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Zebo's bold claim about his Racing team-mate's current form heading into the Six Nations

France's Virimi Vakatawa has been dubbed the best player in the world currently (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Racing 92 may have narrowly lost to Saracens on Sunday, but full-back Simon Zebo has made the claim that his team-mate Virimi Vakatawa is currently the best player in the world. 

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The former Ireland international missed his side’s contest at Allianz Park through injury, but he showered the France international with praise in response to his performance against the reigning champions. 

The outside centre bagged two tries in the first half in north London, running in from 40 metres for Racing’s first of the match and then gliding through from close range for their third. 

The Fijian-born powerhouse has been in sensational form all season for the Parisian club, and he brought that form to the English capital.

He looked unstoppable at times in the first half, running through players at will and proving to be almost impossible to put down. 

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It was only in the second half, where Saracens were able to take control of the match and starve Racing of possession and the chance to move the ball wide to the 27-year-old, that they won the match. 

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Such is the danger that Vakatawa poses that it is imperative to subdue him in order for any side to win. 

There are few players in the game that are more of a threat to defences every time they carry the ball than the former sevens star at the moment. He showed his pace on Sunday in his first try, while his power and offloading game has never been questioned. 

With the Six Nations a matter of days away, he is destined to start in the No13 shirt at the Stade de France against England on the opening weekend, an opportunity for him to be able to cement his growing status as one of the best players in the world. 

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NB 35 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

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