Mateo Lavaselle

Plying his trade in France's Top 14, Mateo Lavaselle is a back-row forward at Union Bordeaux Bègles, one of the country's leading clubs and a regular in the Investec Champions Cup. Born in March 2004, he sits firmly in the next-generation bracket of UBB forwards working through the senior environment. Bordeaux's game has evolved into one of French rugby's most attractive attacking models, with the back row asked to contribute as link players in offloading sequences as well as in conventional forward duties. Lavaselle's brief covers the full spread: breakdown contest, carrying through traffic, and supporting the wider running game that defines the club's identity. Breaking into a UBB squad stocked with international forwards is no small task, and developmental minutes — alongside age-grade and second-team exposure — form the standard pathway for young French back-rowers building toward a sustained Top 14 career. The next stage for a player in his bracket is extended consecutive selections, the marker that separates squad members from regular starters.