Pallade Veneta - Ex-Wallaby Simmons relishing Top 14 reunion with 'unique' compatriot Skelton

The home side have giants Will Skelton and Kane Douglas among their ranks while the third-place visitors are likely to include 105-time Wallaby Rob Simmons at lock.

Simmons made his final Test appearance in 2020 before joining Les Jaunards last season and returned from injury in last week's narrow Champions Cup loss at Leinster

Douglas, a mere 120kg, linked up with Skelton at Stade Marcel-Deflandre this term after the 145kg 'Tractor' helped Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle to back-to-back Champions Cup titles.

"We all know what his X-factor is, pure size and brutality. He personifies probably their forward pack," Simmons told AFP of Skelton.

"They play that power game. They're route one, down your throat. He personifies that so we know what we're going to get," he added.

Skelton played twice for Australia during their four-game November tour under new coach Joe Schmidt, having captained his country at last year's disastrous Rugby World Cup.

Simmons backed the 32-time international to be part of Schmidt's set-up for next summer's British and Irish Lions series.

"He's quite a unique player," Simmons said having been part of the 2015 World Cup squad with Skelton.

"The fact that he was included just recently shows that they're obviously considering him.

"To consider him, you build the team a bit differently. He offers different things," he added.

- 'A good truffade' -

Simmons has played 32 games for central-France side Clermont since arriving last summer, having spent three seasons at London Irish.

He and his family have quickly settled into French life, and Simmons is particularly fond of eating the Auvergne speciality, truffade, a hearty dish made of potatoes and local cows' cheese, rarely found outside the region.

"The lifestyle's nice and the things they have to offer they're proud of and they do well," Simmons said.

"I love a good truffade.

"In Australia, something like that would, if it's good, everywhere has it, you go to Melbourne, you could have a truffade and you could have one in Brisbane," he added.

This weekend's trip to the Atlantic coast, a 99th straight sold-out league game at home for La Rochelle, comes with two-time champions Clermont unbeaten in three games and just seven points off leaders Toulouse.

Their positive start to the season has their passionate fans reminiscing about their league titles of 2010 and 2017 as well as their three Champions Cup final appearances between 2013-2017.

"I think the project of the club is to get it back to what that history speaks about and also to get it up there in the way that they want to play, that they're proud of," Simmons.

"It's a work in progress and I know that's something that they want to do.

"They've probably slipped down the rankings a bit in that conversation lately and they want to push themselves back to be a top club," he added.

Elsewhere, reports claim Racing 92 director of rugby Stuart Lancaster is under pressure before heading to Montpellier as they sit eighth in the table after 11 games.

In the weekend's final game, Toulouse's Olympic sevens gold medallist Antoine Dupont is rested for the 23-time champions' trip to Lyon, having played a prominent role in their two Champions Cup wins in recent weekends.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Saturday

La Rochelle v Clermont (1330), Montpellier v Racing 92, Toulon v Pau, Vannes v Bayonne, Stade Francais v Perpignan (1530), Castres v Bordeaux-Begles (2005)

Sunday

Lyon v Toulouse (2005)

L.Bufalini--PV