Toulon scrum half Baptiste Serin, injured in the right shoulder last Saturday, “will have surgery” next week and will be away from the field for at least four months. The 29-year-old came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute of the match against Exeter (19-18) on Saturday during the first day of the Champions Cup. Injured in an English clearing, he left two minutes later, replaced by Maëlan Rabut.
This is a new blow for the formation of Pierre Mignoni who already has to do without Welsh fly-half Dan Biggar (back), Samoan center Duncan Paia’aua (calf) and hooker Teddy Baubigny ( hand). In the absence of one of its captains for the coming months, the RCT will be able to count on Scottish international Ben White (25 years old, 18 caps) as well as young number nine Jules Danglot (22 years old). But Pierre Mignoni, the Var manager, explained this Wednesday at a press conference that he could call on a medical joker to compensate for Serin’s long absence.
“We have valid scrum-halves, and it is possible that we are looking for someone. But once again, we will not take someone for the sake of taking someone,” said the Toulon technician, before his team traveled to Northampton on Friday for the second day of the Champions Cup. And added: “We are going to wish Baptiste good luck, so that he joins us as quickly as possible with all his strength.”
But Pierre Mignoni wanted to clarify his two scrum halves currently at the club. “Ben (White), he’s in the mix. It shows very beautiful things. (…) Jules is a player who needs to progress in areas, and he knows it, he insisted. He knows what I want to see on and off the field. He has a great opportunity, he will have a lot more playing time, he has worked in recent weeks, and it is the right time to show it.
