Here’s a statistic to make the head wobble. Not since April 2002 have Castres featured in a knockout stage match in what is now known as the Investec Champions Cup. They were beaten that year by Munster on a broiling hot semi-final day in Beziers, and their 14 – mostly uncompetitive – campaigns since then in the tournament have all resulted in pool stage elimination.
Saturday, though, confirmed an end to this famine, regardless of how Olympique fare in London when grappling Saracens this Sunday in Pool Three. The southern hemisphere defeat for Stade Francais at the Bulls guaranteed that Castres, at the 15th time of asking, have finally reached the play-offs after a 23-year wait.
Of course, advancing to the round of 16 after four pool outings this term won’t be an achievement comparable to when they won five of their six pool outings in the competition’s unforgiving old format. Those were winter days when the margin for error was at a premium with just eight teams advancing to quarter-finals from the pools.
Still, progress founded on recent home wins over Munster and the Bulls is a nod to Castres doing something positive. This situation greatly pleases Abraham Papali’i, their rumbustious No8 from New Zealand.
“Qualifying is something we spoke about going into this competition, hence why we went hard against Munster and especially that Bulls game,” he enthused to RugbyPass ahead of a London fixture where he and all 14 other starters from last week have been rested.
“A big objective at the start of the season was to do well in this competition and we are in a great position. French teams don’t really look past the Top 14 and judging by where we are in the table (eighth with seven wins from 14 matches), we have a big game against Racing next weekend, so we have that in mind as well.”
Now 31 years old with a deal inked until summer 2027, Papali’i is well-settled in the Top 14 following his brutal introduction to northern hemisphere rugby. His rugby league tackle technique fell foul of the referees, resulting in three red cards in nine months.
The malaise started just 25 minutes into his Connacht debut, his shoulder-to-head clattering of Munster’s Conor Murray resulting in a three-game ban. Not long after came a five-match suspension for a red-carded head-to-head clash versus Zebre, and his maiden season in Europe then ended with a four-game punishment for a high tackle against Benetton.
Talk about woundingly having to learn the hard way, but with just one red card since then – in January 2023 for Brive against Connacht, a sanction dismissed at a disciplinary hearing – the adverse headlines are past tense.
“When I got the red cards I’d a good group around me who were really understanding I came from rugby league. I worked really hard just doing extra work on tackle technique, making sure I was dipping below the chest, driving down into the ground once making contact.
“My coaches even had a drill where they would hold a pole just underneath the tackle bag and I had to make sure I got down or I’d hit my head off a sideline pole, one of the plastic ones, just countless reps. I pictured it would hurt if I hit it.
“So it was pretty much getting my head down and driving through into the ground instead of driving up because that was my problem, trying to hit and come up every time. So I just made that adjustment of just hitting and trying to go down into the ground.
“Rugby league was just always about banging up high and wrapping the ball, and it took me a while to get out of that mentality and I’m still working on my craft today, trying to make sure I don’t get those red cards anymore.
RED CARD!
25 mins:
Munster 14-0 Connacht.
Connacht debutant Abraham Papali’i sees red for a high, shoulder-on-head tackle on Munster’s Conor Murray.#MUNvCON #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/TDgM59PXCI
— eir Sport (@eirSport) August 30, 2020
“It was also keeping my aggression levels, not getting too aggressive. I found when I lost my cool, I’d make a big hit or make something happen for the team – that is when I get out of control so these days I’m just doing my job, making sure I make my tackles every time and keeping them legal.”
What about the multiple disciplinary processes he had to go through and being labelled with a ‘bad boy’ reputation? “It was a bit daunting at first but after four reds you kind of get used to it. The ones I got the least amount of weeks were the ones we didn’t argue with them, we didn’t appeal. That’s the advice, if you get a red card, don’t appeal it, let them make the decision.
“I don’t really listen to the outside noise because I know I have a great support group and my wife is always reminding me I am a good player, I can adjust and fix things I need to improve. Like I said, coaches really believed in me and made sure I always did the extra work on tackle height.
