French rugby Updates : Le café du Rugby.

Digifriendly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121688095#Comment_121688095

Would this new league include S. African and Italian teams? If not where would they then play?

phog

Some try

https://twitter.com/CaolanSRugby/status/1761510510304919634?t=zwyX70f3U7oVWOZGfD1eRg&s=19

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121813934#Comment_121813934

Just awesome 👏🏻

sydthebeat

Another LAR loss this weekend.

14 points from top position with 10 games left, leaving them in 9th position

Still plenty of time to make the play offs, they're only 5 points off, but they are really struggling for form this year

Pete_Cavan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121813934#Comment_121813934

Does a kick and collect counts as metres carried? If so he mudt have carried for well over 100m there.

phog

Clermont v Toulouse was a try fest , 5 Tries each.

phog

One Euro 😮

https://twitter.com/rpetty80/status/1762961498026938566?t=_EDE3r_QLZu2ytrP8bbcnQ&s=19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121830672#Comment_121830672

That'll be one symbolic Euro plus a huge cash injection to pay off their debts from the 23/24 season, and that's before they even pay a player next year. They had a similar problem last September and are losing money heavily.

French teams lose their license to play in Top 14 or Pro D2 if their owners pay off all debts in full by the start of the new season. It's not like every other league where the owners can loan money to the club.

Ben Bailey

La Rochelle destroying Clermont-Ferrand tonight

5 tries to none at 55 mins

Ben Bailey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121846713#Comment_121846713

Ends 42 - 3 for LaR

Seriously good performance at home.

Neil3030

Have watched little to no Top 14 the season, but I see La Rochelle are 3rd worst for points scored, while also being second best for points conceded.

Is there a tactical reshuffle going on?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121846850#Comment_121846850

They've been a bit of a basket case this season. Very few league points away from home in the Top 14 with losses to weaker sides you'd expect them to turn over. Low scoring wins at home. When they get their normal power game going they still look great but it isn't often enough.

Clegg

Racing have lost 5 in a row. They've gone from 1st to 6th in the space of a few months.

Doubt Lancaster's job is in trouble. He's been brought in to develop a long term project ala Leinster. Needs to start picking up some wins though.

Buer

There's an absolute gulf between Toulouse and the rest right now. They were down a glut of players at the weekend but still crushed Castres (who are 4th) 33-6.

The last game they failed to win was when they sent the 2nd/3rd string to La Rochelle at Christmas. They've scored an average of 36 points in that period with an average winning margin of 21 points.

SF still top and getting the job done but they're just about hanging in there with less convincing wins and riding their luck a little bit such as a gift of a late interception to win against Bordeaux.

Absolutely up for grabs behind that with 3rd - 8th only separated by 5 points. Toulon (5th place) are closer to relegation than they are to 2nd spot.

Ben Bailey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121847386#Comment_121847386

Toulouse chucking away a chance to go top with Stade losing at LaR.

Perpignan 27

Toulouse 17

Toulouse had 9 players under 23 yrs in their 23.

Good day for Tommaso Allen (who wasn't needed in Rome) at 10 for Perpignan

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121872833#Comment_121872833

Watched a bit of it. Toulouse put out an extremely understrength side. I'd say third choice for the most part:

Gourgues, Bituniyata, Costes, Banos, Trauth....not exactly household names. Think they essentially treated it as a down week for their team and if they got anything out of it, it was a bonus.

Perpignan are on a serious run of form at home. Haven't lost one since the RWC was still ongoing.

Allen has retired/taken an indefinite break from test rugby hence not being in Rome.

Ben Bailey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121877933#Comment_121877933

Yes, the home win against LaR seems to gave turned their season around and nobody will be looking forward to visiting Aime Geral. Didn't know that Allen had 'stepped away' from Intl game. Thought he was pretty composed v Tls.

ironingbored

Narrow loss for La Rochelle away against Castres

Toulon (4) leapfrog said SR (5) with a 1 point win against Toulouse sans Ntamack, Dupont and a host of other starters.

A win tomorrow for Bordeaux will see them leapfrog SR, who'll drop to 6th.

Buer

Watched some of the highlights from the weekend. Some serious smash and grab tries by Bordeaux. Two turnover tries from Penaud when they were under pressure on or inside their own 22. One in particular looked a certain Clermont try that ended up being a 7 pointer for Bordeaux as they went on to a BP win.

Toulouse will be disappointed they didn't win even with their massively weakened line up away to Toulon. They faced 14 men for over half the game and Ramos had a late conversion to win which he missed. It would have been a big win for them as Toulon have been in good form since Serin returned having now won 4 of their last 5.

LAR will be kicking themselves. They were in a very strong position having nudged ahead, had brought on all of their big names (second half had Atonio, Skelton, Danty, Alldritt, Botia and Boudehant on the field) and then Castres had a man sent to the bin with LAR 17-13 ahead. Some really poor defending saw Castres score two tries with 14 men.

Outside the top 2, the chasing pack is separated by razor thin margins. Any team from 3rd to 9th could be in/out of the playoffs.

Dubinusa

I noticed that Brennan played at 7! Struck me as a strange call. Cracking match though.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050274#Comment_122050274

He's started there 4 or 5 times this season, and typically in games against bigger heavier packs - La Rochelle (away), Castres (home), Bordeaux (away) and Toulon (away).

They went for a particularly big pack at the weekend as they named Thibaut Flament at 6.

Dubinusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050295#Comment_122050295

Wow! Serious pack.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050295#Comment_122050295

He seems to be doing well this season, how close to a French call up woukd he be?

