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Outward bound? Toulon's
English lock Kris Chesney
Photo: Eoin Mundow/Cleva Media |
Big-spending Toulon officially welcomed new-signing
Eifion Lewis-Roberts to the club on Wednesday, but it
was the disputed departure of Kris Chesney which
captured the headlines.
Just hours after English
premiership outfit Sale Sharks announced that Chesney
had agreed a two-year deal with them, Toulon president
Mourad Boudjellal rubbished the announcement and insisted
that he was "99% sure" the former Saracens lock would remain
in France next season.
Boudjellal's view ran
contrary that of Sale Sharks, who clearly believed that the
Chesney transfer was a done deal. Executive Director of
Sport Steve Diamond earlier claimed that Chesney's
capture was "another piece of my jigsaw", praising the
player's "great work ethic".
If Chesney does join Sale,
as seems likely despite Boudjellal's denial, then he will
join forces with Tasesa Lavea, the Clermont
utility back who has definitely agreed terms with the
Manchester outfit.
In other news, three
players have been cited following last weekend's
ill-tempered clash between Clermont and Toulon. The match
was littered with flare-ups and yellow cards, and the LNR
has now decided to act by citing Clermont pair Aurélien
Rougerie and Thibaut Privat, together with
Toulon lock Jocelino Suta. All three players were
involved in an early mass brawl, with the LNR setting a
hearing date of March 23.
Montpellier's
Alex Tulou and SU Agen pair Gert Muller
and Christopher Deylaud have also been called to
appear before the league's disciplinary hearing following
incidents during their Round 20 match.
La Rochelle coach
Serge Milhas has confirmed he will retire at the end
of this season, with Christophe Hamacek the early
frontrunner to replace him. The Tyrosse coach was initially
seen as the ideal candidate, but reports in the French press
now suggest that Aurillac's Pierre-Henry Broncan
could get the nod.
La Rochelle, meanwhile,
have confirmed the signing of Mont-de-Marsan winger
Damien Cler, 27, on a two-season deal.
On the injury front both
Toulon and Stade Toulousain were left counting the cost of
training incidents this week, with Toulon losing
hooker Jean-Philippe Genevois for up to three weeks
with an Achilles tendon problem, while Stade Toulousain
will have to make do without Argentine scrum-half
Nicolas Vergallo for a month due to a broken hand.
Toulon had already been
denied the services of their scrum-half Matt Henjak
following an ankle injury that he sustained in the match
against Clermont. he is likely to be out for three weeks.
Bayonne's ongoing
power-struggle prompted some protest graffiti on the walls
of the club's Stade Jean Dauger this week. The message
appeared clear with the current board and president
Francis Salagoity the target of the graffiti.
The messages were daubed
just hours after the club's main sponsor Alain Afflelou
announced that he would not continue funding Bayonne beyond
this season.
Afflelou's decision in
turn followed on from Bernard Laporte's resignation
last week and the ensuing emergency board meeting that was
held on Sunday.
A board statement issued
after Afflelou's announcement noted its "surprise" and "deep
regret" at his decision, and confirmed an extraordinary
general meeting would be held at the club "no later than
April 15".
It's also been a busy few days in
ProD2 with Mont-de-Marsan and SCA Albi
both slapped with
€5,000 fines
for a brawl in their match on February 20th. The LNR also
confirmed that Mont-de-Marsan lock Johannes Britz
will be suspended for 20 days for the red card he picked up
in the same game.
Grenoble,
meanwhile, have announced three signings for next season
with Clément Darbo, Vincent Campo and
Afeleke Pelenise all committed to the club currently
lying third and pushing for a play-off spot.
Scrum-half Darbo will
arrive fro Pau, hooker Campo comes in from FC Auch Gers and
Pelenise - who was player of the tournament at the World
Sevens in 2007, jets over from New Zealand. He can play
either in the centre or on the wing.
Darbo's current club
Pau have confirmed that winger Julien Fumat, 24,
and lock Evans Botha, 28, have put pen to paper on
new deals. Fumat as agreed a two-year deal with the option
of a third, while Botha a one-year deal with the option for
another year.
