Winger Dan Luger racked up 21 tries in 33 matches for England and now the former Quins and Sarries flyer is doing, well, pretty much everything really. He spoke to Alex Mead…
Long time Mr Luger, what you been up to?
For the last two seasons I’ve playing for Toulon, it’s a fantastic lifestyle out here.
How did you end up at Toulon?
I stayed at Perpignan for a couple of seasons (his first club after leaving Harlequins in 2004) and then took a year out to move back to Croatia. I managed to fit in some sevens rugby for England during that time and I started thinking that you were a long time retired so, when Toulon came along, it seem ideal. Even though they were in second division in France, they were still a big club.
Why did you take a break in the first place?
Well, after the World Cup, I had a great couple of seasons in France but it was a long season. We only had ten days off between season at one point because we got to the final of the championship. I picked up an injury towards the end of my second year and I just felt I need some time out to get my body back to normal.
Other than the sevens with England, how did you fill your time?
I went out to work with my dad in Croatia in the property business and opened up a restaurant in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic?
Yeah, my mum’s Czech, and I’ve got cousins living over there, so I worked with them. It was a great year, the property business was interesting and then I’d also be flying around the world playing sevens…
So are you still involved now?
I’m still heavily involved but not on a day-to-day basis as I’m still in France.
We’ve read about Toulon with their megabucks et al, but how big are they?
It’s a big club, they’ve got 11,000 season ticket holders, the stadium is in the centre of the town and it’s as much of a real rugby town as Toulouse. It’s a great place to place and it’s just a bit misleading that they are (were, they just won the title) in the second division because in terms of support and stadium they’re much more like a Top 14 side.
And you certainly have the big name players…
Last year we had Victor Matfield, Andrew Mehrtens, George Gregan, Anton Oliver, millions of internationals. It was a special group, especially with Tana Umaga as coach. A lot of us are stopping or moving on though, Matfield’s gone back to South Africa, Gregan and Mehrtens have left, Anton’s gone to uni…
Still, hell of a line-up last year…
We always described it as like playing for the Barbarians. It was a Barbarians’ atmosphere but with a professional side to it – we put our heads down when we needed to and worked hard and the results proved that. It was a great atmpspher, but when the pressure came we dealt with it. We won the league with four games to go, but it was pretty tight even though we’d led from day one. Metro Racing Club (of Paris) were with us and they had the likes of Agustin Pichot and Sireli Bobo playing for them. We managed to beat them with just four weeks left of the season and then sealed it. We did it the hard way. It’s a tough league though, there are more clubs in the second division that have won the whole championship than there are in first division*.
How did you get on?
Yeah it was good, I played in a all the games, I had a good couples of years. I was at 13 first then played the second half season on wing, I scored seven or eight tries I guess. One of the reason I’ve decided to stop playing for Toulon is that I wanted to finish on a high by winning a league – something that was a bit special.
What you doing next then?
I’m getting some rehab done here in France (he’s just had his knee ‘cleaned’ out) and get myself fit so I can walk again. Then I’m moving down to Nice to work with a friend who’s just bought a third division club (Nice Cote d’Azur). I’ve also got to sort some business in Croatia and pop back to the UK too.
Are you going to be playing or coaching?
I;m going to be involved a lot to start with working with the board of directors as I’m a part shareholder. I’ve got a meeting this Wednesday to start everything on the business side, the marketing, sponsorship, meeting and greeting etc. Then, when the season starts, I’ll be more involved on the playing side – I might play a bit, I don’t know yet. We’re also bringing a few English players down to Nice. Hopefully Will Johnson [Martin’s brother] and Kevin Yates will be coming down.
You certainly don’t stay still for long…
I’ve always had other interests out side of rugby, there’s always been bit and bobs here and there. Once you stopped playing for England it frees up a lot of time. You suddenly realise you’ve got time on your hands to get more balance in life. Rugby doesn’t go on forever and I have been injured a fair amount. I guess when I left the UK, I just discovered more opportunities.
Moving to France seems to have agreed with you then…
It was always something I wanted to. I always wanted to play aboard and see how rugby players live in a different part of the world.
Wouldn’t it have been good to finish playing in England though?
A small part of me thinks it would’ve been nice to finish at Harlequins and at a proper English club. That would have been lovely but it wasn’t to be. I made that decision, and I would do the same again. I always wanted to go to France even when I was younger. I was approached by Toulouse in 2001 and if Harlequins had gone down I would have gone, but we didn’t…
Isn’t moving around so much unsettling?
Yeah I suppose so, but I’ve got a family house in Croatia so that feels like home. I could’ve stayed here [in Toulon] though, it was a tough decision to leave because I was offered another year… But Nice will be good – it’s very easy to get to anywhere from there: Croatia, Prague, London. Plus there’s a bit ex-part community though. I would like to be settled, I think my wife and I are quite happy to settle down and Nice is a proper city that’s a decent size and by the sea.
You’re only 33 and yet it seems like you’ve been around forever…
It didn’t really feel like that before but the last couple of years it’s realy crept up on me. I was having dinner with Mehrtens and Gregan at a pizza place and ESPN Classic was showing the 1999 World Cup and we were all playing in it and that was almost ten years ago! Two years ago I thought I was young but now I see all these young guys coming through…
Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if you’d not left England?
If I’d stayed in England, I would have only been 31 at the last World Cup, so maybe I still would’ve been involved – you never know.
But you’re back at Twickenham with the Help for Heroes match?
Yeah, games like this fantastic. It’s one of the good things about being older that you get to play at these events. Obviously it’s for a great cause (see www.helpforheroes.org.uk), and me coming from Croatia means that I’ve got friends and family that have been involved in war. I know it’s not the same, but as rugby players we know what it’s like to be injured and how hard it is to deal without the right facilities and people around you.
When did you last play at Twickenham?
It would have been before the [2003] World Cup, maybe the Six Nations? I can’t remember which – Scotland perhaps? Or France**. There’s nothing like playing there though, the buzz you get before the game is a massive natural high that you just can’t replicate in life. I do miss it.
When did you last see any of the England boys?
Funnily enough, I bumped into Josh Lewsey on holiday. He was staying at villa next door to me when I was in Bali!
*We really should check this fact, but, to be honest, we just can’t be arsed. It’s a good one and we don’t want to spoil it.
**Ditto. Well, the first bit’s true in that we couldn’t be bother to double check even though it’s not as good a fact as the first. Anyhow, you get the drift, we’re a bit half-arsed about the whole fact-checking thing…