Spare a thought this week for Grenoble manager Fabrice Landreau. At the end of March his side were in the top six of the Top 14 and looking good for…
France
Floodgates unlikely to open as France has lukewarm attitude to English talent
One of the more persistent arguments peddled in the Steffon Armitage selection saga is the one about ‘floodgates opening’. That should England coach Stuart Lancaster invoke the ‘exceptional circumstances’ clause…
Five things we learnt in April
Five things we learned about rugby – April Don’t hate Toulon, they’re simply getting it right. Okay, so it was May 2, but it’s easy having a pop at Toulon.…
Clermont giant Sebastien Vahaamahina ready to rumble
Sebastien Vahaamahina is a big man with a soft voice. And soft hands, too, as he’s shown this season for Clermont in combining set-piece solidity with ball-handling athleticism in the…
European Champions Cup final: A statistical preview
Jack D'Arcy takes a look at the facts and figures ahead of this weekend's European Champions Cup final between Clermont and Toulon at Twickenham…
Top 14: Pau ready to enter the promised land
Rarely has one team dominated their rivals the way Pau have this season in ProD2. Crowned champions of France’s second division a month before the end of the regular season,…
European Champions Cup semi-finals: A statistical preview
Ahead of this weekend's Champions Cup semi-finals, Jack D'Arcy takes a look at the key statistics from the tournament to date
Rugby statistics: Is the Aviva Premiership the most competitive league in Europe?
After the European Champions Cup quarter-finals, Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young suggested all stats point towards the Aviva Premiership as being the most competitive league in Europe. Is that…
Clermont’s Jamie Cudmore on wine and winning
Clermont lock Jamie Cudmore looks ahead to the European Champions Cup semi-final against Saracens and talks about his new wine label
Quel combat! The political battle that will determine the future of French rugby
The successor to Philippe Saint-André will be announced next month, but that decision will have only a limited bearing on the long-term fortunes of the national team. The crucial selection…