Yes, it was clumsily, even brutally, enacted but wasn’t the merger of Stade Francais and Racing 92 the best for both clubs in the long-term? Evidently not for the players…
Top 14
Stade Francais and Racing 92: The merger explained
Imagine, if you will, that Racing 92 require maximum points in their final two league games of the season to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup. Their last match is…
Top 14: Why Racing’s season has gone from bad to worse
Two months ago this column wondered if Racing 92’s season could get any worse after Johan Goosen’s retirement, the corticosteroids saga and their humiliating exit from the Champions Cup. It…
Bordeaux hitting the buffers in Top 14
Why pressure is mounting on Bordeaux coach Raphael Ibanez
Six Nations: France still lacking “elan”
A penny for Philippe Saint-Andre’s thoughts as he watched France batter Scotland into submission at the Stade de France on Sunday. PSA was pilloried for much of his four-year reign…
Racing 92 are only halfway through a long and troubled season
“A Season in Hell” was Midi Olympique’s headline at the start of this month, and few at Racing 92 would contradict that curt assessment. And that was written before the…
With falling attendances, the Top 14 is starting to lose its lustre
Last week two sets of figures were published. On Wednesday the Aviva Premiership disclosed that attendances are up 10.1% this season with the average gate an impressive 13,833. Two days later…
Whatever happened to Mourad Bodjellal’s first Toulon side?
Mourad Boudjellal is not leaving Toulon. After months of speculation that he was going to sell the club, the president announced a week before Christmas that he will remain at…
Mass exodus predicted at Stade Francais
Why are so many of the Stade Francais Top 14-winning squad set to leave the Parisian club?
Downtime with… All Blacks great Dan Carter
Former All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter on Racing 92, rats and ‘The Rock’