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Toulouse manager Pascal Dupraz has invited French winger Nicolas Maurice-Belay to join the Ligue 1 side during their pre-season camp this week with a view to a possible deal.
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Maurice-Belay, 32, has only just recovered from a long-term injury and is currently a free agent after not receiving a contract extension proposal from his most recent club Bordeaux.
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St Étienne are the side in pole position to land French defender Marcel Tisserand, according to sources contacted by Get French Football News.
Tisserand, who is formerly of AS Monaco and was relegated with Ingolstadt from the Bundesliga in the 2016/17 campaign, is expected to return to Ligue 1.
It is our understanding that St Étienne are the side that are in pole position at the moment, with constant contacts occurring between the player’s camp and Les Verts. Talks have even intensified in recent days.
Marseille were initially thought to have been in the race, but are no longer there. As for Lyon, lines of communication are open but it would appear as if Les Gones are exploring other central defensive options. Tisserand can play both at left-back and as a central defender.
In the Premier League, Watford, who were interested last season, have held informal talks for the player with a view to a transfer for this summer.
It is our understanding that Tisserand will chose his future destination in a definitive fashion next week, but St Étienne lead the way.
S.R.
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In a shock move, the Bulls have reportedly signed Bath and England lock Charlie Ewels on a short-term deal as he makes his return from injury.
Ewels has returned from a serious knee injury earlier than expected and is looking to make a late claim for a place in England’s Rugby World Cup squad.
The England and Bath second-row underwent knee surgery last July after sustaining the injury during the preparations for the first of the three Test match series against the Wallabies.
The 27-year-old was not expected to return during this season but has recovered in time to prove his fitness and press for a place in Steve Borthwick’s England squad.
According to The Times, he has joined the Bulls and could make his Currie Cup debut this weekend against the Sharks.
The report adds that the Stormers were in line to sign the lock, but the side could not raise enough funds to pay for his visa in time.
He also explored options in Australia but has now arrived in Pretoria.
Bath expected Ewels to miss the entire season and signed players such as Ted Hill and Fergus Lee-Warner from Worcester Warriors as injury dispensation.
They, therefore, used up their salary cap and Ewels needed a short-term deal elsewhere due to his early return.
Ewels was a member of the England U20 team that won the 2014 Junior World Championship, partnering Maro Itoje in the second-row. He captained the side a year later and finished as runners-up to New Zealand.
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He made his debut for Bath at 19 and has played over 100 times for the Premiership club.
Ewels took over the captaincy at Bath ahead of the 2019/20 season under former head coach Stuart Hooper.
In 2016, he earned his maiden Test call-up for England and debut against Fiji in November.
He was part of Eddie Jones’ wider Rugby World Cup squad and featured in the 2020 Six Nations squad.
During the Six Nations, he set the unwanted record of the quickest red card in the tournament’s history.
In the Test against Ireland, he was given his marching orders for a late and high tackle on James Ryan, with the pair colliding heads.
Ewels lists former Bulls legend and captain Victor Matfield as his most admired player in his player profile on England Rugby’s official website.
The lock is a car collector and takes his Ford Mustang to motor shows across the South West of England.
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READ MORE: Premiership: The race for the top four and Champions Cup qualification with three rounds left
Glasgow Warriors are looking to grab hold of a “massive opportunity” to reach the Challenge Cup final when they face Scarlets in the semi-finals this weekend.
The Warriors will travel to Wales to face their United Rugby Championship (URC) rivals in the last four of the tournament with all eyes on progressing to the final.
Glasgow are in great form of late, winning their last six games in all competitions, subsequently earning them a top-four finish in the URC.
Their last outing was a narrow 29-27 win against Connacht, and assistant coach Peter Murchie is hoping the team will make the most of the energy a semi-final week brings.
He said: “We have had a really good day. We reviewed the game we just played, and there is always a spring in the step coming into semi-final week.
“We spoke about the occasion. I am sure there will be a full stadium down in Scarlets, so it is a massive opportunity, a semi-final; you are obviously one away from a final and an opportunity to win something so there is an excitement.
“For the group, it is excellent to have the opportunity to get to a big final.
“They haven’t happened every year, the last time for the club would have been the Celtic Park final (2019 Guinness PRO14 final).
“It would be something to cherish. It is a massive event, and if we could get ourselves to Dublin, it would be a big event, I am sure Glasgow would be behind us, and there would be a big turnout from the city to watch us but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, we have a tough one this weekend to get through.”
The fitness of several stars was thrown into doubt after last weekend’s game, including Huw Jones (head), Jamie Dobie (knee), Cole Forbes (hamstring) and Lucio Sordoni (head), but Murchie could not offer any updates.
He said: “There is nothing to report on the guys that came out, they are still being assessed.
“But we are hoping that there is nothing major and we will have a good squad to select from at the weekend, and hopefully we will have a couple of guys coming back to us who have been injured in the last couple of weeks.
