Toulouse (AFP)
The clash between Toulouse and Racing 92 should see Saturday the great debut of the international center Gaël Fickou in his new Ile-de-France colors during a 22nd day of Top 14 disrupted by the Covid-19, with three new postponements and a match still uncertain .
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Covid, again
After the four matches postponed from the previous day, the pandemic continues to affect the Top 14, with three new postponements this week: Bayonne-Castres, Brive-La Rochelle and Toulon-Agen, due to contamination within the Castres ranks, Brivists and Toulon.
Uncertainty still hangs over the holding of the meeting between Bordeaux-Bègles and Montpellier, already postponed from Friday to Sunday because of the health situation at UBB, authorized Friday to resume collective training.
The confrontation between the two teams still competing in the European Cup and the European Challenge will only take place if new screening tests carried out on Friday evening in the Gironde were all negative.
This would be good news in terms of the calendar as the slots are running out between now and the start of the final phase to accommodate all the matches postponed and regain a little legibility in the standings.
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Fickou, premiere
The top-of-the-table poster between the Toulouse leader and Racing, third, was already not lacking in glitz and in stake.
The probable debut in the sky and white jersey of Fickou, whose hasty departure from the French Stadium has caused a lot of talk since last week, give him a little more salt.
After two consecutive defeats in the league, including one in Castres last weekend (26-24) having turned a lot, Toulouse will try to "break this mini-series" and "take shelter" from a Racing is back in the standings, before "changing disk" next week for its European Cup semi-final, defense coach Laurent Thuéry announced.
"It will look like a good match in the final phase," presented the second line of Ile-de-France Boris Palu.
"We're going on a bit of a mission. The goal for us now is 100% championship."
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Stade français, one month later
The Six Nations Tournament had barely ended the last time Stade Français played a rugby match.
It was Saturday March 27, during the 20th day of the Top 14, and it did not go very well for him, with a home defeat against Clermont (34-27) severely hampering his chances of qualifying for the final phase.
A month later, between the European window and the postponement of the Ile-de-France derby against Racing 92, the Parisians had the opportunity to get off on the right foot with the reception of Pau, penultimate and barrage.
Mistrust, however: the Section relaunched in the race for maintenance thanks to its victory against Bayonne (43-33) while awaiting reinforcement from South African world champion Elton Jantjies, still in isolation.
Will the men in pink have digested Fickou's departure from Racing in the middle of the season?
"Everything is going well in the dressing room of the French Stadium," assured their coach Gonzalo Quesada.
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Clermont, life without Lopez
Clermont, fourth, will have to compose Saturday in Lyon, sixth, without his striker and playing master Camille Lopez, hit in the shoulder during the elimination in the quarterfinals of the European Cup against Toulouse.
In his absence, Samoan Tim Nanai-Williams or training scrum half Sébastien Bézy should share the opening against Lyonnais who fell on stronger than them last week in La Rochelle (38-23) despite a Josua Tuisova is currently in great shape.
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