“You have asked how I handled the external pressure from getting those cards. My faith was massive in keeping me grounded and knowing that God has a plan for me and everything that happens is part of God’s plan and I believe in that fully, good and bad. I know that through the hard times what you have got to do is pray and ask for guidance, and that has helped my career so far.”
It’s an unlikely career as Papali’i ‘retired’ aged 25. Rugby league was his thing growing up in Auckland and, snapped up across the Tasman, he made two NRL appearances for Sydney Roosters in 2016 before heading to France and then seeing his league aspirations peter out playing locally back in New Zealand.
“They call NRL the hardest competition in the world and it’s fair to say because the training building up to it, pre-seasons are crazy. Just getting that first game, getting called up, it’s such a fast game and you really have to be fit,” he explained.
“When I got called up for my debut was a special moment. My wife and my family, it’s something I always remember. I came up against the Rabbitohs in my first game. I made a little break and ran straight into Greg Inglis, so I always remember that little run. That was real special.”
He was soon released, however, embarking on an off-track European detour with Lezignan Sangliers. “I just still hadn’t matured as a player, as an individual,” he said, volunteering why he didn’t last at the Roosters. “I still had things I needed to work on and it was sink or swim.
“They said they wouldn’t re-sign me so I had to really think about what I wanted to do moving forward and I came over to France straight after that and played rugby league there. I just kept working and had some growing up to do.”
It was 2019, some years later, when life dramatically changed back in Auckland. “I was working as a salesman at a demolition job, just selling used doors and windows. Just household furniture and stuff. Flipping stuff, like furniture.
MOMENT 1 – The day the rugby world met Abraham Papali’i ? ?
(Listen out for the reaction from one of the players ?)#ConnachtRugbyAwards #NeverStopCompeting pic.twitter.com/xwZnkPNxql
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) June 23, 2021
“I had retired at 25. I came home from France, played local rugby league, and got engaged. I just wanted to work, get married, save up for our wedding, and then I ended up going to my local rugby union team to have some fun.
“Eventually I got a call from a friend based in Bay of Plenty and he said, ‘You’re too good to be playing at that level’. I went down for a two-week trial to the local men’s comp there and Clayton McMillan, the Chiefs coach now, signed me, so I came out of retirement.
“I played one season and was still finding my feet in rugby union, getting back into that professional set-up and just learning all the lineout stuff and structure. I missed out on the final for the Bay, which we ended up winning, but I got a call from Andy Friend over in Connacht after that year.
“He told me they did a ‘moneyball’, looked at the stats for the competition and my name popped up as one of the best gain line winners. The first guy was already signed with Auckland Blues, which I think was Hoskins Sotutu, and then the second guy was my name.
“That’s how my name came across their list and they just gave me a call, Bundee Aki gave a call to see if I was keen to come over. I came over, signed two years and had a great time in Galway.”
Papali’i has since become a firm part of the Top 14 furniture, his link with Jeremy Davidson at Brive being the start of an adventure that now has him packing his powerful punch with Castres. “I know it’s hard to get into the French market. Every year since I turned professional has been a step up for me, and I just found it another stepping stone from Connacht going to Brive.
“When I was playing rugby league I was 115kgs. Right now I’m 123kgs. In Ireland it was around the same, 121 to 123. In France, they love their ball-carrying No8s. French rugby is real confrontational, the Top 14 is real confrontational.
“You’re going up against big boys every time. When I was in Connacht we just had the South Africans and every time we played against them you put out a big team because you know it’s going to be physical.
“It’s the same thing here with the Top 14 but it’s every week playing massive guys like Will Skelton, Emmanuel Meafou, all those big boys so keeping my weight where I am now has been powerful because of the way I like to play. I like to use my weight to throw myself into contact, carrying the ball especially.”
The Castres lifestyle certainly helps. “I love the small town. Me and my wife are enjoying it and driving to places like Spain and stuff like that, it’s really close. It’s a nice, humble little town. A couple of good coffee spots. I’m just grateful.”
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Le XV pour le déplacement aux Saracens, présenté par la Banque Populaire Occitane ?#SARvCAS #TeamCO pic.twitter.com/U35iv58QFs— Castres Olympique (@CastresRugby) January 17, 2025
