Northern | US

Father and son duo to line-up alongside each other in Pro D2

Vannes' French prop Pagakalasio Tafili (C) runs to evade Toulouse's French hooker Julien Marchand (L) and Toulouse's French number eight Alexandre Roumat (R) during the French Top 14 rugby union match between Rugby Club Vannetais (Vannes) and Stade Toulousain Rugby (Toulouse) at Stade de la Rabine in Vannes, north-western France on September 8, 2024. (Photo by FRED TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
Comments
2 Comments

Heart-warming: Father and son duo, Paga and Rayane Tafili, are going to share a special moment together tonight, with both set to take part in tonight’s Pro D2 match between RC Vannes and AS Béziers-Hérault.

ADVERTISEMENT

39-year-old and tighthead prop Paga Tafili arrived in Vannes in 2016, making the Brittany club his home for the last 10 years.

A legend of the club, the front-rower helped Vannes win their first Pro D2 in 2024, playing 23 games of the triumphant title campaign. Having played more than 220 games since he started playing for Vannes, the experienced front-rower decided to hang up his boots when the season comes to a close, hoping to help his forever team conquer another Pro D2.

VIDEO

As for Rayane, the eldest son of Paga, he was enlisted in the Vannes academy in 2017, and after several years of development, the 22-year-old loosehead prop is about to debut for the current Pro D2 leaders.

As for tonight’s clash against Béziers-Hérault, both props will likely take up the field in the second half, in what is expected to be an easy win for the hosts.

Fixture
Pro D2
Vannes
71 - 0
Full-time
Beziers
All Stats and Data

RC Vannes have been unbothered since the season start, having claimed 21 wins out of 25 games, sitting comfortably at the top of France’s second tier with 99 points.

Although they were relegated after their first Top 14 season, the club hasn’t backed down from its aim to return to the top, with the board allocating more funds and resources.

ADVERTISEMENT

With Mako Vunipola and Paga Tafili having made their decision to leave the club once the season comes to an end, there might be a window of opportunity for Rayane to stay with Vannes’ main squad.

This is the first time a father-and-son partnership has occurred in France since the game turned professional, although several offspring of former players have taken their parents’ mantle, like the Romain Ntamack, Damien Penaud and Jean-Baptiste Élissalde.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

2 Comments
S
SB 30 days ago

Like a LeBron and Bronny James scenario.

E
Eric Elwood 31 days ago

Class! Two props!!

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Close
ADVERTISEMENT
Copied to clipboard

Share Article close