La Rochelle: The West returns to the West

Ihaia West clearly prefers the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. After leaving La Rochelle for Toulon last summer, the 31-year-old New Zealand opener will return to the Maritimes next season. Anyway, this is what the paper reveals the team This tuesday. Someone who could also play as a fullback would have agreed with RCT to leave Rade two years before the end of his contract. He will sign for three seasons with La Rochelle.

Ihaia West played 17 Top 14 matches and three Challenge Cup matches with Toulon (totaling 24 points), where he was an almost indisputable player. But he decided to leave. According to the sports daily, this departure could be linked to the recruitment of Welsh international Dan Biggar, who plays in the same position. RCT would really like to get more JIFF players (from the French squad) to stay within the average of 16 allowed across all match sheets for a season.

Western European champion with La Rochelle last year

So, unless the situation reverses, the Havelock North native will find La Rochelle where he arrived in 2018 from the Wellington Hurricanes. With Maritimes, the New Zealander won the Champions Cup last year, played in the Challenge Cup Final in 2019, the European Champions Cup Final in 2021 and the Final 14 in 2021. He played in a total of 96 matches with the yellow and black, for 13 tries and scored 884 points.

Next season, he will compete with Antoine Hastoy, who arrived last summer from Pau, and is mostly absent due to France’s fifteenth extended set. In the meantime, Ihaia West will try to end their adventure with Toulon in style, who play the last 16 of the Challenge Cup on Saturday against South African franchise the Cheetahs, then try to hold on to their Top 14 spot, or even do so. better. In the last five games of the season.