World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe has recovered from a broken thumb to take his place in the Toulon team for Friday’s European Challenge Cup final versus Lyon in Marseille.
England talisman Maro Itoje is set to renew his rivalry with Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth as they have been respectively named at No4 by their clubs Saracens and Toulon for this Saturday night’s Challenge Cup semi-final in France.
Gloucester kick-started their Challenge Cup campaign with a bonus-point 54-25 win against Benetton at Kingsholm.
Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe is set to make his debut for new club Toulon, who forked out a fortune in August to sign him from Toulouse.
Ambushed by Saracens at home in September, Leinster have named the team they hope can make Champions Cup amends versus Toulon.
Wounded by their Premiership semi-final loss, Pat Lam has taken a scalpel to his Bristol Challenge Cup final XV and made 6 changes.
In a bizarre reversal of Sam Warburton's 2011 red card against France, it was a split-second act that will haunt Vahaamahina for the rest of his career.
France's campaign in Japan has taken on a divisive dynamic similar to previous World Cups, but it appears a truce has been found to ease strained relationships in time for the quarter-finals.
Les Blues are still seething at their 44-8 Six Nations defeat at Twickenham in February and Setiano expressed the team’s anguish in the most colourful language possible.
France head coach Jacques Brunel has named his 31-man squad to travel to Japan to challenge for the World Cup and there are a few surprise omissions.
