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Round 11 of the Top 14 is to be a pre-christmas experience. All seven matches are to be played before the weekend. This will enable players, coaches and all staff members to spend the Holidays with their loved ones.
Taku Ngwenya will be looking to continue his impressive form for Brive. Coming off a try-scoring double in the European Challenge Cup the USA Eagles flier will start on the right wing againt Lyon. Former Puma Francisco Gomez Kodela will start at Tight Head prop for Lyon. Also involved will be former English fullback Delon Armitage who is from Trinidad & Tobago. His brother Steffon will start for Pau vs Bordeaux.
Coming off a bumper of a win over Ulster Clermont remain at home to face Paris. The central French side will have Patricio Fernández playing fly half. Two others from Argentina will feature: Sergio Parisse and Gonzalo Quesada. Parisse will play No 8 for the Parisians whom are coached by Quesada.
Needing a home win Bayonne will be giving it their all against La Rochelle. They will be deprived of a number of players though. Among the missing are Martín Bustos Moyano and Pablo Huete. The Argentine fullback is still recovering from surgery while the Chilean has been suspended until late January. Italian capped Argentina second-rower Leandro Cedaro will play on the bench for La Rochelle.
Looking to rebound from their appalling performanced in the Champions Cup Racing 92 host Castres on Friday. The team selected for this fixture is significantly reinforced from that which lost against Glasgow last weekend. Both Juan Imhoff and Manuel Carizza return to the starting lineup to play wing and second-row. Horacio Agulla will play opposite Imhoff while Benjamín Urdapilleta will be Castres’ fly half. Uruguayan Rodrigo Capó Ortega will play as a replacement.
Montpellier fell away to Castres last weekend. They were down to 13 men which played into the hands of the Tarn side. On Friday they host Toulon. Former Pumas captain Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe will start at flanker. Los Pumas 7’s Olympian, Axel Muller, is to also start, playing right wing. On the bench will be USA Enforcer Samu Manoa.
