Arthur Vincent

Arthur Vincent scored the first try of the 2022 final, six minutes in, and Montpellier won the first French championship in the club’s history. Three months later his cruciate ligament went for the second time and he did not play again that season.

Centre, 1.82m and 92kg, and 26 years old.

Born in the city itself, he grew up in Mauguio and started at the local club before joining his home side at thirteen. The junior record is unusual: an under-20 Six Nations and a junior world title in 2018, then the captaincy in 2019 and a second world title under him.

His first senior appearance came in October 2017, replacing Benjamin Fall at the Stade Français. France called him up in 2020 under Fabien Galthié, left him out of the opening squad, then added him to the bench when Damian Penaud withdrew the day before the England match. He came on for Virimi Vakatawa with seconds left, started against Italy a week later, and against Wales a fortnight after that.

Seventeen caps have followed, eleven of them starts, with one try, against Italy in Rome in the 2021 Six Nations. He was named in the 33 for the 2023 World Cup having played one match in eleven months, the warm-up against Scotland in which he came on for Ethan Dumortier.

The knee is the story of the middle of his career. He was operated on in September 2022 and lost the season. He came back in August 2023. His club spent 2023-24 avoiding relegation, winning a play-off against Grenoble 20-18, and by 2026 were Top 14 finalists and Challenge Cup winners again.

A distributor rather than a collision centre, and the best passer in the Montpellier midfield when fit. That last clause has done a lot of work for four years.