Racing 92 and Stade Francais players that may be affected by the merger
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With the confirmation of a merger between Racing 92 and Stade Francais, we have a look at some of the players that might be up for grabs to other clubs.
Jacky Lorenzetti, Racing 92 President, has stated that players that are eligible to player for France will be given preference.
The other thing to consider is that only 45 players can be selected for the new club, meaning that they must cut the pool of 90 players in half, while still abiding to the Top 14's wage cap of €10 million.
These are the top players that may be up for grabs:
Stade Francais
Hugh Pyle
Heinke van der Merwe
Craig Burden
Meyer Bosman
Paul Williams
Sakaria Taulafo
Gerhard Mostert
Faraj Fartass
Emmanuel Felsina
Entienne Swanepoel
Alipate Ratini
Zurabi Zhvania
Jono Ross
Waisea Vuidravuwalu
Remi Bonfils
Johnathan Danty
Morne Steyn
Rabah Slimani
Sergio Parisse
Racing 92
Vilaimu Afatia
Marc Andreu
Eddy Ben Arous
Maunuel Carizza
Dan Carter
Gerbrandt Grobler
Juan Imhoff
James Hart
Casey Laulala
Bernard Le Roux
Leone Nakawa
Yannick Nyanga
Joe Rokocoko
Dimitri Szarzewski
Francois van der Merwe
Antonie Classens
Ben Tameifuna
Sean Robinson
Chris Maseo
Bernard Le Roux
Heinko Van der Merwe
Sekou Macalou
Top 5 from Stade Francais
Pascal Pape, Willem Alberts, Will Genia, Morne Steyn, Rabah Slimani and Sergio Parisse
These players are all internationals for their respective nations, with Pape having recently retired from international rugby.
Genia and Alberts could be key players for the new team but will also walk into most starting line-ups around Europe.
These players could have crucial roles to play if they join the new merged club. Parisse is still regarded as one of the best no.8s in the world, while Slimani has become a key member of the French national team.
The choice of having Morne Steyn or Dan Carter as your starting fly half or as a pair will please any coach and add plenty of experience and depth to the squad.
Top 5 from Racing 92
Dan Carter, Eddy Ben Arous, Juan Imhoff, Ben Tameifuna and Bernard Le Roux
French fans will be hoping that Eddy Ben Arous and Rabah Slimani can form a partnership at club level that will affect the national team positively.
Dan Carter will be one of the top priorities when the clubs merge as the former World Rugby Player of the Year is still one of the best fly-halves in the world.
Le Roux is international flank and would add quality to any team. Since joining Racing 92, Le Roux has become an important part of the team and might be one of the players that will join the new side.
Argentine winger Juan Imhoff is one of the best wingers in France and will be a massive loss. He may take this opportunity to link up with the Jaguares and play international rugby for Argentina again.
Big Ben Tameifuna could be big hit at any team that snatches him, the 142kg prop is an absolute monster in the scrum and bulldozes over opposition defenders. He might be one of the overseas players that the new club will look to keep on their books, but if they don't I'm sure the fans in Waikato wouldn't mind seeing the return of "Big Ben".