When Nick Champion de Crespigny found out he was in Joe Schmidt’s first Wallabies squad of the year, one of the first people he messaged was Frenchman Pierre-Henry Broncan.
“All started with your belief in me, mate,” the 28-year-old messaged Broncan, one of Eddie Jones’ Wallabies assistant coaches at the 2023 World Cup.
Four years earlier, Broncan had taken a stab on the Sydney University product and lured him to the south of France.
What did he see in the unknown Australian?
“I love this player because he is a fighter, and you have to fight every moment on the rugby pitch if you want to play good rugby,” Broncan told The Roar on Thursday about his early memories of Champion de Crespigny.
It didn’t take the back-rower long to find his feet in the competition.
The Canberra-raised loose-forward started in their important early away win at Clermont and not long after he had established himself in the starting side after a stunning home performance against Toulon.
Later that season, Champion de Crespigny, a relative nobody who had been looked over by Australia’s Super Rugby franchises, including the Waratahs, beat Antoine Dupont’s star-studded Toulouse side in the semis and was starting in the French Top 14 final.
Nick Champion de Crespigny enjoyed a breakout season with the Force in 2025. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
It’s no wonder Champion de Crespigny, whose name comes from Normandy in France’s north west, felt comfortable when he returned to Australia ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby season to give the competition he grew up watching and always wanted to play in.
“It definitely gave me a lot of confidence,” said Champion de Crespigny in an interview with The Roar late last year.
“I sat there and thought I felt like I was competing with them (Jack Willis and Anthony Jelonch) and in some areas getting the edge on them. It definitely gave me confidence and a desire to see where I could go.”
But it also took a nudge from several former Sydney University teammates, including Harry Potter, Lachie Swinton and Tom Staniforth, to give Super Rugby a crack.
“They obviously believe in me but they also just know who I am as an individual and I probably wouldn’t have been content if I didn’t give it the best crack,” he said.
“I was always pretty happy over there. There was an option to extend with Castres and stay over there longer, but I think there was always this innate desire to come back to Australia just to see what I could do.
“I’ve got aspirations as an individual player to push myself to the highest level and see where that bar is and that was the main driving factor. I didn’t really want to die wondering.
“I grew up watching Super Rugby, I grew up being a fan of the Wallabies, I just wanted to see what I could do. I back myself individually but just see where I actually rank in the pecking order.
“You’re a proud Australian, so you want to see what you can do.”
On Thursday, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt selected Champion de Crespigny as one of only two uncapped players in his 36-man squad to face Fiji on July 6 – a Test that is being built as a warm-up ahead of the three-match series against the British and Irish Lions.
“Probably his point of difference is his versatility, first and foremost,” Schmidt said on Thursday about what stood out about the loose-forward.
“He plays 6-7-8. So, having that across a back row is important.”
Nick Champion de Crespigny engages in some push and shove with the Hurricanes at HBF Park on April 19. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
But it’s what Schmidt said next that encapsulates what stands out about the rising back-rower, whose confrontational style will be well-suited against the Lions.
“I think his ability to stop ball carriers in their tracks is impressive,” he said. “He’s a pretty accurate line-out target as well. He’s got a good fast jump.
“The feedback we got from the Force all year is that he was a real galvaniser of action for them. A real glue in their squad. So, they’re all attributes we’re looking for with the Wallabies.”
Wallabies lock Will Skelton – a man known for striking fear into most, including Irish rugby players – has known Champion de Crespigny for years and quipped that he would be ducking the bruising back-rower at training.
“He’s a weapon, he’s a gun,” Skelton said. “He’s a tough bugger.
“I played with him at Uni as well, a few games. At training, he’d always put shots on too, so I’ll be watching out for him at camp and hopefully he doesn’t hurt me before the games.”
Asked whether he always saw the ingredients of a Test star in the making in Champion de Crespigny, Skelton said he wasn’t surprised he thrived in France.
“He always had that drive, he was a worker, a tough player,” he said.
“I saw in France that he had what it took. In France, physicality is first and foremost the benchmark, and he would well and truly put hits on and be real physical in those games, and his ruck work was outstanding.
“For him to be back and be in the squad, it’s a real proud moment for himself and his family and it’s well deserved.”
Nick Champion de Crespigny made his name in France. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
Wallabies halfback Jake Gordon, who also played with Champion de Crespigny in the Shute Shield, agreed.
“Nick was always combative and always super fit,” he said. “I don’t know how much he would weigh, but at Uni, when he was there, he came through just after me and he was a really big, physical guy.
“He had a great year. He’s a competitive guy, he lives on the edge a bit. I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise he’s back here. I’m excited to be on the same team as him.”
Force coach Simon Cron, who brought the loose-forward pack to Australia, was thrilled when the word came through that he had made the cut.
“The thing that separates de Crespigny from most people is he’s all-in, all of the time,” Cron told The Roar.
“His eyes tell you that he’s on, and his eyes are one of excitement and psychopathic.
“We just love him in our environment. And the way he plays, the way he treats the people around him and shows up every day, he’s just an absolute pleasure to coach.
“He did a lot of work on his jumping at the lineout and he’s always working. There’s not a bad word to say about that boy. He’s awesome.”
Champion de Crespigny was one of nine Force players selected in Schmidt’s squad, but along with four others will remain in Perth next week ahead of their clash with the Lions on June 28.
