AFP/Paris
Toulouse’s six France internationals who lined out at the weekend in the Six Nations defeat to Ireland should all be back in action at the Stade de France for Saturday’s Top 14 clash, manager Guy Noves said yesterday.
“Some have already been resting, others have still to have a day off but this weekend there will be no rest,” Noves said.
Maxime Medard, Yoann Huget, Gael Fickou, Yoann Maestri and Louis Picamoles all played in Saturday’s 20-22 defeat which handed Ireland the Six Nations crown.
Jean-Marc Doussain came on as a substitute.
Toulouse will travel first to Stade Francais followed by leaders Toulon in the Top 14 and will then meet Irish province Munster in the European Cup quarter-finals on April 5.
“Apart from Yannick (Nyanga), who injured himself (groin) in the France team (against Wales) we hope that at Toulon almost all of the team will be present,” said Noves.
“We’re approaching a tricky part of the season, above all this quarter-final,” said Noves.
“We have two trips against two of the best teams in France at the moment. We’re going to be able to gauge our team and players based on these two matches.”
Toulouse, record 19-time French champions and four-time European Cup winners, are sitting fifth in the Top 14 five points behind leaders Toulon.
Heart procedure sidelines Chiefs’ Fruean again
Waikato Chiefs centre Robbie Fruean will be sidelined for up to two months as he undergoes treatment for an ongoing heart condition, the Super 15 club said yesterday.
The Chiefs omitted Fruean, who has had open-heart surgery twice, from a 27-man squad to travel to Australia and South Africa saying he needed to have a procedure that will restore his heart’s rhythm to normal.
“Robbie Fruean will be having an ablation procedure for an arrhythmia and will remain in New Zealand,” the club said in a statement. “The expectation around his return to play is four to eight weeks.”
The 25-year-old’s cardiac condition stems from a bout of rheumatic fever. He had open-heart surgery in 2009 and again last year, when a valve in his heart was replaced, cutting short his season with the Canterbury Crusaders.
He made a strong start after signing for the Waikato Chiefs this year but suffered shortness of breath during the defending champion’s 36-20 win over the Western Stormers on Friday and was found to have an irregular heartbeat.
Meanwhile, deposed Six Nations champions Wales want to play a midweek warm-up match in South Africa during June before a two-Test series.
A South African Rugby Union (SARU) statement yesterday said the proposed tour opener would be against the Southern Kings on June 10 in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.
SARU added that the fixture must be approved by their executive committee.
