Snubbed France star Damian Penaud switches position for Bordeaux

Bordeaux-Bègles, in search of points in the fight for the Top 14 final stages, will field their international fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and Damian Penaud will be positioned in the unusual position of centre this Sunday against the league leaders Toulouse, who are without several internationals but will have Romain Ntamack back.

Jalibert’s presence, crowned champion with the French team last weekend during a successful Six Nations tournament, was an open secret due to his presence, even in civilian clothes, this week at UBB training.

But the surprise in the lineup put together by manager Yannick Bru is in the centre with the presence of the usual winger Damian Penaud , who was not selected this year for the Tournament.

A choice dictated by Depoortere’s injury
This choice was dictated following “Nico’s (Depoortere) injury and Pablo Uberti’s better performances on the wing than at centre,” explained defence coach Christophe Laussucq at a press conference on Saturday.

“These are discussions, it’s the power that Damian can bring us, his somewhat offensive genius. It’s a position he’s already played in, back when he was at Clermont-Ferrand, a position he himself enjoys and wants to show again that he can thrive.”

His first Top 14 selection was at the centre
Initially trained as a centre at Clermont, Penaud was only repositioned on the wing in 2018-2019, a position in which he became the all-time leading try scorer for the French national team. However, he has regularly returned to the centre position throughout his career, whether by tactical choice or necessity.

In his Top 14 debut on April 16, 2016, against Agen, the Clermont player played the entire match at centre. This victory would be his only game of the season.

The following season, he established himself as Aurélien Rougerie’s backup (22 appearances). He even started at centre for the 2017 Top 14 final against Toulon (alongside Lamerat). He was instrumental in Clermont’s only try, scored by Raka, and became a French champion at the age of 20.

In the Champions Cup that year, he came on as a substitute for Rougerie in the final against Saracens (a defeat).

He made his international debut at centre in 2017
It was therefore logical that Damian Penaud made his international debut at centre on June 17, 2017, against South Africa in Durban. For his first cap, he started at centre alongside Gaël Fickou and scored his first international try. The match ended in a 37-15 defeat.

The same thing happened two weeks later for the third test of the tour with a 35-12 defeat. And the following autumn, he was against Japan this time at second centre (no. 13) with Henry Chavancy at first centre.

The shift towards the wing (2018-2019)
The switch to the wing occurred during the 2018-2019 season due to strong competition at centre for Clermont (Fofana, Lamerat, Moala, Naqalevu) and a lack of depth on the wing. Consequently, from the 2019 Six Nations Championship onwards, he was definitively established as a winger for France. This repositioning was hailed as a complete success.

However, his career at centre did not end there, since during the 2021-2022 season in Clermont, for example, Jono Gibbes occasionally placed him at centre in the Top 14 (even though he remained a winger with the French national team).

With Bordeaux-Bègles: an exception
Having arrived in Bordeaux for the 2023-2024 season, Damian Penaud will primarily play on the wing but will only once find himself at inside centre. That was on October 12th, also against Toulouse. UBB suffered a heavy defeat (56-13).

His versatility as a centre/winger, if it continues, could prove to be an asset. Left out of the 2026 Six Nations, he seems to be exploring this career path with Bordeaux-Bègles, perhaps hoping to return to the French national team in a different position.

The times Damian Penaud played centre