Ligue 1 side Marseille have announced the signing of Croatian central defender Duje Ćaleta-Car from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg on a 5-year contract.

The deal to take the 21 year-old to the Stade Vélodrome is understood to amount to €17m including bonuses.

Ćaleta-Car had spent four seasons with the Austrian outfit, making 84 appearances and mustering 4 goals in this period.

Marseille are understood to have beaten fellow European side’s Lyon & Sevilla to the Croatian’s signature, who caught the eye of the Marseille manager Rudi Garcia during last season’s Europa League Semi-Final.

H.W.

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The teams have been named for this weekend’s Premiership games, including the clash between defending champions Leicester Tigers and bottom-placed London Irish at Welford Road on Sunday.

Check out the teams and our predictions for all of the weekend’s matches, here.

Friday

Harlequins v Gloucester

Form: Harlequins have won their last two Premiership Rugby fixtures, at Sale and at home to London Irish, and have not won three in succession in the competition since April. Harlequins have been defeated in two of their last four home games at the Twickenham Stoop in Premiership Rugby. Gloucester have lost their last two Premiership Rugby matches, at Sale and at home to Newcastle. Gloucester have won twice away from home in Premiership Rugby this campaign, at Bath in Round Five and at London Irish in Round Seven. The Londoners have won their last six encounters with Gloucester in Premiership Rugby since Gloucester’s 29-7 victory at the Stoop in March 2019. Gloucester have won only once at the Stoop in Premiership Rugby since 2006.

Prediction: Harlequins by 5

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Nick David, 14 Cadan Murley, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Tommy Allan, 9 Danny Care, 8 Alex Dombrandt (c), 7 Will Evans, 6 Jack Kenningham, 5 Irne Herbst, 4 Dino Lamb, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 George Head, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 George Hammond, 20 Archie White, 21 Lewis Gjaltema, 22 Will Edwards, 23 Luke Northmore

Gloucester: 15 Lloyd Evans, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jake Morris, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Charlie Chapman, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Freddie Clarke, 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 Santiago Socino, 1 Val Rapava-Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Harry Elrington, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Stephen Varney, 22 George Barton, 23 Jack Reeves

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys, James Clarke
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs

Form: Newcastle Falcons‘ 27-21 victory at Gloucester in Round 10 ended a run of three successive defeats in Premiership Rugby. Newcastle’s only victory at Kingston Park in Premiership Rugby in 2022 was when they beat Bristol Bears there on September 30. Exeter Chiefs beat London Irish 22-17 in Round 10 to end a three-game losing streak in Premiership Rugby. The Chiefs’ only victory in their last four away games in Premiership Rugby was 50-14 at Bristol on October 7. Exeter have lost only once to Newcastle in any competition since January 2018 and that was by a solitary point at Sandy Park in November 2021. Exeter’s record at Kingston Park in Premiership Rugby is won eight, lost two.

Prediction: Newcastle by 3

The teams:

Newcastle: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Ben Stevenson, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Tom Penny, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Michael Young (c), 8 Carl Fearns, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Callum Chick, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Logovi’i Mulipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Mark Tampin, 19 Sean Robinson, 20 Freddie Lockwood, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Adam Radwan, 23 Matias Orlando

Exeter: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Dan John, 13 Sean O’Brien, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Jacques Vermeulen, 7 Christ Tshiunza, 6 Lewis Pearson, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Ruben Van Heerden, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Dan Frost, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Patrick Schickerling, 19 Jack Dunne, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Sam Maunder, 22 Will Becconsall, 23 Solomone Kata

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant referees: Neil Chivers, Jamie Leahy
TMO: Rowan Kitt

Saturday

Sale Sharks v Bristol Bears

Form: Sale Sharks’ 27-17 victory at home to Gloucester in Round Nine ended a two-game losing run in Premiership Rugby. The Sharks’ solitary defeat at Salford City Stadium in their last seven Premiership Rugby fixtures was 13-29 to Harlequins in Round Seven. Bristol Bears have lost their last five Premiership Rugby matches since beating London Irish at Ashton Gate on September 24. The Bears have not lost six in succession in the competition since they were relegated in season 2016/17. Bristol have won only once away from home in Premiership Rugby in the last 12 months: 23-8 at Wasps on 17 September. Sale have lost just one of their last five fixtures against Bristol in Premiership Rugby: 15-32 at Ashton Gate on January 7. The Bears’ only previous victory at AJ Bell Stadium in Premiership Rugby was by a single point, on their first ever visit, on New Year’s Day 2017.

