Ahead of tonight’s crunch game at the Stade de France there’s surely only one name on the lips of those tense with anticipation, one image in theirs minds; Sebastian Chabal a.k.a. The Caveman (L’Homme des Cavernes), previously, and chillingly, known as The Anaesthetist.France vs Ireland in group D of the Rugby World Cup will probably decide who gets past the group stages and who lingers there. For France, as the home nation, it is a must-win game as to be knocked out at this stage would be catasrophique.
Yet, “Cometh the hour, cometh the Caveman”, Sebastian Chabal has been doing a Lomu over the last few years and treading on anyone who gets in his way. Witness the literal destruction of the All Blacks in these clips from last June’s tour of New Zealand.
France is, apparently, in the grip of Caveman mania at the moment and his supporters enjoy nothing better than walking around in shaggy black wigs and long, wild, beards. He’s already been immortalized in the French version of Spitting Image (must they copy everything we do?) by ‘Les Guignols de l’info’ a Canal + institution (are there any French speakers willing to translate before I mangle it surreally?)
The Caveman persona is not just about his Neolithic countenance, primeval ferociousness in the tackle or nefarious doll marketing strategies, oh no. Like Eric Cantona, that other feral Frog, he plies his trade in the prehistoric wilds of England; at Sale. There, they like to sing “Chabad to the Bone” [sic] because he is and there is no better excuse for a bit of George Thorogood, is there?
4 comments:
My mum says that she could have guessed the nickname of "anaesthetist" but she has a new one for him. "Mortician".
Great clips - will he inspire ce soir?
What a game to come.
Nah, he's a good guy. Loves children (and puppies), helps old ladies across the street... He's very gentle. Honest.
he wasn't really a caveman last night, or an anaesthetist or a mortician
more like a dinosaur, patient, corpse...
it's like they put him in the team for the PR, France's backs were much, much better when Szarzewski came on and I noticed the Toulousians skip him out of play a few times
good win for the blue team
offie, I'm sure hes is, the Samoans are, by all accounts, the gentlest beings in creation....until you get them on a rugby pitch where they transform seamlessly into 2 ton rabid pit bulls on crack , as we will see later today
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