“So we will have a strong squad.
“If players are in your squad, they are good enough to play, and when they play they generally repay you, and it is a good loop to be on.
“If guys think they have a genuine opportunity, they train hard during the week.
“If they don’t have that, then human nature dictates that you maybe are not going to work as hard during the week.
“In pretty much every position, there is three you can pick from. That’s something that we maybe haven’t had in the last couple of years but we have now so that’s brilliant.”
Ligue 1 side Lille have opened discussions with Manchester City for the possible transfer of Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony, according to RMC.
Bony, who is transfer-listed, is soliciting interest from China too.
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Nancy have completed the signing of goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren on a two-year-deal.
The former Montpellier goalkeeper will be given the number 30 shirt when he reports to pre season training with his new club. The 31-year-old came through the same youth age group at Clariefontaine as Hatem Ben Arfa and Abou Diaby before spending 11 seasons with Montpellier, where he would win Ligue 1.
Jourdren will offer experience at the back for Nancy, who will be looking once again to survive in Ligue 1. If this signing is anything to go by, they should be in good shape heading into the new season.
T.S.
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Northampton Saints capitalised on Duncan Taylor’s red card as they defeated Saracens 38-29 to move up to fourth in the Premiership table.
Centre Taylor was given his marching orders in the eighth minute as Saracens suffered just their fourth defeat of the domestic campaign on Saturday.
Alex Moon, Lewis Ludlam, Tommy Freeman, Rory Hutchinson, Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall scored for Saints on a warm day at Franklin’s Gardens.
Rotimi Segun (2), Manu Vunipola and Theo Dan responded for Saracens as they impressed in claiming a bonus-point despite being one man down.
Saracens may have been missing a host of big names at the outset, but they still opened the scoring in the fourth minute with an excellent try.
From a line-out near halfway, young centre Olly Hartley made the initial break before feeding Alex Lewington. The wing then launched a well-judged cross-field kick for Segun to perform heroics by collecting before cartwheeling into the corner.
Within three minutes, Saints should have been level but lock David Ribbans inexplicably lost possession in the act of diving over, so a period of sustained pressure went unrewarded.
The explosive start to the game continued when Taylor was sent off by referee Wayne Barnes but Saracens temporarily overcame that setback to extend their lead with a straightforward penalty from Vunipola.
After 19 minutes, Saints got onto the scoreboard when a succession of bursts from their powerful back-row put the visitors’ defence on the back foot for Alex Mitchell to send Moon over.
The home side soon scored another. James Ramm raced away down the right flank to chip ahead and win a position in the opposition 22. From there, the ball was swiftly recycled for skipper Ludlam to crash over with Smith’s conversion putting his side in front for the first time.
Saints continued to entertain the crowd with some exhilarating passages of play, but too often, they failed to capitalise by carelessly dropping passes when seeming likely to score.
However, their enterprise was eventually rewarded when Freeman was given the opportunity to leave Ruben de Haas standing to score Northampton’s third and leave them with a 19-10 half-time advantage.
😇 Superb finish from Tommy Freeman. #GallagherPrem #NORvSARpic.twitter.com/OlFENllM9w
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023
Within three minutes of the restart, Saracens were blown away by another breathtaking score.
From a scrum near their own 22, Saints created acres of space for Ramm to hare into the opposition’s 22, with Hutchinson benefitting from the visitors’ lack of numbers to score the bonus-point try.
Ramm was injured in the move and departed clutching his shoulder, but nothing could stop rampant Saints as Smith strolled over for their fifth try.
Resilient Saracens showed some spirit to respond with a converted try from Vunipola, but Segun picked up a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on George Furbank.
In the wing’s absence, Dingwall added another try, but remarkably, despite playing with 13, Saracens managed a third score through Dan.
Segun also returned in time to see his side dominate the final 10 minutes, with the wing scoring his second in the dying seconds to earn Saracens a bonus point of their own.
Elsewhere, Harlequins picked up a crucial 48-20 bonus-point win over Newcastle Falcons to keep their hopes of making the play-offs very much alive.
Louis Lynagh made a successful comeback from knee surgery to celebrate his maiden appearance of the season with a try.
The England prospect, son of Australia great Michael, had been sidelined for the entire 2022/23 season to date after undergoing two operations, but he impressed for the 54 minutes he was on the field at Twickenham Stoop.
Quins were forced to battle hard for a bonus-point victory that lifted them to sixth in the Premiership after Freddie Lockwood’s 66th-minute try, made possible by the genius of Mateo Carreras, which threatened an upset.
But nerves were steadied when Alex Dombrandt went over for his second try in front of England boss Steve Borthwick, who can only have been pleased by his number eight’s all-action display.
Joe Marchant made his final appearance at The Stoop before joining Stade Francais next season, scoring a popular touchdown but also missing the final conversion from in front of the posts.
