French connection: your guide to the new Top 14 season
GAME FACE: Brive's Irish coach Jeremy Davidson.
Gregory Patat, Gerard Fraser, Joel Rey, Antoine Battut, Eric Artiguste
Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92)
Maxime Machenaud, Camille Lopez, Mateaki Kafatolu, Riko Buliruarua, Thomas Acquier, Pascal Cotet, Pieter Scholtz, Quentin Bethune, Facundo Bosch, Jason Robertson, Thomas Ceyte, Geoff Cridge, Manuel Leindekar, Pierre Huguet, Guillaume Martocq, Bastien Pourailly, Kamineli Rasaku.
Luc Mousset, Ugo Boniface, John Ulugia, Maxime Delonca, Mariano Galarza, Mat Luamanu, Filimoni Taofifenua, Asier Usarraga, Ioane Iashaghashvili, Shaun Venter, Maxime Lafage, Manuel Ordas, Theo Costosseque, Joe Ravouvou, Guillaume Bouche, Hugo Fourquet.
: Bayonne are under new management after Yannick Bru - who guided them to the ProD2 title and an instant return to the top flight - left to join URC’s Sharks. Managerial hotseat rookie Gregory Patat is charged with keeping them up. It will be tough - Bayonne are one of four favourites for the drop in a Midi Olympique summer poll of Top 14 coaches. But Patat has plenty of on-pitch experience to draw on for a likely survival dogfight - notably in halfbacks Machenaud and Lopez. Sadly, the former is set to miss the opener at Toulon with injury.
Christophe Urios, Frederic Charrier, Julien Lairle, Heini Adams, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Laurent Cardona, Mourad Abed.
Madosh Tambwe (Bulls).
: Christopher Voatoa, Ugo Boniface, Madosh Tambwe, Antoine Miquel, Sipili Falatea, Zack Holmes, Tani Vili, Pablo Dimcheff.
: Cameron Woki, Thierry Paiva, Joseph Dweba, Louis Picamoles, Alexandre Roumat, Francois Trinh-Duc, UJ Seuteni, Ben Lam, Lasha Tabidze, Ma’ama Vaipulu, Nathanael Hulleu
Emerging from temporary self-imposed media exile, manager Christophe Urios admitted this week that he nearly lost the dressing room during a run of 10 defeats in 14 matches at the end of last season. “We got to a point where relationships were at a bare minimum,” he told local TV on Monday. Word is Urios has learned his strongman management style needed to change - international scrum-half Maxime Lucu told RMC that players and staff had “put a lot of things back together”. There’s certainly more confidence in camp, especially after summer cobwebs were dusted off with a 17-14 pre-season win over Clermont. A packed Chaban Delmas for Sunday's match against Toulouse should get the Bordeaux house rocking.
Jeremy Davidson, Goderdzi Shvelidze, Jean-Baptiste Pejoine, Arnaud Mela Philippe Carbonneau.
Marcel van der Merwe (London Irish)
Marcel van der Merwe, Malino Vanai, Lucas Da Silva, Abraham Papali’i, Julien Delannoy, Rodrigo Bruni, Sammy Arnold.
Soso Bekoshvili, Cody Thomas, Simon-Pierre Chauvac, Thomas Acquier, Peniami Narisia, Victor Lebas, Steevy Cerqueira, So’otala Fa’aso’o, Kitione Kamikamica, Otar Giorgadze, Tedo Abzhandadze, Seva Galala, Pierre Tournebize.
Brive unveiled Ian Osborne, CEO of a London investment firm, as its largest shareholder, and hinted at an ambitious five-year plan to develop and improve the club’s fortunes. That will delight manager Jeremy Davidson, who is used to working minor survival miracles with limited resources. But it won’t necessarily help now, at the start of what promises to be another tough season. Davidson said fans deserve better than last season, when Brive finished 12th - but with a number of key players out for several weeks and months to come, another relegation scrap looks inevitable.
Pierre-Henry Broncan, David Darricarrere, Karena Wihongi, Yannick Caballero, Rory Kockott, Cedric Clave.
