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Josua Tuisova set for Racing 92 debut after controversial injury
By Josh Raisey
Fiji centre Josua Tuisova is set to make his debut for Racing 92 on Saturday against Bayonne after joining the club last summer.
The 30-year-old joined the Parisian outfit at the end of last season from Lyon, and was set to link up with his team after the World Cup.
However, the 113kg back picked up a knee injury against England in the quarter-final which has sidelined him until this weekend. The injury itself, which required surgery, was somewhat controversial.
The injury came as a result of a tackle by England flanker Tom Curry, which Racing labelled "a violent tackle without the arms" in a caustic statement shortly after.
The statement read: “During the England – Fiji match counting for the 3rd quarter-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, last Sunday October 15, the Fijian center of Racing 92 Josua Tuisova suffered a violent tackle without the arms of the English player No7 thus injuring his left knee.
“The player will consult specialist opinions in the coming days to determine the duration of his unavailability.
“Racing 92 wishes Josua Tuisova a speedy recovery and shows him all its support during this period.”
The powerful centre is set to make his comeback on Saturday at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps after being named in the starting XV by coach Stuart Lancaster.
The centre will form a world-class partnership with France centre Gael Fickou in the midfield, with the Frenchman wearing the No13 jersey.
This is a partnership that fans would have wanted to see all season, but still has the potential to make an impact in the denouement of the Top 14 season. Racing currently sit in fourth place in the league with four rounds remaining of the regular season. That means Tuisova still has an opportunity to end his debut season in Paris on a high.
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Latest Comments
Great read on a fascinating topic.
Couple of questions related to Bristol and Black Ferns.
They were properly hammered and struggled to score many points at all in the two European matches preceding the demolition of Leicester. Was it lack of ambition in those matches or a better opponent? This Tigers mob has been less than the sum of their parts since their ugly GP win under Borthwick.
I went to Twickenham with a large group of parents and young ladies from Barnes RFC to watch NZ v England last season. The dads among us were deeply frustrated by how inflexible the Black Ferns were with their strategy to run and not kick and they were duly put to the sword.
Pretty clearly, there is more depth and quality in the England squad and, whilst on any given day (and with the help of a red card), NZ might sneak one the strategy can go horribly wrong given the level of passing and catching skill in the women's game. Was Smith very lucky and it's the wrong way to play big games or was he showing us the way forward? I'm not at all sure.
Go to commentsI can't see them getting to the final of the Champons Cup.
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