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Three to see in the Top 14 this weekend: Radradra, Lambie and Fofana
By James Harrington
The Top 14 is awash with star players, but three names stand out ahead of the seventh round.
Semi Radradra has wasted no time settling in at Toulon. The cross-code, cross-hemisphere Top 14 convert arrived on the south coast of France at the end of September, did a press conference and got down to some hard work on the training pitch.
And he has clearly quickly recalled the vagaries of the union code - and got to grips enough with Toulon's style to start on the wing for the club for their trip to Bordeaux. There's plenty of Fijian try-scoring firepower in the Toulon squad for the game - Josua Tuisova is operating at the other side of the pitch.
If Radradra's rapid elevation to Toulon's starting ranks has come as a bit of a surprise, Pat Lambie's inclusion in Racing 92's squad for their trip to La Rochelle was more anticipated. It had been rumoured for some time that he would make his Top 14 debut this weekend. And club president Jacky Lorenzetti appeared to confirm it earlier this week, long before the team was announced.
Midi Olympique has named Lambie as starting fullback, with Dan Carter at 10.
Of equal interest is the inclusion of prop Ben Tameifuna on the bench, less than a week after he was allegedly involved in an altercation with team-mate Viliamu Afatia in Paris following Racing's home defeat to Lyon. Afatia is set to start the game.
Meanwhile, Clermont welcome back Wesley Fofana to their starting line-up. The centre has been out of action since he suffered a ruptured achilles during a European Champions Cup pool match in January.
He will line up in midfield alongside the club's rising star, Damian Penaud, for Clermont's difficult trip to born-again Toulouse.
The most fascinating battle on the field, however, is one that will have scrum-half watchers purring as it pits one-time France scrum-half darling Morgan Parra against new kid on the international block Antoine Dupont.
Clermont's Parra has been around so long it is sometimes easy to forget that he is only 28. But he has been cast in the role of ageing gunslinger for this encounter, as Dupont - eight years to the day his junior - takes on the young gun part.
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Latest Comments
This is true.
But perhaps because rugby is Australia’s fourth (or worse) most popular sport, there is just no coaching talent good enough.
It’s interesting that no players from the Aussies golden era (say between 1987 - 2000) have emerged as international quality coaches. Or coaches at all.
Again, Australians are the problem methinks. Not as interested in the game. Not as interested to support the game. Not as interested to get into the game.
And like any other industry in the world - when you don’t have the capabilities or the skills, you import them.
Not difficult to understand really.
Go to commentsi think Argentina v France could be a good game too, depending on which Argentina turns up. The most difficult to call is Scotland Australia.
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