Namibia's Gerswin Mouton has experienced a path less trodden by most professional rugby players, but that will count for nothing as he aims to help fire Grenoble to the French Top 14 on Saturday.
Since the 25-year-old winger was dropped by the Bulls after high school, he has studied politics while playing at university in Johannesburg, featured at a World Cup and signed a short-term contract in Israel.
This weekend, in-form Mouton and his Grenoble side face unfancied Montauban in the final of France's second-tier Pro D2, 80 minutes away from the promised land of the Top 14, the world's richest league.
"It's what I've been striving for my whole career," Mouton told AFP on Wednesday.
"It took me seven years to get to this point.
"So if we can pull it off this weekend, it will be truly a dream come true for me with all the sacrifice and everything that I had to make."
Mouton, who can also slot in at centre, made the first of his nine test appearances for the Welwitschias in 2022 before scoring twice at the World Cup in France a year later.
His performances earned him a contract at Tel-Aviv Heat in Rugby Europe's Super Cup but they played all their games abroad following an attack on Israel launched by Hamas on 7 October 2023 from the Gaza Strip.
"I didn't really spend time in Israel because of everything that was happening at that time," Mouton said.
"We travelled quite a lot.
"We went to Portugal, Spain, and then we stayed in Cyprus for a few weeks," he added.
'AMAZING'
Mouton joined Grenoble, nestled in the French Alps and their snow-capped mountains, this season and has scored 14 tries, including 10 of them in his last six games.
At the end of the campaign, his focus will turn to Namibia, ranked 25th in the world, and July's qualifying tournament for the 2027 World Cup, weeks after hosting Italy in a one-off test.
"Once the weekend is out of the way, I can start focusing on that," Mouton added.
"But I'm quite excited for what's to come because we're going to play Italy in Namibia. That's quite a big deal for us."
The politics graduate from Wits University will have a Namibian reunion at a sold-out Stade Ernest-Wallon, the 19 000-capacity home of French giants Toulouse, this weekend.
Experienced lock Tjiuee Uanivi is set to feature for Montauban, who only stayed in the second-tier thanks to winning a relegation play-off last season.
"It will be quite nice to play against him," Mouton said.
"I really don't want to lose because he will rub it in my face when we have to go back to Namibia."
Saturday offers Mouton's club, French first division champions in 1954, a chance at redemption.
They finished top of the table after the regular season having tasted defeat in two straight Pro D2 finals as they eye a return to the Top 14 after relegation in 2019.
"I think for the club it will be more personal because of the past two years," Mouton said.
"So if we can go and pull this one off this year, it will be amazing."
Fixture
Saturday
Grenoble v Montauban (5:30pm)