LOU rugby has extended the contracts of sixteen of its players, including internationals Dylan Cretin and Baptiste Couilloud, fly-half Léo Berdeu and under-20 world champion Killian Geraci, the Top 14 club announced on Friday .
“Executives, internationals, historic players but also young talents: the club will rely on solid foundations for the coming season”, wrote in a press release on its site the LOU, which finished the championship in 9th place but which won the European Challenge. The Lyon club, whose manager Pierre Mignoni has signed up with Toulon where he will be associated with Franck Azéma, will be led next season by former international (32 caps) Xavier Garbajosa. The former Stade Toulousain player, who began his coaching career in La Rochelle, before moving to Montpellier, signed up with the Rhone club for a period of three years.
Third line to 18 caps with the France team, Dylan Cretin extends until 2025, as does second line Félix Lambey (10 caps), at the club since 2012. Scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud (8 caps) , top scorer in the regular season (11 tries and pure product of Lyon training), “from rugby school to the first team”, also extends until 2025. His sidekick at the hinge, the opener Léo Berdeu, best director in the Top 14 with 251 points and also passed through the club’s training center, extends for his part until 2024. The second line Killian Geraci, “after a dazzling progression hampered by a serious winter”, has also signed until 2024.
The LOU also announced the extension of the contract until 2025, of its captain, the New Zealand third line Jordan Taufua, who arrived at the club in 2021 and who has “integrated perfectly”.
Finally, the 34-year-old New Zealand three-quarter Toby Arnold, landed in the Rhône in 2013 and best scorer in LOU tries, “will play a tenth season in the Lyon jersey”, until 2023, as well as the Argentine pillar of almost 37 years, Francisco Gomez Kodela.