Will Skelton owes a debt of gratitude to English rugby for transforming his career - but has a funny way of showing it.
Saracens turned the huge Australian lock into a world class player during his four years in north London. But it came back to bite them earlier this month when La Rochelle, the club he left them for, knocked them out of the Champions Cup.
That was Skelton’s third Premiership scalp of the campaign, following Northampton and Gloucester, and he plans to make it four when Exeter play the holders in Bordeaux on Sunday for a place in the final.
The 30-year old will then turn his attention to helping Eddie Jones’ Wallabies try to break English hearts at this autumn’s World Cup, with the nations likely to meet in the quarter-finals.
“This is the job, it is not something I do on purpose!” said Skelton, on what has become a habit of inflicting pain on Pom sides.
“It’s the luck of the draw that we got the English teams. Unfortunately, there can be only one winner on the field.”
That the 6’8 giant is now feasting on English blood has much to do with being physically reshaped by Saracens’ performance team.
Having weighed more than 23 stones he changed his diet and lifestyle, shed 2st during pre-season and emerged more dynamic to play a key role in winning the 2019 European Cup.
“Will showed great dedication to transform himself physically to allow his incredible talent to be hugely impactful,” recalled Saracens boss Mark McCall.
He has not looked back, moving to French rugby and becoming only the sixth player to win the Champions Cup with two different clubs. Should La Rochelle get the better of Exeter it will be his fourth Heineken final in five years.
“I learned not only about myself as a rugby player but as a person in English rugby,” said Skelton. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Prem.”
One box that remained unticked was winning at Sandy Park, home of Sunday’s opponents Exeter. Skelton is well aware of the size of battle awaiting La Rochelle at Stade Matmut Atlantique.
“Whenever I played Exeter the physicality was always there,” he said. “With a lot of their players leaving this is almost their last dance. They will definitely bring it.”
Win or lose the World Cup looms large on the horizon. Jones had him dial in to a zoom call “in the middle of the night” last week and Skelton reckons England’s old boss will galvanise the Wallabies.
“For us to be successful in the World Cup it’s a short five months we’ve got with Eddie,” he said. “But he has already brought some life back into Aussie rugby.”