Prediction: Sale by 8

The teams:

Sale: 15 Joe Carpenter, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Sam James, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Byron McGuigan, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Gus Warr, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jono Ross (c), 6 Jean-Luc du Preez, 5 Josh Beaumont, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Rouban Birch, 20 Sam Dugdale, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Kieran Wilkinson, 23 Arron Reed

Bristol: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 Sam Bedlow, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Will Porter, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Fitz Harding, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Joe Batley, 3 Max Lahiff, 2 Bryan Byrne, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Aristot Benz-Salomon, 18 Jay Tyack, 19 John Hawkins, 20 Jake Heenan, 21 Andy Uren, 22 AJ MacGinty, 23 Joe Jenkins

Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 13:00 GMT
Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant referees: Simon Harding, John Meredith
TMO: Andrew Jackson

Sunday

This weekend's match at Mattioli Woods Welford Road will be the last in Leicester Tigers colours for @Nemani_Nadolo.

Join us on Sunday to give him a proper #TigersFamily farewell and say 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐚, 𝐍𝐞𝐦𝐳! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hjBXJQaEk7

— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) November 25, 2022

Leicester Tigers v London Irish

Form: Leicester Tigers’ only victory in their last four Premiership Rugby matches was 27-19 at Harlequins in Round Six. The Tigers’ defeat to Sale in their most recent home game in Premiership Rugby on October 8 ended a 14-game winning run in the competition at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. London Irish have won just once in Premiership Rugby since the opening weekend: 47-38 at home to Bath in Round Four. The Exiles have lost their last six away games in the competition since beating Newcastle 42-14 at Kingston Park on April 22. The Tigers have won their last three encounters with London Irish in Premiership Rugby since their 9-22 defeat at GTech Community Stadium in November 2020. London Irish have won just once at Welford Road in any competition since 2003: 22-19 in Premiership Rugby in September 2014.

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Prediction: Leicester by 15

The teams:

Leicester: 15 Anthony Watson, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Harry Potter, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Olly Cracknell, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 5 Calum Green, 4 George Martin, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 James Whitcombe
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Sam Edwards, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Guy Porter

London Irish: 15 Tom Parton, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Will Joseph, 12 Benhard van Rensburg, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Joe Powell, 8 So’otala Fa’aso’o, 7 Tom Pearson, 6 Matt Rogerson (c), 5 Chunya Munga, 4 Api Ratuniyarawa, 3 Lovejoy Chawatama, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Facundo Gigena
Replacements: 16 Mike Willemse, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Oliver Hoskins, 19 Josh Caulfield, 20 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 21 Chandler Cunningham-South, 22 Ben White, 23 Luca Morisi

Venue: Welford Road
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
Assistant referees: Jack Makepeace, Wayne Falla
TMO: David Rose

In a move sure to excite Angers and Ligue 1 fans alike, Arsenal prospect Jeff Reine-Adélaïde has signed permanently with Angers SCO until 2022. The young winger joins Les Scoïstes for an undisclosed fee having previously spent the second half of last season on loan with the Ligue 1 outfit. While Reine-Adélaïde’s previous stint in western France was short, the budding Frenchman showed enough promise to convince Angers that a permanent move would be worthwhile for all involved.

Originally on the books of Racing Club de Lens, Reine-Adélaïde joined Arsenal’s academy in 2015. Just 17-years-old at the time, the tricky midfielder primarily turned out for Arsenal’s youth sides while making the occasional cameo appearance for the first team of the London giants. Pesky injuries and a crowded senior team limited Reine-Adélaïde’s opportunities in England, and the promising right-winger was sent out on loan as a result.

Hungry for more playing time and a chance to prove himself, “the Jeff” joined Angers on deadline day of the 2018 January transfer window. While Angers’ new signing did not slot immediately into their first eleven, Reine-Adélaïde played an important role off the bench. The skillful winger was often unleashed in the later stages of Angers’ Ligue 1 matches, with his dribbling ability used to target the opposition’s tired defenders.  Over 10 matches and just 443 minutes played, Reine-Adélaïde averaged over 2 dribbles per game as a creative outlet for Les Scoïstes.

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Having shown real glimpses of both his current and potential ability during his short loan spell in western France, Reine-Adélaïde will likely excel in Angers. The young winger has finally found a home that will offer him ample opportunity, and he’ll undoubtedly become a regular feature on Ligue 1’s highlight reels next season.

G.M.

Springboks and Leicester Tigers fly-half Handre Pollard feels it is too late for England head coach Eddie Jones to be sacked with the World Cup less than a year away.

Jones is under immense pressure again after England’s poor Test season in 2022 that saw the Red Rose notch up a 42% win rate across the Six Nations, their July tour against the Wallabies and the Autumn Nations Series.

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The Rugby Football Union are currently reviewing Jones’s position as speculation grows that the Australian-born coach will be replaced before the World Cup.

The Springboks were in a fairly similar position in 2018 when Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team took over one of the worst-performing South African sides and turned them into world champions in 2019.

Changes need time

However, Pollard insists that Erasmus’s vision only set in after 18 Tests and that any change within the England structures would have needed to happen earlier.