Leone Nakarawa (Toulon)
Leone Nakarawa, Aurelien Azar, Asier Usarraga, Gauthier Doubrere, Adrien Seguret, Gauthier Maravat, Loïs Guerrois, Simon Benoist, Dorian Clerc.
Rory Kockott, Julius Nostadt, Loic Jacquet, Tudor Stroe, Jack Whetton, Simon Meka, Mateaki Kafatolu, Stephane Onambele, Pierre Aguillon, Bastien Guillemin.
Castres squeezed in two friendly matches in their five-week pre-season schedule - following up a loss against Montauban with a nine-try win over Connacht in Mazamet. It’s unlikely they’ll repeat their fortuitous first-place regular season finish, but with a settled squad and some smart signings - Leone Nakarawa is a world-class bargain as he seeks to impress Fiji coach Vern Cotter ahead of the World Cup, while former world under-20 championship winners Adrien Seguret and Gaulthier Maravat are both easily Top 14 standard - they’ll be in the play-off mix at the other end of the season.
Jono Gibbes, Xavier Sadourny, Davit Zirakashvili, Benson Stanley, Jared Payne, Julien Ledevedec.
Bautista Delguy (Perpignan)
Loic Godener, Jules Plisson, Anthony Belleau, Julien Heriteau, Irae Simone, Bautista Delguy, Alex Newsome.
: Peni Ravai, Sipili Falatea, Wesley Fofana, Clement Lanen, Morgan Parra, Camille Lopez, JJ Hanrahan, Tani Vili, Bastien Pourailly, Kotaro Matsushima.
Clermont have made no secret of their ambitions. “ ”, revealed earlier this year, shows they aim to be back in the Top 14 title mix immediately, and to have sewn a European star on their shirts by 2025. That’s the challenge for Jono Gibbes, who knows his underachieving side were fortunate to make the Champions Cup slots at the end of a campaign best described as ‘mixed’. But he should have more of an impact this year, with a squad stripped of some old-school Auvergnats, notably Morgan Parra, Camille Lopez and Wesley Fofana. The Gibbes-era really starts here.
Ronan O’Gara, Donnacha Ryan, Gurthro Steenkamp, Romain Carmignani, Sebastien Boboul, Philippe Gardent.
Antoine Hastoy (Pau)
Thierry Paiva, Ultan Dillane, Georges-Henri Colombe, Quentin Lespiaucq, Yoan Tanga-Mangene, Antoine Hastoy, UJ Seuteni, Teddy Thomas.
Ramiro Herrera, Dany Priso, Guram Papidze, Facundo Bosch, Mathieu Tanguy, Victor Vito, Wiaan Liebenberg, Ihaia West, Jules Plisson, Jeremy Sinzelle, Kavekini Tabu, Arthur Retiere, Riko Buliruarua.
Pre-season at La Rochelle has, according to new arrival Ultan Dillane, gone well - despite a 7-5 loss in front of a full-house against Stade Francais last week. Dillane was one of eight high-calibre arrivals at the club. But none are more important than fly-half Antoine Hastoy, whose consistency with the boot - he scored 250-plus points last season - will be crucial to Ronan O’Gara’s efforts to add a Top 14 title to the Champions Cup he won in his first season as head coach at the club.
Xavier Garbajosa, Kendrick Lynn, Julien Puricelli, Didier Bes.
Kyle Godwin (Western Force)
Paulo Tafili, Liam Coltman, Arno Botha, Maxime Gouzou, Theo William, Kyle Godwin, Josiah Maraku, Fletcher Smith.
Pierre-Louis Barassi, Mickael Ivaldi, Mathieu Bastareaud, Romain Falcoz, Colby Fainga’a, Charlie Ngatai, Clement Laporte
: Lyon 'solved' the problem of head coach Pierre Mignoni’s departure by bringing in Xavier Garbajosa - out of management since his first head coach’s role at Montpellier ended prematurely in January 2021.
There’s no doubt the Garbajosa Lyon will be under close scrutiny early on. Lyon have twice failed to finish in the top six, and qualified for the Champions Cup by winning the Challenge Cup. The ambitious club - and their fans - want better, and Garbajosa won’t enjoy the goodwill Mignoni had built up. It could get rocky at Stade Gerland if early results go the wrong way.
