Hassane Kolingar

Hassane Kolingar nearly did not survive his own birth. Complications in the womb left him with heart problems that took intensive care to resolve. He boxed first, following his father, who did it professionally, and did not touch a rugby ball until he was fifteen.

Loosehead prop at Racing 92, 1.84m and 115kg, and 28 years old.

Born in the fourteenth arrondissement of Paris to a family of Chadian origin, he found the game at Soisy-sous-Montmorency and was in the Racing academy within a year, in 2013. Seven years is not long to go from a first training session to a Test match.

France under-20s made him a junior world champion in 2018. His club could not find room for him, so he went to Vannes on loan in 2019 under a partnership between the two, and played four matches in Pro D2.

The following season he was in a European Cup final. He came on for Eddy Ben Arous in the second half against Exeter and lost 31-27.

Fabien Galthié capped him against Italy in November 2020, at 22, in an autumn when France were limited to three appearances per player. He started the Autumn Nations Cup final against England a fortnight later, lost after extra time.

In December 2022 he ruptured a cruciate ligament in the warm-up before a Champions Cup match against Leinster, which ended his season before it had properly begun. Rebuilding a Top 14 career has taken him the seasons since.

A powerful, low scrummager who came to the sport late and has had a great deal taken out of his prime by one knee.