Stade Toulousain may have been champions using 59 players and after an exceptional season in every way, but not all the boys experienced the end of the season with the same intensity.
We think of Mathis Castro-Ferreira, exceptional each time he was aligned but ultimately out of the group for the final phase matches. The 20-year-old third row will nevertheless be able to take his mind off things by joining the Bleuets for the U20 World Cup.
Baptiste Germain, for his part, is going to completely change course. Little used by Ugo Mola (8 starts),The 23-year-old scrum half was released from his last year of contract with Toulouse and signed up for 3 years at Bayonne.
Loaned to Biarritz last year, he returned this season with the intention of becoming an important member of the Toulouse group, thanks in particular to his versatility. But the competition at hinge was great, perhaps too great.
Thus, Bayonne will be able to recover a player of the future (23 years old), technically gifted and full of ambition.
Especially since the club only had “grandpas” left in the fray, with Rouet and Machenaud (both 35 years old) following the premature departure of Gela Aprasidze for Perpignan.
The Basque club therefore continues its very thick transfer window, which will see it record the arrivals of Manu Tuilagi, Joris Segonds, Poloniati and even Alex Moon. Solid, with a view to 2024/2025…