For all their dominance of the opening quarter, Quins were unable to register a point, although there were minor wins across the pitch.
Dombrandt and Andre Esterhuizen made telling runs before a scrum penalty ignited a spell of relentless pressure on the home line that saw a Danny Care try ruled out for obstruction by the prone Wilco Louw.
It was the end of Louw’s afternoon, and given that he had to be helped from the pitch with what appeared to be a significant injury, he is likely to have played his last game for Quins ahead of his return to South Africa at the end of the season.
The hosts continued to press, but The Stoop was stunned into silence when Newcastle scrambled free from their own line, wings Carreras and Adam Radwan combining for the Argentina international to score under the posts.
Brett Connon’s conversion and penalty gave the Falcons a 10-0 lead, but Quins’ attack began to align with Esterhuizen capitalising on a big hole in defence to touch down.
Sensing blood, the two-time Premiership champions renewed the attack in first-half overtime and exploited the blindside, with Lynagh scoring with ease in the right corner.
The lead changed hands once more through Connon’s pinpoint kicking, but gaps were now appearing in the visiting defence with greater frequency, allowing Marcus Smith to come to the fore.
Quins’ third try was all too easy as extra numbers enabled Josh Bassett to stroll over, and once Esterhuizen had bumped off two tackles, the bonus point was secure.
🃏 There's no stopping Andre Esterhuizen from that range. #HARvNEWpic.twitter.com/Zc2CZS0f3y
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— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023
Newcastle were not helped by having Callum Chick sin-binned for collapsing a maul, but with their openside back on the field, they found a renewed sense of purpose and camped themselves in enemy territory.
When their try came, it started deep in their own half, Carreras’ slaloming run leaving tacklers chasing shadows and while he was stopped just short, Lockwood was on hand to finish.
But the uprising ended immediately when Dombrandt showed strength to cross for a second time with late tries from Dino Lamb, Marchant and Fin Baxter distorting the final scoreline.
Injuries have forced Eddie Jones to make changes to his first Wallabies squad that is set to go on camp on the Gold Coast this week.
There are several casualties with Dave Porecki, Blake Schoupp, Darcy Swain, Ned Hanigan and Len Ikitau all out with concussions.
Meanwhile, Pete Samu and Langi Gleeson also miss out with ankle and calf injuries respectively.
The changes mean there are first-time call-ups for several stars including Rhys van Nek, Rory Scott, Matt Faessler and Ryan Smith.
Izaia Perese and Lachlan Swinton return to the Wallabies set-up with the tireless Harry Wilson named as a back-row replacement in the squad that is set to meet up this week.
Jones understands it is disappointing for some but also sees it as an opportunity for others ahead of the shortened Test season before the Rugby World Cup.
“While we feel for the players who have been ruled out, it provides an opportunity for those who will now come into camp,” Jones said.
“This camp will set the tone ahead of the Test season and we know we’re going to need a fast start.”
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The Wallabies’ first Test since their veteran coach returned to the helm is on July 8 against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Allan Alaalatoa, Ben Donaldson, Pone Fa’amausili, Matt Faessler, Josh Flook, Lalakai Foketi, Nick Frost, Carter Gordon, Reece Hodge, Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Lachlan Lonergan, Ryan Lonergan, Fraser McReight, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Cadeyrn Neville, Izaia Perese, Jordan Petaia, Tom Robertson, Rory Scott, James Slipper, Ryan Smith, Lachlan Swinton, Jordan Uelese, Rob Valetini, Rhys van Nek, Suliasi Vunivalu, Nic White, Brad Wilkin, Harry Wilson, Tom Wright
Football League side Brentford has confirmed the signing of St. Etienne forward Neal Maupay for an undisclosed fee believed to be worth €2m, subject to international clearance.
The 20-year-old joins on a four-year-deal and will join up with the Championship squad soon to continue pre season training. Maupay came up through the youth ranks at Nice before making his way to Les Verts in 2015, where would score three goals in his first season with the club.
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Maupay has just finished the past season on loan at Ligue 2 club Brest, where he would score 16 goals and help build his reputation as a pure goal scorer.
Co-Director of Football at Brentford Phil Giles said, “There were many clubs both in England and overseas that were interested in signing Neal this summer. I am very proud of the team effort from everyone at Brentford who contribute to selling our club and our ambition to Neal. He is a good player and a good man.”
Dean Smith, Head Coach of Brentford, added “As Phil said, Neal is a player that we have been tracking for a while, He fits all the profiles we set when we look for a player, He has really good personality and character to go with his skill level. We are very lucky to have got him and I look forward to working with him.”
T.S.
Ligue 1 newcomers Strasbourg have opened negotiations with Montpellier over the possible signing of striker Kévin Bérigaud, according to L’Équipe.
The 29-year-old spent last season on loan at Angers where he flopped, and currently has another year’s contract with MHSC. The latter side have no intention of keeping Berigaud and the player is very interested in joining Strasbourg.
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