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With Les Bleus on a 10-game winning streak, including a big win at the 2022 Guinness Six Nations, the domestic competition in France is in full swing, and there’s a lot to like about the opening weekend.
Defending champions Montpellier travel to Heineken Champions La Rochelle on Saturday, while heavyweights Bordeaux-Begler and Toulouse will meet on Sunday in a clash between France’s two biggest contributors.
battle of champions
Saturday’s big game is in La Rochelle, with Philippe Saint-Andre’s Montpellier hoping for an away victory.
They will face the European champions and they are packed full of France internationals, led by skipper Gregory Aldrit.
His fight with Zach Mercer will be worth the price of admission, and the most interesting head-to-head encounter is likely to come from midfield. With Luis Carbonell joining in the summer, Montpellier now has plenty of options in the midfield but finds itself a little thin in the middle, which could lead to Italy’s Paolo Gabisi moving to an inside centre.
He would be a dangerous playmaker in this role, but not easy to defend against Jonathan Danti, La Rochelle and the French midfielder’s Battering Hammer.
Tighthead props Uini Atonio and Mohamed Haouas will also play big roles, with the former now Les Bleus’ first choice and Haouas currently his backup.
Halfback on display in Bordeaux
Sunday’s attention will be entirely on Bordeaux-Begler hosting the Chaban-Delmas Stadium in Toulouse.
Both sides lost in the semi-finals last year and are hoping to make up for it under their all-international centre-back pairing.
Currently, Toulouse’s Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack are France’s preferred duo, followed by Bordeaux’s Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert.
Still, Jalibert has never been afraid of competition, and he hopes to impress against his No. 10 opponent.
Toulouse will also debut three newcomers, Italy’s Ange Capuozzo, French full-back Melvyn Jaminet and perimeter center Pierre-Louis Barassi, the last of whom could face off against Yoram Moefana, one of his main rivals. position in the French team.
Even without injured players like Cyril Baille and Thibaud Flament, this will be a game that Fabien Galthié will be watching closely with an eye toward the fall National series.
surrounding area
Elsewhere, Finn Russell will play a major role for Racing 92 after the summer break. The Scottish half is rested on the Tour of Argentina and will be looking to play against Castel.
At that race, Cameron Woki should also make his racing debut after returning home from Bordeaux in the summer.
Meanwhile, in Toulon, Jean-Baptiste Gros will have some big chances, as he looks to gain a foothold in Bayet’s absence from France, while captain Charles Olivine ( Charles Olivon is aiming to be at his best after the Japan international comeback.
While Morgan Pala’s international days may be over, his first game at the new Stade de France will capture the imagination, against Clermont, for which he played for over a decade more than 300 times.
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