KEY POINTS:
You can bet Olivier Sourgens has struggled to wipe the grin off his face as France prepare for tomorrow's second test in Wellington. There he was at 35, slugging away in the Bourgoin front row, thinking that (test) life had passed him by.
But French coach Bernard Laporte
stepped in with a belated "your country needs you" call for the two-test trip to New Zealand.
Pieter de Villiers, Sylvain Marconnet and Olivier Milloud, rated France's top three props, were all unavailable, along with a cluster of others from the country's leading clubs.
Christian Califano had his first test since 2003 at Eden Park last weekend, and tomorrow Sourgens gets his chance, alongside Califano with hooker Sebastien Bruno in between. And that makes for a distinctly geriatric front row. Califano and Sourgens are 35, Bruno turns 33 in August, and they'll be out to prove age shall not weary them.
Sourgens has played six times for France A and is a veteran of the cut-throat world of French club front row rugby for Begles Bordeaux, Mont de Marsan and Pau, before joining Bourgoin last season, his 12th at the top.
For Califano, it's his 72nd test; Bruno plays his 20th and, if he's not exactly leaping around like a spring lamb, expect Sourgens to be putting his 120kg about with gusto. The prospect of a one and only test cap can do that to a player. "I play for a good scrum, a good lineout and [to make] a difference," said Sourgens. "Better late than never."
Exactement, sir. And while records are difficult to pin down, it's a fair bet this French front row - together perhaps for the only time - are a strong chance of being the oldest No's 1, 2 and 3 to appear in a test.
They total 102 years - one more than the All Blacks famed "Geriatrics", Gary Knight, Andy Dalton and John Ashworth. They teamed up for 20 tests from 1978 to 1985, the last occasion being loosehead prop Ashworth and captain and hooker Dalton's finale, against Australia at Eden Park. That day, tighthead prop Knight and Dalton were 33, Ashworth 35.
So renowned was their fame that they collaborated in a book, The Geriatrics, by highly respected writer Lindsay Knight. They first came together at Athletic Park against Australia in 1978, a 13-12 win.
It was Ashworth's debut, the other two having started their test careers in France several months earlier.
From then until Ashworth and Dalton's final test - Knight carried on for two more against Australia post-Cavaliers in 1986, with Hika Reid and Steve McDowell for company - they were separated only four times.
Reid hooked in two tests against Australia in 1980, John Black in one; and Auckland prop Greg Burgess filled in for Knight in the second test against South Africa in 1981.
It was said that the Geriatrics at times put on a grumpy face when asked the age question, but privately it was always suspected they delighted in their fame.
