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Welcome to our weekly review of everything going on in French rugby, which tries to capture the madness of French rugby, and this week was arguably a full-house on the bingo card, whether it was in the Investec Champions Cup & EPCR Challenge Cup, Pro D2 or in the off-field corridors of power.
Still Space For A Champions Cup Classic
There has been plenty of doom and gloom surrounding this year’s tournament, but two of France’s front runners played huge parts in a couple of classics that only the most bitter of observers wouldn’t have enjoyed.
Toulon were magnificent against Bath in a game of ebb and flow, brutality and stunning individual performances in a 45–34 epic on the French Riviera. Toulon’s English contingent, notably Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam, were outstanding as part of a pack that squeezed Bath out of the game, with Dany Priso and Teddy Baubigny to the fore as the Frenchmen dominated a Bath scrum that has been imperious of late, even with Thomas du Toit appearing from the bench.
Toulouse were dealt a blow in their quest for a 7th Champions Cup, being outdone by an astonishing second-half comeback at the hands of Glasgow Warriors. They sent an intimidatingly strong team over to Scotland but were surprisingly powerless in the face of the Warriors’ wind-assisted attacks. Having been 21–0 up with half an hour to play, they were outmuscled by Glasgow, with Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowell to the fore, sending Warriors fans into raptures amidst biblical wind and rain.
Despite plenty of eye-raising selections and one-sided results elsewhere, there was plenty of proof here that the epic European tussles are not just the stuff of yesteryear.
Former Heavyweights Struggle Elsewhere
The Stade Marcel-Michelin remains one of the iconic venues in European rugby, though it’s unlikely this season’s Champions Cup will be remembered with much fondness by Clermont Auvergne, currently sat bottom of Group A following a comprehensive defeat at home to a changed-up Sale Sharks side.
In the Challenge Cup, Racing 92’s indifferent start to the season continued in the Paris suburb of Créteil, where a hugely changed-up and youthful Exeter Chiefs were denied victory in the two sides’ first meeting since they contested the 2020 tournament final. Racing’s salvaging of a 31–31 draw avoided their first home defeat of the season, whilst Perpignan are still without an away win all year after losing away at Benetton.
Spare a thought for Lyon though - last season’s finalist in this competition - who have the dubious honour of having lost their first two group games to sides yet to win a game in their domestic league. They followed last week’s defeat at home to Newcastle Falcons with an away loss to the Dragons, which ended the home side’s run of 21 straight defeats and sparked jubilant scenes at Rodney Parade.
French Fans Party Through The Pain
Whilst enthusiasm in some quarters has dwindled for the new tournament formats, the European away day is still alive and well, even with teams falling to huge defeats on the road. The Pau fans were still in exceptional voice at Ashton Gate, in spite of their team’s 61–12 defeat, with two second-half tries from their exceptional young centre Fabien Brau-Boirie avoiding a total drubbing.
The award for most dedicated away support this week though must surely go to the travelling Bayonne contingent, who cracked out a giant roving conga line around the stadium to take the edge off their 68–14 hammering away to Harlequins. It may have been a fruitless trip to south-west London on the scorecard, but as ever the Basque fans won plenty more hearts on their travels.
Crackdown On Financial Misdemeanours - Or Not?
Toulouse have been docked two points and fined €45,000 as a result of the transfer of Melvyn Jaminet from Perpignan in 2022, having seemingly been found culpable of financial irregularities concerning payments made outside of the salary cap. Toulouse have stated they may appeal, and it feels that there might be still some road to run in one of the most persistent sagas of recent times in the Top 14.
The initial reaction in most quarters is that the sanctions seem lenient for what feels a serious breach of league rules. At the same time, it was announced that three sides in Pro D2 would be receiving penalties for financial indiscretions, with two points docked for Béziers and Biarritz, whilst Dax - who had already received a five-point deduction at the start of the year - received a further nine points, leaving them with a 14-point handicap at the midpoint of the season.
That Dax are guilty is not up for debate, with their players having threatened strike action owing to perceived mismanagement - horrible timing following an outstanding run of four wins from five for the playing group themselves in the face of significant adversity. Albeit for different offences, it’s hard not to feel for Dax and their sanction as the club with the lowest operating budget in the top two tiers, in comparison with that meted out to Toulouse, the club with the highest operating budget.
Pro D2: A Pleasing Nostalgia Trip
Round 14 of Pro D2 served up plenty of classic stereotypes about French rugby, and not just because there was a full house of home wins. The opening game of the round* between Soyaux Angoulême & Agen featured all the ingredients of a typical Pro D2 encounter: a near-length-of-the-field counter attacking try, crowd-influenced refereeing decisions, some spectacular indiscipline and a nail-biting finish.
There have been plenty of impressive drop goals in Pro D2 this year, but few can have been as spectacular or important as Corentin Glenat’s 45-metre effort that secured a vital home victory for the Charente side.
There have also been plenty of cards in the league this year, but in an era of marginal high shots it was something of a throwback to see Pone Fa'amausili landing a haymaker on Agen’s front row following a ruptured scrum, in plain sight, a mere metre away from the referee. The old image of French prop violence has dwindled in recent times, and it looks like the big Wallaby has decided to take things into his own hands to re-establish that reputation.
*Available to UK & Ireland viewers through FRUK Rugby - watch it back below.