Top 14: O'Gara shuffles pack for season opener against Toulon

Stade Rochelais head coach Ronan O'Gara. Pic: Gareth Copley, Getty Images

Ronan O’Gara has decided to kick-off La Rochelle’s Top 14 campaign against Toulon on Sunday with Ihaia West at fly-half alongside veteran scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow, rather than French international Antoine Hastoy.

In another selection eyebrow-raiser, Georgian Aleksandre Kuntelia was preferred to another French international, Georges-Henri Colombe, at tighthead, with Uini Atonio – who signed a two-year contract extension recently – out with a calf injury.

Matthias Haddad forms one third of a powerful and mobile back row, alongside Grégory Alldritt and Judicaël Cancoriet; while Paul Boudehent and O’Gara’s sole summer signing Kane Douglas are among the substitutes.

Daniel Brennan, meanwhile, is set to make his Toulon debut from the bench, with England internationals Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam in the starting pack.

Brennan’s brother Josh starts for Toulouse, who begin the defence of their title at promoted Vannes in Sunday’s primetime match.

The French top-flight season kicked off on Saturday afternoon in Bayonne, where a full house at Stade Jean Dauger saw veteran Camille Lopez make one try, score a second, and kick two penalties and a conversion before giving up his place to Joris Segonds, brought in from Stade Francais to – ultimately – replace him. Segonds missed one tricky penalty, but landed the crucial points from 50m with four minutes left on the clock as the Basque side came from behind to win 21-19.

Star Top 14 debutant Owen Farrell converted Henry Chavancy’s 73rd minute try and Maxime Baudonne’s in the 78th to give Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 a 28-26 lead at Jeremy Davidson’s Castres.

But the home side’s winger Christian Ambadiang, who was making his bow in the French top flight after joining from ProD2 side Nevers in the summer and who had earlier pulled off a remarkable try-saving tackle, had other ideas – creating both space and time out of raw nothing to give Castres a 31-28 victory.

Lyon, a side that could not buy a win on the road last season, picking up just a single point in 13 away matches, survived a Montpellier fightback to win 22-26 at the GGL Stadium. Stuart Hogg, in his first match since April 2023, scored on his first Top 14 outing for the home side.

Bordeaux showed few signs of an extended hangover following their Top 14 final humiliation at the end of last season. Romain Buros, Maxime Lucu, Damian Penaud and Nicolas Depoortere all scored as Bordeaux’s Noel McNamara-coached backline ran riot in the first-half of their Top 14 opener against Stade Francais – the side they edged past in last season’s play-off semi-finals. Yann Lesgourges and Depoortere added second-half scores as Bordeaux opened their account with a 46-26 win in an enthralling 10-try encounter; Sekou Macalou’s second try denying them a try-scoring bonus.