: Philippe Saint-Andre, Olivier Azam, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Alexandre Ruiz.
Louis Carbonel (Toulon)
Karl Tu’inukuafe, Simon-Pierre Chauvac, Clement Doumenc, Leo Coly, Louis Carbonel, Ben Lam.
Malik Hamadache, Misha Nariashvili, Yannick Arroyo, Robert Rodgers, Guilhem Guirado, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Kelian Galletier, Benoit Paillaugue, Mickael Capelli, Handre Pollard, Martin Doan.
: Confirmation on Tuesday that Zach Mercer - the Top 14’s player of last season - will join Gloucester in July 2023. Montpellier’s fans, then, have one more campaign to enjoy the baller number eight.
The season after a Top 14 title is never easy for the champions, as Montpellier are about to discover for the first time. But they have the squad to deal with the pressure - halfback stocks are particularly terrifying with Cobus Reinach, Leo Coly, or Gela Aprasidze at nine, working with Paolo Garbisi, Leo Carbonel, or Louis Foursans at 10.
: Sebastien Piqueronies, Thomas Domingo, Geoffrey Lanne-Petit, Antoine Nicoud, Thomas Choveau.
: Sacha Zegueur. (Oyonnax)
Guram Papidze, Paul Tailhades, Romain Ruffenach, Sacha Zegueur, Mickael Capelli, Rayne Barka, Emilien Gailleton, Clement Laporte.
: Antoine Hastoy, Quentin Lespiaucq, Daniel Ramsay, Kevin Yameogo, Julien Delannoy, Giovanni Habel-Kueffner, Alexandre Dumoulin, Marco Zanon, Matt Grogan.
: If France’s summer Supersevens tournament was any indication, Pau would be one of the stronger favourites for the title this season - 23-year-old Eoghan Barrett was on fire during the three-week competition. Sadly, it’s not - but it would be a mistake to underestimate Sebastien Piqueronies’ side.
The two-time world under-20 championship-winning coach is building a young squad in his image - as Ugo Mola did at Toulouse a few years ago. There are still several pieces to fill, and pressure will be on former Leicester fly-half Zack Henry and 20-year-old Thibault Debaes to fill a points-heavy void left by Hastoy’s move to La Rochelle.
: Patrick Arlettaz, David Marty, Perry Freshwater, Gerald Bastide, Guillaume Vilaceca.
: Kelian Galletier (Montpellier)
Will Witty, Victor Moreaux, Kelian Galletier, Jake McIntyre, Boris Goutard, Ma’afu Fia, Dorian Laborde.
: Melvyn Jaminet, Bautista Delguy, Davit Kuriashvili, Sami Mavinga, Killian Taofifenua, Karl Chateau, Julien Farnoux, Tevita Cavubati, Nafi Ma’afu, Hugh Roach, Damien Chouly, Jean-Bernard Pujol, Martin Landajo, Conor Carey.
: Perpignan survived their Top 14 return season by the skin of their teeth, beating ProD2 side Mont-de-Marsan in the end-of-season promotion-relegation play-off. Now, the intention is to consolidate their top-flight status. On the pitch, the Catalans have lost Bautista Delguy, Melvyn Jaminet and Damien Chouly, but have recruited cannily - filling gaps in their workforce with players they consider ‘Top 14-ready’. Even so, this has all the hallmarks of another difficult season at Aime-Giral. Relegation may be on the cards.
: Laurent Travers, Yannick Nyanga, Dimitri Szarzewski, Didier Casadei, Rory Teague.
Cameron Woki (Bordeaux Begles)
: Cameron Woki, Regan Grace, Gia Kharaishvili, Peniami Narisia, Janick Tarrit, Veikoso Poloniati, Kitione Kamikamica, Martin Meliande, Asaeli Tuivuaka, Warrick Gelant, Christian Wade (TBC).
Georges-Henri Colombe, Kevin Le Guen, Teddy Baubigny, Victor Moreaux, Yoan Tanga-Mangene, Maxime Machenaud, Mitch Short, Jean Chezeau, Teddy Thomas, Kurtley Beale, Baptiste Pesenti.
