Will Skelton is out for the rest of the season. The Australian lock injured himself last weekend and will not pull on the yellow and black jersey of Stade Rochelais again before June. According to Rugby365 and RugbyPass, the La Rochelle club have already identified two targets in South Africa for next season.

Skelton out until the end of the campaign

Will Skelton will not return before the end of the 2025-2026 campaign. The injury to the Australian lock, sustained on the last round, deprives La Rochelle of their most experienced forward. A two-time European champion with the club in 2022 and 2023, the 33-year-old Australian remains a regular starter in Ronan O’Gara’s XV.

Two South African targets identified

The English-language media report that Stade Rochelais are scouting in South Africa. Two players are being targeted. Their names have not leaked out.

The club have made a habit of recruiting in the southern hemisphere. Raymond Rhule, Dillyn Leyds, Tian Schoeman: several South Africans have worn the La Rochelle colours in recent seasons. The profile of the two current targets remains unknown. Are they locks capable of covering for Skelton, or reinforcements for other positions in the pack?

Succession or short-term cover?

Skelton is under contract with La Rochelle. Are these signings meant to fill out a squad short in the second row, or to prepare for the Australian’s succession over the longer term? The club have said nothing.

La Rochelle, involved in the Top 14 and the Champions Cup, must manage the end of the season without their first-choice lock. Thomas Lavault and the other back-ups will have to shoulder the load.