The year 2025 therefore begins with this 14th day of the Top 14 championship. The holidays are over, here is our good domestic league and its returning artists. Well not necessarily all, find out with all the club infirmaries.
Toulon – Racing 92
Toulon : affected for many months in the foot, the second row Swan Rebbadj has resumed collective training. Flanker Esteban Abadie (thigh) is fully recovered. Scrumhalf Ben White's calf is one to watch. Happy dad, Baptiste Serin has returned to the field. Left pillar Jean-Baptiste Gros (thigh), centers Duncan Paia'aua (spine) and Mathieu Smaïli (pubis) are out. Full-back Melvyn Jaminet and second row Yannick Youyoutte are suspended.
Racing 92 : Gaël Fickou has a thumb injury and will be out for the next two months, a long absence making Stuart Lancaster's task a little more difficult than it already is. Hooker Janick Tarrit, after a layoff of around ten days, returns as a starter while, for his part, Hassane Kolingar makes a second start. Dan Lancaster will be the playmaker and in the cage, confidence is maintained in Will Rowlands and Romain Taofifenua.
Castres – Pau
Castres : the Castres infirmary still has a few important members. The third row Baptiste Cope and Baptiste Delaporte, both operated on (respectively on a shoulder and a biceps), continue their rehabilitation. Romain Macurdy is in the recovery phase and can return to training. Christian Ambadiang, injured in knee ligaments, underwent surgery and is continuing his rehabilitation. Santiago Arata, injured in a shoulder, is forced to withdraw. Tom Staniforth, who had ankle surgery at the end of the summer, is in the middle of rehabilitation. Finally, Will Collier, injured in his calf during the defeat against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, will have to observe a rest period estimated at five or six weeks.
Pau : only Williams comes out. On the entry side, Decron (biceps injury) should be unavailable for around two weeks. Between the two, Brau Boirie, Klemenczak and Whitelock are in recovery. Otherwise, we count Carol, Capelli (cruciate ligament), Tokolahi (Achilles tendon) for the long term, as well as Laporte (shoulder dislocation) and Manu (knee sprain). Up front are missing Parrou, Kaulasvhili and Rey (shoulder), Picquette (shoulder), Franklin (calf injury), Jolmès (sprained ankle) and Pelesasa (broken forearm).
Lyon – Perpignan
Lyon : subject to a concussion protocol last week following the match against Toulouse, full-back Alexandre Tchaptchet and second row Tomas Lavanini are entitled to fully return to the weekend's competition. Le Lou, on the other hand, will have to cope for a good while without his long-term injured Paddy Jackson (shoulder), Ethan Dumortier, Félix Lambey and Mickaêl Guillard (ankles), the return of the latter being hoped for by the start of the Tournament.
Perpignan : Ali Crossdale left prematurely against the Rochelais last Sunday. The English winger must undergo examinations, and a hamstring injury is feared, suggesting a few weeks of absence. Furthermore, other returns are becoming clearer, Jake McIntyre, Mathieu Tanguy, Marvin Orie and Patrick Sobela are very close to a return to the group after the resumption of racing. This will not yet be the case for left pillar Giorgi Tetrashvili, unavailable for another three weeks.
Montpellier – Bayonne
Montpellier : international fullback Anthony Bouthier is not yet fit to play but is doing good training. He should be back next week for the Johannesburg Lions' Challenge Cup reception. Winger Maël Moustin is out due to a torn hamstring, while Bastien Chalureau, who suffers from a shoulder problem, is doubtful. Domingo Miotti (knee) and Nika Abuladze (knee) are also out, but the Georgian pillar is expected to travel to Newcastle on January 17.
Bayonne : shocked against Castres, Bruni will not be able to hold his place. Just like Chouzenoux, victim of an acromioclavicular sprain and away from the field for several weeks. Orabé (thigh muscle injury) will be unavailable for three to four weeks. Giudicelli and Iturria, both injured in the shoulder, Castillon (ankle fracture), Mousques (wrist), Hodge (knee), Béthune (cervical), and Germain (knee) are the long-term injured. Tatafu, injured in the ankle ligament, will return faster than expected. He returned to training like Mori (adductors), Moon (muscle trauma) and Erbinartegaray.
French stadium – Bordeaux-Bègles
French stadium : the international third row Sekou Macalou, author of a bad gesture against Saracens and suspended by the leaders of the EPCR in the process, is serving his last match. Léo Barré, for his part, should on the other hand be able to hold his place within the attack triangle of the pink soldiers. Long injured, Lester Etien and Romain Briatte return to the Parisian group. Sergo Abramishvili and Giorgi Melikidze are expected next week against Nortampton. Mathieu Hirigoyen will return at the end of the month.
Bordeaux-Bègles : Matthieu Jalibert was able to return to training this week and should be able to return to competition quickly. Guido Petti has a week off, while Yoram Moefana and Damian Penaud are on a regeneration week. Matis Perchaud, Sipili Falatea, Jonny Gray, Pete Samu and Pierre Bochaton are still unavailable. For their part, Romain Buros, Nans Ducuins and Pablo Uberti are fit. Adam Coleman and Carlü Sadie were spared at the start of the week.
La Rochelle – Toulouse
La Rochelle : the Maritimes returned with problems from their trip to Catalonia. Joel Sclavi, injured in the ribs, Thomas Berjon, Suliasi Vunivalu (thigh) and Jonathan Danty (knee) were treated this week. Jack Nowell (thigh) should be fit. As for the long-term injured, Pierre Bourgarit (shin) and Raymond Rhule (Achilles tendon) continue their long convalescence.
Toulouse : given their trip to Durban in the Champions Cup, which they have made their priority next week, the Toulouse team will advance to La Rochelle with a very overhauled team, where the return of executives such as Cyril Baille, Richie Arnold or Alban Placines after very long absences. Unfortunately, the Stadistes will also be deprived for this match of players on whom they would have liked to count, such as the hooker Guillaume Cramont (ankle), the flanker Mathis Castro-Ferreira (elbow), the winger Setariki Bituniyata (knee), the versatile Kalvin Gourgues or even the back Matias Remue (ankle). A flu epidemic was feared, and Naoto Saito was uncertain this Thursday.
Vannes – Clermont
Valves : hooker Théo Béziat (blocked back) has been out of the infirmary for a week, prop Phil Kite (calf) missed the trip to Béarn, as did Argentinian third row Juan Bautista Pedemonte (knee). Massimo Ortolan (calf) is in the recovery phase. Joe Edwards (ankle) was fully fit for the trip to Pau.
Clermont : Benjamin Urdapilleta left at half-time of the Montpellier reception, injured in the ischios. Folau Fainga'a has recovered and is applying for the trip to Vannes, unlike George Moala (fracture of the zygomatic bone), who will not play again for three weeks. Léon Darricarrère (hamstrings), Anthime Hemery (hamstrings) and Pita-Gus Sowakula (hamstrings) are all out. Long-term injured Joris Jurand (ruptured Achilles tendon), Kylan Hamdaoui (pectoral injury), Enzo Sanga (ankle), Lucas Dessaigne (ruptured cruciate ligaments) continue their rehabilitation.
