Racing 92 tackle city rivals Stade Francais in a Top 14 heavyweight clash on Friday as French rugby looks for a quick cure to its World Cup hangover.
Just a week after France were humiliated 62-13 by New Zealand in the World Cup quarter-finals, the lucrative domestic league, which has been widely blamed for the national team’s ills, now hopes to highlight its advantages.
Racing, with four wins from five matches this season, could nudge into second place if they defeat Stade.
Given the sobering events of the World Cup, it is ironic that Racing will hand a debut to New Zealand prop Ben Tameifuna who only arrived at the club at the start of the week.
The 24-year-old was named as a back-up reserve player for the All Blacks in the pool stages of the World Cup with the New Zealand federation banning him from kick-starting his Top 14 club career.
Instead, he stayed match-fit by playing for his Waikato side in the New Zealand domestic tournament.
Tameifuna has been included in a Racing squad hit by a number of injuries to their pack already missing Luc Ducalcon and Italian international Martin Castrogiovanni who has undergone surgery on a benign tumour on his back.
Hooker Virgile Lacombre, who was suspended for last week’s game with Oyonnax, will return to the front row while Welsh lock Luke Charteris is also back in Paris following his country’s World Cup quarter-final exit.
French World Cup squad members Dimitri Szarzewski, Eddy Ben Arous, Alexandre Dumoulin, Bernard Le Roux, Remi Tales, Yannick Nyanga and Brice Dulin are all resting.
Defending champions Stade also rest two of their French internationals – Pascal Pape and Rabah Slimani.
Skipper Sergio Parisse, whose World Cup campaign with Italy was decimated by injury, played in the 22-9 win over Castres last week but is not expected to feature this weekend.
League leaders Clermont Auvergne, the only undefeated side in the tournament, tackle second-placed Montpellier Herault.
Clermont have racked up 20 tries in five games so far and last week romped to a bonus point 35-10 win over Pau.
European champions Toulon host Oyonnax still smarting from a 29-26 defeat at Brive last Saturday.
Toulouse go to Bordeaux-Begles without veteran Frederic Michalak who has been sidelined for five weeks after injuring his groin in France’s defeat to the All Blacks.
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