaurant and now his very own beer.

He might have been born about as far away as it is possible to go from the seaport, but no one is more synonymous with the city than the bearded giant from Timaru.

So when it comes to explaining how La Rochelle went from a side that spent 11 of 12 seasons between 2002 and 2014 in the second division to the juggernaut of today, who better to ask?

Looking back on his beginnings in La Rochelle, Atonio recalls: “I came here because I’d missed out on a Super Rugby contract and I was just meant to stay for one year. It’s such a great family club that I ended up staying. Ronan (O’Gara, the head coach) has put his own little spin on it since he arrived. It’s working well and hopefully we can continue this year.

“It’s a small town, it doesn’t take long to get from one side of town to the other! Rugby is pretty much the only sport we have and you can see how much it means with the atmosphere in the stadium.

“Because of that, we spend a lot of time together as players and get to know each other pretty quickly. Then with all the travelling, we probably spend more time with each other than with our wives or kids!