France's Michalak happy to stay at Toulon

Frederic Michalak said Thursday he wanted to end his playing career at Toulon and make the French squad for the 2015 World Cup. The 31-year-old playmaker has had a chequered career at home and in South Africa, but since arriving back at Toulon in 2012 from the Natal Sharks he has settled down and last week extended his contract with the southern side by one year. As far as Michalak is concerned, he will stay with the club until he stops playing. "I don't have many seasons left and I would be quite happy to end my career at Toulon," he said. "It was important for us to reach an agreement as I wanted to stay and the club wanted to keep me." The alternative would have been a return to the Sharks where he enjoyed playing in the Super-15 tournament. Michalak has had a frustrating season so far with the European champions, making the starting lineup in the Top-14 just four times as he has struggled with injuries and loss of form. He also has fallen out of favour with France coach Philippe Saint-Andre and did not figure at all in the just concluded Six Nations tournament. But things are starting to brighten up and he will wear the No.10 shirt for Toulon in the Top-14 clash with Clermont on Friday. There have also been reports that rival fly-half Jonny Wilkinson could retire at the end of the season, which would likely mean more playing time for Michalak. "It's been frustrating, but you can't ignore injuries," he said. "I took the time I needed to get fully fit and now I just want to perform to my best abilities and fully focus on my game. "I also want to play in the World Cup, thats a big challenge and to manage that I need to be at the top of my form." Source: AFP