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Welcome to our weekly review of everything going on in French rugby which, in the weekend before Christmas, brought fans gifts in all shapes and sizes, with some Christmas wishes coming true for plenty of clubs who have endured an unhappy 2025.
Derby Day Drama in the Capital
One half of Rosbifs Rugby was in Paris for the opening game of Top 14 Round 12, where fans of Stade Français and Racing 92 were treated to a thumping finish to match the fervour coming from the stands at Stade Jean Bouin. These two clubs are often viewed as being a bit soft, with their Parisian playboy image leading many too think they might be a bit too posh for the rough stuff.
The current iterations of these teams are the antithesis of those ‘fancy dan’ reputations and this was a bruising encounter between two enormous sides on a damp Saturday afternoon. The discipline of both sides was far from pretty, with a penalty count of 13-12, a yellow card count of 2-3, and plenty of handling errors to boot. Ironically, it was one of the lightest players on the pitch in Ugo Seunes that was the stand out yet again for Racing: he was slick, inventive and in control, and his sharp break down the blindside to set up Willfred Hulleu looked to have won the game for Racing.
However, befitting of the physicality of these two sides, the game-defining moment came from a tighthead prop. The two packs had largely cancelled each other out until the respective benches were unloaded. The power brought by Sekou Macalou - deployed far too late to effect a victory - and props Moses Alo Emile and Giorgi Melikidze completely overwhelmed their Racing counterparts. Four minutes beyond time, after an onslaught on the Racing 92 line that seemed to be neverending, the defence of the Ciels et Blancs could hold out no longer. Melikidze eventually wrestled his way over the line, leaving Louis Carbonel with a simple kick to tie the game. It might not have been a win, but the delight from those dressed in pink at ruining the Christmas of their cross-city neighbours was clear to see.
Bordeaux Beauty Knows No Bounds
It might have been gritty and abrasive in Paris at the start of Round 12, but the Top 14 action concluded with something much prettier down in Bordeaux. By now, everyone knows all about how devastating Union Bordeaux-Bègles can be at their best, so it is rare that there is anything new or different to say.
Nevertheless, this was a genuinely startling performance from UBB. A week on from their impressive win against Bath, Toulon sent a surprisingly strong looking side to Stade Chaban Delmas, and were blown off the park. UBB raced to a 27-0 lead at half time, playing with ferocious pace thanks to the dynamic ball carrying of their pack and their jet-heeled galaxy of backline stars. Bordeaux have endured a sticky start to the season, but with their key men all back to fitness, they have been back to their scintillating best in the past three weeks.
At the forefront, as ever, was Mathieu Jalibert. It feels like something we’ve said before, so forgive us, but Jalibert really is playing rugby on a different level at the moment. He is seeing things that others don’t see, seeing it before anyone else, and executing with perfection. And what’s more, it's his all round game that has hit new heights. It’s not just the virtuoso moments of genius or the seamless orchestration of that Bordeaux attack, but it's his tactical kicking, decision making and even his defence that is catching the eye now. On this form, Jalibert cannot be ignored any longer.
Christmas Comes Early for Perpignan
Finally, after nearly half of the season has passed, Perpignan have notched up a first Top 14 win of the season. Remarkably, in the 25 league games in 2025, stretching across both seasons, USAP have only managed to rack up 26 league points. By comparison, the next lowest scorers in 2025, Lyon, have amassed 51 points (Toulouse have the most, with 88 points).
Perpignan had at least secured a win in the Challenge Cup in their previous home game against Dragons, and would have possibly come into the game with more confidence than their opponents Clermont, who endured a dire couple of weeks in the Champions Cup. More questions will be asked of this Clermont side after another lacklustre performance. They are one of the sides, along with Lyon who lost at home to a rotated Toulouse side, who are ending the year with a downward trajectory.
Travelling Vannes Bring Gifts for Marques’ & his Merry Men
There was more good Christmas news further up the Mediterranean coast from Perpignan, where Béziers notched up only their second win since the start of October, inflicting a third defeat of the season on league leaders Vannes in the process.
The Breton side, unsurprisingly following their season in the Top 14 last year, have a much bigger and deeper squad than most in Pro D2, but for arguably the first time this season, Vannes fielded a side that looked like it had a few more holes than normal, thanks to a combination of injuries and the choice to rest a number of their front line players.
As we trailed in our preview article last week, Béziers, by contrast, were able to field arguably their strongest XV of the season so far. Neither side was perfect on the day, but Béziers were much more like the side we have been used to seeing put on all-court displays at Stade Raoul Barrière, and just about had enough to capitalise on an error-strewn Vannes performance. Otunku Pauta was a relentlessly abrasive ball carrier for Les Biterrois, but the main man, as with almost every Béziers victory, was captain Samuel Marques. The 37 year-old Portuguese scrum-half was involved in absolutely everything, and scored a ninth try for the season which ended up being the match-winning score.
No Respite in Relegation Battle
That win on Thursday evening meant Béziers were eight points clear of relegation. That was until all of their rivals in the survival fight picked up points 24 hours later. Of the bottom five teams, only Dax - who picked up a losing bonus point - came out of Round 15 winless. Fans of Carcassonne and Mont-de-Marsan might have thought they’d stolen a march on their rivals after impressive home wins against two of the better sides away from home in Pro D2, in Soyaux Angoulême and Provence respectively.
The final game of Pro D2 in 2025 was also a bit of an upset with Biarritz securing a bonus-point victory over Oyonnax, the form side in the league. Oyonnax travelled to the Basque Country off the back of five consecutive wins, but put in a feeble defensive display, allowing Biarritz, winless in their previous four games, to give themselves a bit of cushion over the rest of the other struggling sides.