PARIS - Clermont centre Irae Simone says Bayonne's former England star Manu Tuilagi will "want to take some heads off" as he returns to action when the teams meet in the French Top 14 on Saturday.
Powerhouse Tuilagi has been sidelined since mid-January with a knee injury and forms a dangerous centre partnership for the Basque club alongside fleet-footed Fiji midfielder Sireli Maqala.
Clermont are fifth in the table ahead of this weekend's game while 12th-placed Bayonne are without a win in six games and sacked coached Gregory Patat last week.
"They've definitely got X-Factor in Maqala," Simone told AFP.
"You've got Tuilagi there who's a bigger body who's probably going to just crash ball. I think he's coming back from injury, so he's probably wanting to take some heads off for sure.
"For us, we need to work together as a team to try to shut those boys down."
Simone, 30, joined Clermont in 2022 from the Brumbies, having made the last of his three Australia appearances weeks before the move to central France.
He still holds out hope for a call-up for Australia in time for the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil but also qualifies for Samoa through his parents.
"I'd still like to put my hand up for Wallabies," Simone said.
Simone's deal at the two-time French champions is up at the end of the campaign with his future yet to be sorted, but he is focused on finishing the season on a high.
Clermont are five points off Pau in the second and final automatic semi-final spot as they eye a last-four berth for the first time since 2019.
"I think we're pretty content where we are, but we're trying to chase that top two," said Simone.
Clermont's bid for a top-two finish resumes this weekend as a struggling Bayonne head to a sold-out, 19,000-capacity Stade Marcel Michelin.