Midi Olympique’s pre-season poll of coaches found Racing 92 with nine votes, were among the favourites to reach the play-offs. But only one coach, maybe even Laurent Travers, voted for them to lift the Brennus.
The lack of silverware is an increasingly urgent problem, and one Travers will want to rectify in what’s likely to be his final season as sporting director before he moves into the Presidential Suite. Ending a seven-year trophy glitch should be easy with this squad - but they’ve repeatedly proved it's more difficult than it looks.
: Gonzalo Quesada, Paul Gustard, Kobus Potgieter, Julien Arias, Laurent Sempere, James Kent.
: Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne)
Morgan Parra, Mickael Ivaldi, Jeremy Ward, Lucas Peyresblanques, Baptiste Pesenti, Sione Tui, Giovanni Habel-Kueffner, Giorgi Tsutkiridze, Julien Ory, Mathieu Hirigoyen, Theo Dachary, Stephane Ahmed, Louis Druart, Nadir Megdoud.
: Ngani Laumape, Waisea Nayacalevu, Tolu Latu, Quentin Bethune, Lucas Da Silva, Yoann Maestri, Antoine Burban, Talalelei Gray, Loic Godener, Charlie Francoz, Will Percillier, Adrien Lapegue.
Stade’s efforts to bring Francis Saili from relegated Biarritz to fill the gap left by the departure after just one season of Ngani Laumape failed - so they turned their attention to South African centre Jeremy Ward as part of a midfield revamp. Old-head scrum-half Morgan Parra brings desperately needed on-pitch leadership, but the most important change is among the staff. Ex-England coach Paul Gustard has been poached from Treviso to shore up the defence, while James Kent moves up from the academy as owner Hans-Peter Wild tries - again - to make something of his money pit.
Pierre Mignoni, Franck Azema, James Coughlan, Romain Poite, Jocelino Suta, Maxime Petitjean, Frederic Michalak.
Waisea Nayacalevu (Stade Francais)
Dany Priso, Teddy Baubigny, Waisea Nayacalevu, Mathieu Tanguy, Benoit Paillaugue, Ihaia West, Jeremy Sinzelle, Maelan Rabut, Sitaleki Timani.
Michelangelo Sosene-Feagau, Quinn Roux, Leone Nakarawa, Eben Etzebeth, Lopeti Timani, Julien Ory, Anthony Belleau, Louis Carbonel, Julien Heriteau, Petero Tuwai, Theo Dachary, Dorian Laborde, Harrison Obatoyinbo.
: With their strong squad and dream coaching ticket, Toulon are almost certain to head into the play-offs - but they could look clunky at times with stopgap players filling a crucial playmaker position.
Ihaia West is the only specialist fly-half, and has been nursing a minor thigh injury. That has meant Baptiste Serin played twice at 10 in preseason - and will, along with Benoit Paillaugue and Jeremy Sinzelle, feature there throughout the campaign. But they are temporary solutions to a longer-term positional problem that Mignoni and Azema will seek to resolve quickly.
: Ugo Mola, Clement Poitrenaud, Jean Bouilhou, Laurent Thuery, Virgile Lacombe, Jerome Kaino, Jerome Cazalbou.
Paul Graou (Agen)
: Maxime Duprat, Alexandre Roumat, Paul Graou, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Arthur Retiere, Ange Capuozzo, Melvyn Jaminet.
: Paulo Tafili, Joe Tekori, Rory Arnold, Antoine Miquel, Zack Holmes, Baptiste Germain, Maxime Medard, Alexi Bales.
A Christmas Covid-19 outbreak scotched Toulouse’s winter run and forced them to play rescheduled games during the Six Nations window without their stars. But it can’t hide the fact manager Ugo Mola mismanaged his squad last season.
: Heavily-used internationals, including Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Julien Marchand et al, were on fumes by the time the Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster at the Aviva came around - and had even less in the tank for the Top 14 semi-final loss to Castres.
But summer recruitment should allow for better player rotation, meaning players are in a better place physically and mentally when it matters.
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