Buer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122054288#Comment_122054288

He's not really involved in any front line Toulouse starting selection so I'd be very surprised if he's on the radar for France at the moment. His starts aren't necessarily against bigger packs but when Toulouse are putting out weakened selections. The majority of his starts have coincided with the RWC or 6N and, given Toulouse supply Jelonch, Cros and Roumat to the French squad for their back row (and Flament plays flanker on occasion for Toulouse also but is off on French duty too), Brennan is pressed into action more in the backrow.

A more left field option for Galthié would be Ultan Dillane. I don't expect it to happen really (and he was near anonymous against Leinster) but he's now eligible for a call up and has been first choice for LAR this season. The move to France has been absolutely superb for him. He has 52 appearances already for them; we're almost going back to 2018 for him to have compiled his last 52 appearances for Connacht.

AbusesToilets

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122055781#Comment_122055781

Dillane has been great, thought he was more impactful than Skelton vs Leinster. Really happy for him after everything he went through.

ironingbored

Bordeaux have taken La Rochelle to the cleaners tonight. 34-7 (70') and LAR's only try was an intercept.

Burkie1203

Poitrenaud Vibes

https://twitter.com/brettruganalyst/status/1789395007046029773?t=kMZI7wMRWtCiiLUCUFaLRA&s=19

Clegg

Alldritt going to be stripped of the captaincy for this.

https://twitter.com/brettruganalyst/status/1789396342785102145?t=XrSocI8HvSkd2aOKy6UN2A&s=09

clsmooth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122126412#Comment_122126412

Good eye contact with the ball though.

Clontarf_Jazz

The Stade Francais v Toulouse game tonight should be interesting. One crazy statistic & I don't know if this has ever happened before in any league anywhere but Stade Francais despite being top of the French Top 14 have scored less points than ANY other team in the whole division with 458 points ! Toulouse have amassed 628. Even the bottom club Oyonnax who have only won a one game all season have managed 488 points. Bizarre.

pickarooney

That is pretty amazing.

ersatz

watched LAR Bordeaux, LAR are a shadow of their former selves. Wonder if this is the long hangover of their huge season last year followed by the WC. No chance of glory this year and then some of their key men are getting on.

Ben Bailey

Toulouse crush Stade Francais 49-18 at Ernest Wallon

Meafou gets 2 tries from close rannge to seal a BP win.

Clontarf_Jazz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122130898#Comment_122130898

SF were piss poor though - it was like they were afraid of the ball - not one of them wanted to take any ownership of that game

pickarooney

Jimmy Gopperth set to play his 500th professional match tomorrow. I wonder how many players have more appearances.

Ben Bailey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122146561#Comment_122146561

41 next month. Very likeable player.

Tremendous career, particularly with the 'Canes & Leinster.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122146561#Comment_122146561

Parisse stopped at 536

sydthebeat

https://www.lnr.fr/actualite/top-14-et-pro-d2-les-droits-audiovisuels-attribues-a-canal-pour-les-saisons-20272028-a-20312032

On April 2, the NRL launched a call for tenders for the domestic audiovisual rights of the TOP 14 and PRO D2 for the seasons 2027/2028 to 2030/2031 (with an option for a fifth season). GROUPE CANAL PLUS has won the 4 lots on offer, and will thus have exclusive broadcasting rights for TOP 14 and PRO D2 matches and magazines for the 2027-2032 cycle. The total value of the rights amounts to 696.8 million euros over 5 seasons, i.e. an average amount per season of 139.4 million euros, an increase of 14.7% on the current amount of the rights.

Average royalties per season amount to :

• 128.7 million euros for the TOP 14, up 13.3% on the current cycle
• 10.7 million euros for PRO D2, up 36% on the current cycle.
• All regular-season matches in both leagues, including the three best matches of each day on CANAL+.

During this future cycle, GROUPE CANAL PLUS will continue to broadcast exclusively:

• The play-offs, semi-finals and final of both championships
• The TOP 14 / PRO D2 accession match and the PRO D2 / National accession match
• Several weekly magazines, including 2 every weekend on CANAL+, as well as various event programs, including Rugby Night.

700 million over 5 seasons looks like a great deal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122171468#Comment_122171468

French salary cap probably increasing so.

icdg

Our friends at Premier Sports seem to have no intention of showing Toulouse v La Rochelle live on Sunday night. Now they do have a history of late schedule changes so maybe it will appear closer to the time, but with only repeats scheduled on Premier 1 I’m not sure what their excuse is.

icdg

I should add that if Premier do remain unwilling to show some Top 14…there are some free games on TV5Monde (free to stream but in French). Not Toulouse v La Rochelle mind you, but they will show Racing v Pau on Saturday at 2pm, a final day game on Sunday 9th at 8pm, followed by the play offs. 8pm KOs are usually on a delay.

https://x.com/tv5mondeuk/status/1795388737398124980?s=46

icdg

Both Toulon v Clermont and Toulouse v La Rochelle now added to the Premier 1 schedule thankfully. (Though they seem to think the earlier game kicks off at 6pm. I mean it does, French time!)

theVersatile

Some nice scores in La Rochelle v Toulouse.

ShamoBuc

This is an absolute cracking game.

Should be an interesting last 20.

Jump_In_Jack

LR ahead by 7, 10 mins to go.

theVersatile

Any French speakers in the room? That's a hilarious finish.

phog

Ref rode LAR in that last review, direct hit to the head and no penalty

ShamoBuc

Outstanding game of rugby, thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

2 years since Toulouse lost at home, 7 down with 2 minutes to play and they score a try and convert with a seriously impressive kick.

31-31 a real classic game of rugby.

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214110#Comment_122214110

Toulouse player was interfered with in the lead up I thought, the Italian that got a try, so penalty would never have been given.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214115#Comment_122214115

Dangerous play can over turn an advantage so I'm not sure why he just blew it up. It looked like a cop out. Maybe the draw was the best result