Tenth in the last Top 14, Castres Olympique have gone for stability before the restart: the Tarn club have confirmed contract extensions for six players in their squad.

The headline name in this batch of announcements is Baptiste Delaporte, who has committed until 2030. He arrived at the club in 2011 aged 14 and became, at 22, the youngest captain in CO history. The back-rower is still the boss of the dressing room. Loosehead prop Loïs Guérois-Galisson, called into a France training camp in June, is tied until the same date: “I am very happy to be able to stay at Castres for 4 more seasons,” the player said in the club statement.

Four other senior players have extended until 2029: lock Guillaume Ducat, hooker Loris Zarantonello, currently in rehab but expected back for the restart, winger Rémy Baget and Fijian prop Atunaisa Sokobale, 21, who signs his first professional contract after 3 Top 14 matches and 3 in the Champions Cup last season.

The most used of the six last season was Guérois-Galisson: 27 matches across all competitions, ahead of Delaporte and Ducat (23 each). Zarantonello scored 4 tries in 14 games despite his injury. A core kept together that maps out the Castres project for the next four seasons.