The talk of late has been about Toulouse but what of another French club slipping towards the cliff edge? Castres’ fall has been even more precipitous than that of Toulouse,…
Top 14
Rugby statistics: Are yellow cards really that bad for you?
There is a common belief that a team receiving a yellow card will be punished by an average of seven points during the following sin-bin, but is that actually true?…
Top 14: Jonathan Wisniewski in the mix
Jonathan Wisniewski is the form fly-half in the Top 14, scoring 55 points in his four appearances after moving to Grenoble from Racing Metro in the summer. Rested for last weekend’s…
Top 14: Grenoble reaping rewards of consistency
After the first three rounds of the Top 14, Rugby World looks at why sticking with a regular starting XV is paying off for Grenoble
Top 14: Is there a blueprint for success?
Last season’s Top 14 was fiercely contested with just a 16-point gap separating top side Toulon and Brive in ninth place. As a comparison, the difference between first and ninth place was 43…
Top 14: Five French kids to watch
With two rounds gone of the Top 14, Toulon and Toulouse are setting the pace at the top of the table with teams containing a lot of familiar faces. But…
Top 14: Bayonne’s Scott Spedding on the season ahead
THE SOUTH Africa-born Scott Spedding was one of the few consistent performers last season for Bayonne as the Basque club narrowly avoided relegation. Starting all but one of their 26…
Top 14: Tim Lane on his hopes for Lyon
TIM LANE is one of the world’s most experienced and respected coaches – and one of its most travelled. After winning three caps in the centre for Australia in the…
Tommaso Allan to fight through ProD2
Hands up those who this time last year had heard of ‘Tommy’ Tommaso Allan? The odd aficionado of age-group rugby, perhaps, who had seen the young fly-half play for Western…
Bernard Jackman revives Grenoble
The former Ireland hooker is hoping to propel Grenoble up the Top 14 table with a fresh approach and a few new signings