Champion of outgoing France, Toulouse nevertheless approaches in her small shoes his semi-final on Friday evening (9:05 pm) in Lyon against Bayonne. In particular due to the absence of Antoine Dupont, his master to play on vacation for several months, but also of Peato Mauvaka and Angel Capuozzo, two of his other motor elements.
Under these conditions, the return of Blair Kinghorn, right for this semi-final, could not intervene at a better time. Absent for two months, the Scottish winger will find a holder’s place against the Bayonnais. Very good news for the Stade Toulousain coupled with a surprise. Cyril Baille and Emmanuel Meafou will both take place on the bench and not in the starting XV, where Rodrigue Neti, on the front line, and Josh Brennan, in the second, benefited from the favors of Ugo Mela.
Cassem, the little thunderbolt
Small feeling also in the Bayonnais camp, since Uzair Cassem, one of the heroes of the incredible rowing course until now, will not even appear on the match sheet. Giovanni Habel-Küffner will be preferred to him against the Toulousains in the center of the third line. “I needed a real second line on the bench compared to this team (…) So I had to sacrifice Cass,” justified Bayonnais coach Grégory Patat, interviewed by journalists about the absence of the former Scarlets player. Absent since the end of November, Yohan Orabé finds the group, but will have to be satisfied with a replacement role at first.
The compos of Toulouse and Bayonne for the first semi-final of Top 14:
Toulouse: Ramos – Mallia, Chocobars, Kingdorn – (O) Ntamack, (M) Graou – Jellis, Will, Cross – Floment, Burnish, Market, Neti
Substitutes: Gramont, Baille, Meafou, Roumat, Saito, Ahki, Lebel, Merkler
Bayonne: Orabé-Spring, Maqala, Mori, Carreras- (o) Segonds, (m) Rouet-Habel-Küffner, Capilla, Bruni-moon, Iturria-Tagi, Bosch, Cormenier
Substitutes: Martin, Castillos, Heguy, Paulos, Machenaud, Lopez, Erbinartegaray, Scholtz
