kThe Six Nations council meet in a couple of weeks to review the 2016 tournament but there is more on their plate than patting each other on the back and…
France
Part 2: French Top 14 comings and goings – Lyon to Toulouse
Lyon The runaway winners of the ProD2, Lyon lost just five of their 30 league matches and finished 31 points clear of second-placed Bayonne. It was a similar story in…
Part 1: Top 14 comings and goings – Bayonne to La Rochelle
As the Top 14 clubs start returning this week from their summer holidays to begin preparing for the new season next month, Gavin Mortimer runs an eye over the comings…
Summer tours: France see a chink of light against Argentina
The predictions of doom and gloom were premature. Far from a Tour of Hell, France’s two-Test series in Argentina ended all-square and offers Les Bleus some hope for next season.…
France: Top 14 Rugby Schedule on TV5MONDE
Hosting the world’s biggest stars like Dan Carter, Bryan Habana and Quade Cooper, the Top 14 is, arguably, Europe’s Premier rugby competition and with weeks to go, it’s edging towards…
France: Rugby the most popular team sport… for now
A nationwide poll at the start of this month reported that rugby is now the most popular team sport in France. Some 39% of the population preferred rugby to football’s…
Hotshot: Toulon fly-half Anthony Belleau
Where did rugby begin for you? I am from a village close to Agen in south-west France, so I played for my village from the age of six to 15,…
France: Team of the season in the Top 14
Each Monday Midi Olympique prints its standout XV selected from the weekend’s Top 14 matches. It’s a bit of fun but also an indication – albeit subjective – of who’s…
World Rugby U20 Championship: Eight players to watch
By Alex Shaw The World Rugby U20 Championship begins next week, as the best and brightest talents from around the world converge on Manchester for age-grade rugby’s annual showpiece event.…
Financial penalties in the ProD2 send shockwaves around French rugby
It’s not been the most auspicious season for the ProD2 in France. For a start, Lyon ran away with the title from day one, clinching the crown on April 1…