“It’s a difficult one,” Pollard said when asked if a new coach would have enough time based on his experience with the Springboks.

“It’s tough because you’ll basically have that Six Nations and a few warm-up games. It’s not a lot of time, so it will be tough. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but you never know.

“We felt Erasmus’ impact immediately because of the personality he is and the way he does stuff.

“But in terms of the rugby and on-field stuff, he said that with our new defensive system it will take 18 games. He knew that’s how long we had before the World Cup.

“It probably clicked a little earlier than 18 games, but I would say it took us a good year to find ourselves, really understand each other and know where we stood with each other. And then in 2019 we really kicked off with the results.

“The previous year 2018 was up and down when we were trying to find our feet. It took about a year I’d say.”

Borthwick has what it takes at Test level

Pollard’s coach at Tigers, Steve Borthwick, is one of the main contenders to take the England job, and the Springbok had nothing but good things to say about the 43-year-old’s coaching credentials.

“Steve’s definitely got the qualities to be an international coach. When that time will come we’ll see, but he’s definitely on his way,” Pollard said.

“Steve demands very high standards, we all know that. But it’s not a results-driven club, it’s about getting better day by day, regardless of whether we win or lose. Nothing changes.

“When emotion sometimes gets the better of some coaches, with him it’s every Monday, reset, and the same story.

“Win or lose we look to improve and it’s nice as a player. It’s not a roller coaster. Every week is the same.

“Steve is different. I’ve not seen anyone like him before. He really dives into the technical and analytical side of rugby, which is pretty cool. The game is developing so you have to stay with it. He’s great in that sense.

“He doesn’t speak too much but his all-round personality means you know where you stand with him, which is always nice.”

Despite his lawyer and agent pressing him to leave the capital club, Adrien Rabiot has decided to stay at PSG, according to Paris United.

The Frenchman has come to this decision for a couple of reasons: his relationship with new manager Thomas Tuchel, who has continuously made the player captain in PSG friendlies and the fact that President Nasser Al Khelaifi really doesn’t want to let him leave.

Barcelona had agreed a provisional contract with the player, whose current deal expires in 2019, and had a sizeable offer rejected by Les Parisiens for Rabiot.

The next steps are obviously reaching a contract extension agreement between the relevant parties, with a positive meeting having occurred earlier this week between PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi and the player’s mother and agent, with another scheduled to take place shortly.

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Northampton Saints flyer Courtnall Skosan is looking forward to participating in this season’s Champions Cup and feels they can go “all the way” in the competition.

The Premiership outfit face a tricky assignment at current champions La Rochelle in their tournament opener on Saturday, and Skosan feels minimising their mistakes will be crucial if they want to get the better of the French outfit.

Limiting mistakes

“I think for us it’s all about cleaning up our game, just not making a lot of mistakes,” the former Springbok wing told the Champions Cup’s official website.

“We have the game that can take us all the way. It’s just about making sure that it’s clean, and I think that’s a big focus for us.

“The quality of players, of teams, of games – that’s the big thing. You’re basically playing international teams every weekend, which is why I say if you clean up your game, it will probably be better because it’s almost like you’re playing a Test.

“We want to do well, get a few wins at the beginning and go from there.”

One of the biggest competitions in the world

Northampton battled during the 2021/22 Champions Cup season as they lost all four of their matches. Skosan crossed for two tries during his club’s campaign and described scoring in the tournament as being different to any other competition.

“Tries are always special, but I didn’t understand the magnitude of this competition until I played it,” he added.

“It’s quite special to contribute, and if you get a win on top of that as well, it just adds to it. It’s special to score a try.

“The rich history, the players who have been a part of the competition, the teams who have won it – I think that for me is the coolest thing and makes it one of the biggest competitions in the world.”

Skosan’s move to Northampton last year was his first foray into rugby outside his native South Africa, and he feels the inclusion of three clubs from there in the Champions Cup can only be good for the tournament.

“I think that it’s really quite exciting,” he said.

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“We were looking forward to getting one or two of them, as some of the boys haven’t travelled to South Africa, and I think it’s a great experience. It creates a different element to the competition.”

Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa is on the verge of a stunning move to the Premier League with Fulham for €30m. The soon to be former OM man would represent insane value for the Europa League finalists who initially scooped him from under the radar in Reims’ reserve team for less than £500,000 back in 2015.

The Cameroonian international has clearly developed leaps and bounds over the last three seasons, having gone from a player expected to feature on the periphery, to an undisputed starter and a fully-fledged international for the current African champions. Zambo Anguissa is a powerful midfielder used deep in Rudi Garcia’s 4-2-3-1 formation. His tenacity in the middle of the park alongside stalwart Luiz Gustavo has helped OM nullify attacks and create fast turnovers of play going forward.

