Rugby

Manu last missing link

Finally, one might be tempted to say. Injured during the match against Toulouse on October 18, suffering from a calf injury, Joe Simmonds is ready to make his comeback to the game, five months after getting hurt. Back to training for several weeks, the 29-year-old English fly-half should return to La Rochelle on Saturday (9 pm) during the 19th day of the Top 14.

“I am very happy for him because it was tough. He’s not the most expressive guy on Earth, but he’s a great guy, and I could see he was sad,” says Thomas Choveau. He got injured on the 7th day, we are on the 19th, there was the European Cup in between, it’s an eternity. I hope he can regain his feelings. From what I see in training, it’s good. He has really stepped up since we came back from vacation last Wednesday,” he added.

And the assistant forward coach measures the impact of Simmonds on the green and white group: “It’s good news. If we had said that we would still be in the top 6 after five months without Joe… I’m not boasting because we really scratched our heads. But we have come out of it very well, Despe (Axel Desperes) has been great. It was long, but we will find fresh energy at the most interesting time of the season. We love Joe, he’s an important player for us, he gives energy and confidence to everyone.”

Manu last missing link

In addition to Simmonds, Section Paloise is getting back all its internationals. If Hugo Auradou, Théo Attissogbe, and Emilien Gailleton are also expected to be present at Marcel-Deflandre this weekend, a week after winning the 6 Nations Tournament against England, Fabien Brau-Boirie is uncertain. Injured with the French XV before the trip to Scotland, the center wore protection on his left hand.

Axel Desperes, Thibault Daubagna, Grégoire Arfeuil, Sacha Zegueur, Thomas Laclayat, and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, all called up in the extended groups of the Blues during the Tournament in recent weeks, are also available. “It’s nice to see them come back, with an extra title. But it’s not a relief either, because the period has not been difficult to live,” Choveau judges. “We managed well, played very good matches against Toulon and UBB without our internationals. We have crossed this unprecedented moment for us very well.”

For the rest, center Tumua Manu (knee ligament sprain), injured since November 13, is still in the recovery phase, as is winger Thomas Carol (calf injury). Young 3rd rows Mehdi Tlili (shoulder) and Clément Paul (knee sprain) are still in the infirmary, along with center Olivier Klemenczak (back), who is unlikely to be seen again this season.