French Column, by James Harrington

While the focus of French rugby attention is on Stade Ernest Wallon and the return to action of a certain Antoine Dupont, elsewhere another club’s long wait for a star signing is over.
Manu Tuilagi arrived in southwest France in July. At the end of August, he suffered a broken hand in a pre-season match for Bayonne against Biarritz.
After five matches on the sidelines, the England international finally made his belated debut yesterday as the Basque club hosted La Rochelle at Estadio Aneota, in San Sebastian.
He played 52 minutes on his first outing of the...