His movement across the defence has enabled him to cover the defence well. While defensively strong, from time to time ball control and pin-point passing could be an issue in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, a fact enlarged by his major mistake in May’s UEFA Europa League final that allowed Atletico to open the scoring.

Many in Marseille appreciate a player who has performed nonetheless exceedingly well, particularly in 2017-18’s satisfactory campaign. But with the figure that has been touted, it’s safe to say Marseille will take the deal and run.

M.A.

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France international centre Virimi Vakatawa said in an emotional press conference on Tuesday it was hard to wake up and accept he would never train with his team-mates again having had to retire due to a heart defect.The 30-year-old Fiji-born player's problem had surfaced prior to the 2019 Rugby World Cup revealed the doctor from his Top 14 club Racing 92 Sylvain Blanchard at the press conference.Click here to purchase your tickets for the Bledisloe CupVakatawa — who sat alongside France head coach Fabien Galthie, Racing handler Laurent Travers and club owner Jacky Lorenzetti — said it was hard to come to terms with.Whilst Lorenzetti said it was "almost like losing a son" Vakatawa was more restrained in his comparisons even if he was as emotional.   "It is tough for me to talk," he said."This morning, I got up at eight o'clock and I knew I would not be running out onto the training ground with the others."But the hardest thing was yesterday: when I told my team-mates I had to stop."I spent a lot of time with them both on and off the pitch….it is not easy."Vakatawa had not featured in Racing's season opener on Saturday, a 25-19 win over Castres, and on Monday the club had announced his career was over for unspecified medical reasons.Blanchard added the necessary detail on Tuesday."He has to finish his career in France due to a cardiological problem," said Blanchard."A heart defect was detected before the 2019 World Cup in Japan. "This defect which was not connected to rugby, has been constantly kept under observation but it is progressively deteriorating."However, this is not the end for him, it is the beginning of something new."    Galthie said the 32-times-capped Vakatawa would be sorely missed — he last played in France's 20-15 victory in Japan in July but due to injury was not a member of the Six Nations Grand Slam winning squad."Virimi allowed a lot of children to dream of what could be achieved," said Galthie, who took over the France job after the 2019 World Cup."He was a key player in our adventure, in our history and a wonderful man."What he is experiencing now, by sharing with us he can continue to be a role model to all."He scored 49 tries for the club he joined aged 17 with his 145th and last club game Racing's 20-13 loss to La Rochelle in the European Champions Cup semi-final in May."He is still here, he will be present on the touchline: instead of being an actor, he will do something else but he will be part of the project," said Travers."His life is rugby, it is Racing 92."We will do our bit to aid him, that he will always be part of the club that he gave so much to."Racing 92 have filled the massive void left by Vakatawa's retirement by signing experienced centre Francis Saili from Biarritz.The 31-year-old — capped twice by the All Blacks — has played in Europe since 2015 first with Irish province Munster (2015/17) and then English Premiership outfit Harlequins (2017/2)).  Click Here: tonga rugby shirts

Stephen Larkham is backing Rugby Australia’s decision to replace Dave Rennie with Eddie Jones as the Wallabies’ head coach ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Larkham, who will be the Brumbies’ head coach in 2023, had initially advocated for Rennie to be retained in his position but feels Jones is the right man to take Australia to the World Cup which kicks off in September.

“I had full trust they’d (Rennie and his assistants) get things together, but bringing someone like Eddie in is always going to be good for the program,” Larkham told AAP.

“From the players’ perspective there was probably a comfort level there with Dave.

“Everything’s been shaken up and everyone will be on edge a bit… everyone knows Eddie’s going to be watching those games.

“It adds a bit of spice into the mix.”

Starred for the Wallabies

Larkham played in 102 Tests for Australia between 1996 and 2007 and was the Wallabies’ chief playmaker during their victorious World Cup campaign in Wales in 1999.

He also pulled the strings in Australia’s backline when they finished as runners-up to England at the 2003 World Cup, with Jones in charge of the Wallabies during his first stint as their head coach.

Larkham has taken charge of the Brumbies where he has replaced Dan McKellar, who worked under Rennie as the Wallabies’ forwards coach – a position which will now be reviewed.

“I’m a big fan of Eddie,” Larkham said.

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“I played under him and have been in contact ever since.

“I’m looking forward to sitting down with him and going through the program… (to) get some of that knowledge out of his head.”

Ligue 1 side Marseille have reached a provisional agreement with Italian international forward Simone Zaza about a possible move from Valencia, according to RMC.

Talks with Valencia about a fee have not yet occurred, with OM giving themselves another 48 hours to be completely happy internally with moving forward for the player.

L’Équipe report this morning that OGC Nice have had a “derisory” bid for the Italian rejected by Valencia, as have FC Porto, with the latter expected to return with an improved offer.

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