Carl Hayman on verge of Toulon move

Mar 20 2010 by Nick Purewal, The Journal

NEWCASTLE Falcons talisman Carl Hayman will this weekend complete a deal to join Toulon for next season – rejecting overtures to stay at Kingston Park or an All Blacks return for the 2011 World Cup.

Spurning the chance for another tilt at the Webb Ellis Trophy with New Zealand in their home World Cup next year, Hayman has also turned down the best offer the Falcons could muster as Newcastle battled hard to keep him at Kingston Park.

Opting instead to link back up with former Falcons Jonny Wilkinson and Tom May on the French Riviera, Hayman will complete his Toulon deal this weekend, with the club expected to confirm the deal on Monday.

Rumours surfaced at the start of the week that Hayman would choose Toulon over a number of lucrative offers for his services next term – including a hefty wage offer from Clermont Auvergne.

But then unpredictable Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal poured cold water over those reports.

The Toulon chief claimed Hayman would most likely return to New Zealand, but that has now been proven pure misdirection.

Outmanoeuvred on the wage front then, the Falcons said they respect and understand Hayman’s decision to cross the Channel when his Kingston Park contract expires at the end of the season.

A pivotal cornerstone of the Falcons side right since his December 2007 arrival, 30-year-old Hayman’s impressive scrummaging and work-rate have merely enhanced his reputation as one of the world’s top tighthead props.