The drain of talent from British rugby to France has continued with the move of Gavin Henson from Saracens to Toulon.
The glamorous, big spending, south-coast club are perhaps a suitable choice for a player whose off-the-pitch image is greater than anything he has achieved on the field in recent years. Though the former Ospreys fly-half insists the move is purely to do with rugby.
His desperation to earn a Welsh recall – currently scuppered by a calf injury anyway – led to him asking Saracens for a move.
It is a World Cup year of course and Henson, who has only just made a comeback from a two-year self-enforced sabbatical, wanted to play as many games as possible to force his way into Warren Gatland's plans.
But since making his debut for the London club at Wembley on Boxing Day he only made four appearances, and crucially none in his preferred positions of fly-half and inside centre.
Not that the fans were too enamoured with him either. They disliked the showbiz circus that appeared to follow him around, without the performances to back it up. Those following the live score goalwire wouldn't have been too impressed by his brief stint at the club.
He has also massively contradicted himself. Henson made the move to Saracens – a club with a big name manager a chance of Heineken Cup glory – in order to be closer to his two children, as well as escaping the limelight in Wales.
Now, with Sarries out of Europe and coach Brendan Venter gone, he has chosen to move away from his family to the South of France and to one of European rugby's most high profile clubs.
In his defence he should at least get the chance to play in his favoured positions in France, with Toulon signing Henson as a 'medical wildcard' replacement for the injured Clément Marienval, Felipe Contepomi and Six-Nations bound Jonny Wilkinson. Fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on the rugby live scores to see if he can make an impact for his new club.
But you can't escape the fact that he is going to play in a wage-cap free league, with Wilkinson and Paul Sackey already playing their trade at Toulon and Henson's Welsh team-mates James Hook and Lee Byrne also sealing big money moves across the channel.
If that is his true motivation, then Sarries may feel they are better off without him.
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