Top 14: Ronan O'Gara to hand La Rochelle fly-half reins to Ben Healy for Bayonne meeting

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara.

Former Munster fly-half Ben Healy is set to make his second start for Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle when they look to halt a two-match losing streak against Bayonne at a sold-out Stade Marcel Deflandre in the final match of the Top 14’s nine-week opening block of games.

Six matches after his first start, a defeat at Pau at the end of September, Healy will run out for the first time at home, in a new-look halfback partnership with teenage sensation Valentin Bouju – who this week signed a contract extension to remain at the club until 2030. Another teenager, Sacha Elissalde, starts at fullback.

O’Gara will be grateful for the international break that follows this match, as 18-year-old Bouju and 34-year-old Christophe Loustalot are his only available scrum-halves, with Nolann Le Garrec and Thomas Berjon both sidelined with injury.

Tighthead prop Upaleto Feao, 21, will start for the first time this season, while Thomas Lavault will partner Thomas Adélaïde in the second row, with Australian Visesio Kite likely to make his Top 14 debut off the bench on his 18th birthday. He is lined-up to come on in the second row, but is also capable of playing at tighthead, if necessary.

La Rochelle-Bayonne will be Sunday’s second Top 14 sell-out, kicking off hours after Vannes host Bordeaux at Nantes’ 35,000-capacity Stade de La Beaujoire.

The fall of Castres continued on Saturday, as they slipped to 13th in the table following a 28-30 defeat at home in a nervy, high-stakes match against fellow strugglers Racing 92. The visitors’ replacement fly-half Ugo Seunes slotted the decisive penalty with the clock in the red.

Paris 2024 gold medallist Rayan Rebbadj scored the first hat-trick of his Top 14 career as Toulon they beat Stade Francais 43-23 in the first-leg of the annual Christophe Dominici Trophy challenge between the two sides.

But Gael Drean’s score just after the hour, on his return to action five months after surgery on a deteriorating heart condition, garnered the day’s biggest cheer at Stade Mayol.

Gregoire Arfeuil and Clement Laporte each scored two of Pau’s nine tries as they hammered Perpignan 63-26 at Stade du Hameau.

Teddy Thomas scored the 83rd Top 14 try of his career to help a heavily rotated Toulouse to a 28-18 win over Clermont at Stade Ernest Wallon.

And Christopher Tolofua scored twice for Montpellier as they won a hard-fought encounter against Lyon 21-19.