Nonu off to winning Toulon start as Escande pulls strings

All Black centre Ma'a Nonu enjoyed a winning Top 14 debut for Toulon on Saturday, but it was unheralded scrum-half Eric Escande who took all the plaudits for guiding the star-studded team to a 53-16 rout of Agen. Nonu was paired with France international Mathieu Bastareaud, the midfield duo weighing as much as Toulon's two props, at a combined 233kg (514 pounds). But it was the all-round game management and kicking skills of the much slighter figure of Escande, 23, that impressed, albeit behind a dominant pack, with an ever-eager backline outside him in an expensively assembled team boasting top players from eight different countries.

Source: AFP