Toulon, summer recruit already at the start?

Backing off Ihaia West? Left last summer at Toulon after four years at reigning European champions Charente Maritimes during what we thought was his final season at La Rochelle, the 31-year-old New Zealander could find La Rochelle from next season. According to our colleagues from Midi Olympique, the two presidents, Bernard Lemaitré on the Toulon side and Vincent Merling on the La Rochelle side, have already begun discussions about the return of the West to the Maritimes, the latter on the right track.

A year after leaving the team under the stewardship of Ronan O’Gara, the inaugural had never played in an All Blacks jersey but was part of the Barbarians that faced New Zealand at Tottenham last November (35 to 31 wins for West and his one-day teammates) so he must be found on the former European champions.

Drive West by Biggar

Obviously, the arrival of Dan Biggar to Var is not alien to this desire of West, but under contract with RCT until June 2025, to take the opposite path. Because if the former number 10 of the Hurricanes, who can also happen at the back, is the indisputable holder of the position because he made up for the departure of Anthony Bellew (Clermont) and Louis Carbonell (Montpellier) together, this is no longer the case since the grandiose reinforcement of the Welshman, who It is held for the time being by the Six Nations Championship.

West, on the other hand, will find a No. 1 spot at La Rochelle, currently 4th in the Top 14, where he will supervise Antoine Hastoy and Harry Glynn inside a sector diminished by the departure of Pierre Popelin at Castres. And if the New Zealander finished the season in Toulon, eighth in the standings, the formalization of his return after just a year to the Maritimes should fall quickly.