Tony Gigot has revealed he is a free agent after his trial with Toronto Wolfpack came to an end.
The French fullback, who won the Lance Todd Trophy in 2018, is now back in his hometown of Avignon after his one-month trial came to an end.
Gigot had joined Toronto on a short-term deal after deciding to leave the Catalans at the end of the 2019 season.
However, the season lockdown brought a premature end to his time with the Canadian club, with the Covid-19 virus preventing Toronto from offering him a deal.
“I am back in the same position I was in January,” he said.
“I don’t know if Toronto had the space in the salary cap, but this is life.
“I felt bad because I arrived in Toronto, trained once, played and I didn’t play well.
“With Toronto I have more regrets, because I know I can give more than I showed. I am a competitor and you want to play well every time.
“The challenge was very good to go to Toronto, to go to Super League, travel and be a big part of history with a Toronto team in Super League. But I can’t control this at the moment. There are all these bad things and a better day will come for sure.”
It was the latest chapter in an eventful six months for the 29-year-old Gigot, which started with an unexpected departure from Catalans, with whom he had won the Challenge Cup a year earlier.
Following the end of his contract he decided to go travelling around Europe and even tried to earn himself a rugby union contract in Italy before setting his sights back on Super League.
“I didn’t think I would have left the Catalans,” Gigot admits.
“I was in talks with the club, they offered me a contract, but I felt I needed a chance to see something different. It was a good time in my life to move and do that.
“At the start I was thinking rugby union, but it was hard to find an opportunity. I tried to have talks with a few Super League teams, but they all had their squads sorted. Sometimes the opportunity that you want in life doesn’t come.
“I said I’d take a break from footy. I went to Russia to see my brother, who plays football for Spartak Moscow. I went travelling and I went to Italy and trialled for rugby union, with Treviso, I was training with them for two weeks.
“By January I tried to find a Super League club, and that’s when the opportunity with Toronto came. I got a tryout for a month; it was not a very good offer, but I took it because I felt Toronto was a good opportunity and a chance to see something different.”
Despite the fact he has been unable to secure a contract since leaving Les Dracs, Gigot insists he does not regret his decision to leave the club.
“I don’t regret my choice moving from Catalans. The only thing I regret is that it was a beautiful place and where I played my best footy, but I was looking for a move. Rugby can make you travel and see great things, so I thought, ‘let’s see great things’.
“But I have no regrets. Maybe I think differently to normal people. When I made my choice in the past I said I would like to move, so I just need to be a man and accept that I’ve made my choice.”
Now, Gigot is ready to start the next chapter in his career with a new club, and he hopes another opportunity presents itself soon.
“I’m ready to go somewhere new,” he said.
“I have had a good chat with the coach (Brian McDermott) and he said we would have a meeting and see how things go. I will see, but I don’t have anything there at the moment.
“I’ve been training throughout the lockdown and I’m ready to go. Whoever wants me, I will go. I’d be happy to go to England or stay in France. It’s pretty hard to see my future now because we don’t know when rugby will be back and clubs are struggling with money. So it’s hard to say to them ‘do you want me’.
“I need to be patient, but I’m open to a club and I will be ready.”
