The most talked-about transfer of the French summer became reality on Friday night at Issoire. Gaël Fickou, 32, played his first match for RC Toulon, and the Var club’s staff wasted no time handing him responsibility: he was captain from the start. One week later, the league season begins in Bayonne.

The armband on his first outing

Lining up in midfield alongside Mathieu Smaïli, Fickou stood out with a break from his own 22 in the 28-28 draw with Clermont. The staff had given him the captaincy for this one and only summer warm-up.

Pierre Mignoni kept his assessment short.

“Gaël did what Gaël does. He was exemplary, he was captain, and that’s not by chance, so well done to him.”

Toulon’s director of rugby also demanded quick improvement on the details, in attack and defence, after a match in which his side let several chances slip.

Fourteen years and three clubs between two spells

A product of the Var, Fickou left Toulon in 2012, aged 18, for Stade Toulousain. His career was then built entirely elsewhere.

Club Matches Starts Period
Stade Toulousain 136 110 August 2012 to May 2018
Stade Français 32 30 September 2018 to January 2021
Racing 92 108 96 April 2021 to June 2026

Two hundred and seventy-six club matches in all. His Paris spell, often described as two and a half seasons, really amounted to one full season, with 18 matches in 2018-2019: the next was limited to six appearances, and he left Stade Français midway through 2020-2021 to join Racing in April.

His first cap for France came on 16 March 2013, his most recent on 22 November 2025.

“I needed to challenge myself”

Fickou still had two years left on his contract at Racing 92. He explained his decision to AFP on Monday.

“I needed to challenge myself, and where better to do that than here? It’s always been a dream of mine to wear this shirt, so coming back was the best way to light a bit of a fire in me again.”

The centre also embraces the pressure that comes with the Var club, again speaking to AFP. “Toulon is a bit like Olympique de Marseille: the passion is exceptional, with upsides and downsides, but once you know that, it should just push you to be the best […] I’m not scared. Criticism is part of the game, it’s a good way to motivate yourself.”

The first competitive match comes on Saturday at 7.05pm, at Jean-Dauger, against Bayonne.