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Skrela, the return

Friday 12th September 2008

The grand return: David Skrela

Saturday will see the culmination of a double return for fit-again French international fly-half David Skrela, who will play his first game for his hometown of Toulouse..

A return to the playing field after returning home - David Skrela is feeling pretty excited.

The much anticipated rematch of last season's Top 14 Final between Toulouse a Clermont will see Skrela follow in his father Jean-Claude's footsteps as he pulls on the jersey of the club he grew up with.

It's been three months since Skrela played after tearing a thigh muscle at the Stade de France while defending the colours of Stade Fran�ais against Biarritz. Three months too long.

"I'm doing a lot better now," Skrela told French daily La D�p�che du Midi.

"I've been training normally and I've been running for ten days now. I can't wait for one thing: putting my boots back on and contesting a match."

Absent from Toulouse's opening three matches against Montpellier, Dax and Biarritz, Skrela's fly-half duties were left to converted scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde.

Although Elissalde has been doing an excellent job, as he did last season, it has been a priority for Toulouse to have a specialist in the position - hence Skrela's signing, as well as that of soon to be returning Fr�d�ric Michalak.

"Physically, I'm ready to start a match. All the lights are green. I've finally been able to complete a full weeks training with a match at the end, " enthused the 29-year-old.

And not any match. Stade Toulousain travel to Clermont, who will be looking for revenge for their defeat in last June's showdown in Paris.

"It's true it's going to be complicated," he Skrela.

"Clermont have already lost twice this season, so they have no margin for error. But I so desperately want to play - no matter the adversary.

"And we're going to have lots of big matches this season. Biarritz was already a big test for us. We passed it with success. Now we've got a string of tough matches against Clermont, Montauban, Perpignan, Castres and Stade Fran�ais."

Skrela might have left Toulouse when he turned profession but he is no stranger to the management. He once won the French Schools Championship under a certain Guy Nov�s, head coach of Toulouse and he has spent the last few weeks getting to know the rest of the squad.

"I knew most of the players, except for the youngsters," he said.

"But you integrate yourself into a new club by giving the best of yourself on the field and by the commitment you show. It's up to me to do that now."

Skrela knows that he will have to more than simply pull his weight if he hopes to be a regular starter for the French champions as competition for places will be intense.

And not only from Michalak, who will arrive in a few weeks following the completion of the Currie cup in South Africa. With Byron Kelleher playing some of the best rugby of his career, Elissalde may also be pushing for a chance in the number ten jumper.

But for the moment, the born and raised Toulousain will simply be savouring the opportunity to wear the famous red and black jersey.

"Will there be emotion on Saturday? No doubt. But what will count the most will be the intensity that I put into this first match," Skrela concluded.