Salesi Rayasi
It has been the X factor of RC Vannes since the start of the season. The one capable of creating gaps in the defense with his power and his support, of creating imbalances thanks to his passes after contact (or offloads). Salesi Rayasi, RCV’s top try scorer (4), constantly puts his team ahead even if a few treats have sometimes cost the Morbihannais points. The 28-year-old New Zealand winger, who arrived this summer from the Hurricanes, also likes to zone out and bring extra numbers in the center of the field. And logically, this activity is reflected in the figures. It is the Vannes resident who stands out the most in the different statistical categories. Rayasi is second in the Top 14 in number of crossings (1), third in broken tackles (2), tied for fourth in offloads (3) and seventh in meters covered with ball in hand (752.2 m in 11 matches).
(1) 12, only Toulouse Ange Capuozzo (15) does better
(2) 36, only Bayonnais Sireli Maqala (47) and Lyonnais Davit Niniashvili (38) do better
(3) 15, behind the Lyonnais Semi Radradra (19) and Davit Niniashvili (18) and the Bordelo-Béglais Matthieu Jalibert (16)
John Kalamafoni
But Rayasi is not the only RCV player to stand out. Some distinguished themselves in defensive tasks. This is the case of Sione Kalamafoni. RCV number 8 is the sixth player in the Top 14 to have made the most tackles since the start of the season. With a total of 109 successful tackles, the 36-year-old Tongan is only ahead of Ibrahim Diallo (Racing 92, 120), Lenni Nouchi (Montpellier, 119), Steeve Blanc-Mappaz (Lyon, 117), Charles Ollivon (Toulon, 113 ) and Cameron Woki (Racing 92, 110) in a ranking logically dominated by the third lines.
Francisco Gorrissen
Francisco Gorrissen ranks 16th in this ranking of successful tackles with a total of 99 in twelve matches. The Vannes captain, RCV’s handyman, is essential to the proper functioning of the team. The Argentine third row played 12 of the 13 Top 14 matches, including 11 as a starter. The staff only left him to rest during the trip to Toulon, on the third day, when he had rotated extensively. In total, he played 911 minutes, including ten full games. It was only in Clermont, where he came on in the 46th minute, and in Perpignan, where he picked up a yellow card in the 77th minute, that he played less than 80 minutes in a match. In the Top 14, only Josua Tuisova (Racing 92, 918′) and Thomas Ceyte (Clermont, 917′) have playing time above mid-championship.
Maxime Lafage
He too was only rested in Toulon and played 12 matches including 11 starts. With 843 minutes, Maxime Lafage is also one of the most used players in the French rugby elite, proof of his importance in the Vannes collective. The 30-year-old opener, RCV’s No. 1 scorer, is also logically the club’s best director. With 110 points scored, he ranks fifth in the championship, only ahead of Thomas Ramos (Toulouse, 133 pts) and Léo Berdeu (Lyon, 128 pts), Joe Simmonds (Pau, 122 pts) and Breton Nolann Le Garrec (Racing 92, 114 pts).
Belgium
