French rugby 2020/2021

[JP14]

A crucial win for Montpellier!

[Robespierre]

A crucial win for Montpellier!
[/quote

Yes indeed, but they're not completely out of the woods because Bayonne have two games in hand and could close the five-point gap if they beat Bayonne at home next Saturday and Montpellier slip up at Castres.

[Robespierre]

This weekend's Top14 results:

Bayonne 26 Brive 23 (Bayonne are now only 1 point behind Montpellier with 2 games in hand)
Bordeaux 44 S Français 6 (SF with ex Tigers Matera and Veainu on the end of a thumping)
Castres 48 Montpellier 17
Racing 34 Lyon 26 (Taufua still without a win in Lyon colours)
Toulon 11 La Rochelle 29 (impressive away win )
Toulouse 31 Pau 9 (another bp win for Toulouse)

1 Toulouse 16/57
2 La Rochelle 16/54
3 Racing 17/54
4 Bordeaux 17/48
5 Clermont 16/45
6 Toulon 16/43
7Lyon 17/39
8 S Français 17/39
9 Castres 17/38
10 Brive 17/35
11 Pau 17/30
12 Montpellier 17/27
13 Bayonne 15/26
14 Agen 15/2

Next Saturday, Agen are at home to fellow strugglers Montpellier. Will they get their first win of the season?

[Robespierre]

Bonjour, everybody. Round 18 of the Top14 took place at the weekend and here are the results:

Racing 23 Castres 20
L Rochelle 16 S Français 11
Agen 19 Montpellier 39 (Agen still without a win and Montpellier climb to 11th place)
Brive 25 Bordeaux 23 (great win for Brive who are always a tough nut to crack at home)
Clermont 73 Bayonne 3 (It seems that Bayonne just weren't interested at all in competing)
Pau 29 Toulon 33
Lyon 31 Toulouse 23(Again, Lyon get the better of a Toulouse team deprived of their international players, but even so, was a good team. Lyon do the home and away double over Toulouse)

1 La Rochelle 17/58
2 Racing 18/58
3 Toulouse 17/57
4 Clermont 17/50
5 Bordeaux 19/49
6 Toulon 17/47
7 Lyon 18/43
8 S Français 18/40
9 Brive 18/39
10 Castres 18/39
11 Montpellier 18/32
12 Pau 18/31
13 Bayonne 16/26
14 Agen 16/2

There are three catch up games next weekend and the pick of them is La Rochelle v Toulouse on Saturday evening (tough on Toulouse who'll be again missing a hatful of their French squad players)

[Scott1]

Do bottom 2 go down,or is there some kind of relegation playoff? Thanks

[Robespierre]

Do bottom 2 go down,or is there some kind of relegation playoff? Thanks

The team finishing 14th is automatically relegated and the side finishing 13th plays off against the runner up in ProD2 with the winner playing in the Top14 the following season.
Agen have been 14th all season and will be relegated, barring miracles! Others in the relegation zone are Bayonne(13th), Pau(12th) and Montpellier(11th).
The current top 4 sides in ProD2 after 20 matches (they play 30 matches in the normal season, before play-offs) are Perpignan, Vannes, Biarritz and Oyonnax.

[Scott1]

Do bottom 2 go down,or is there some kind of relegation playoff? Thanks

The team finishing 14th is automatically relegated and the side finishing 13th plays off against the runner up in ProD2 with the winner playing in the Top14 the following season.
Agen have been 14th all season and will be relegated, barring miracles! Others in the relegation zone are Bayonne(13th), Pau(12th) and Montpellier(11th).
The current top 4 sides in ProD2 after 20 matches (they play 30 matches in the normal season, before play-offs) are Perpignan, Vannes, Biarritz and Oyonnax.

Thanks!

[Robespierre]

Bayonne did themselves a big favour in the struggle against relegation with a surprise away win at Toulon. In this evening’s top of the table match at La Rochelle, Toulouse, seriously depleted by 6Ń call-ups, turn to the multi-talented Cheslin Kolbe to play fly half.

[Robespierre]

This weekend's results of the three catch-up games:

Toulon 14 Bayonne 16 (precious survival points in a surprise win)
Agen 16 Clermont 52
La Rochelle 11 Toulouse 14 (La Rochelle's first home defeat for nearly two years - and that was against Toulouse, but this was an impressive win with a side shorn of many regulars)

1 Toulouse 18/61
2 L Rochelle 18/59
3 Racing 18/58
4 Clermont 18/55
5 Bordeaux 18/49
6 Toulon 18/48
7 Lyon 18/43
8 S Français 18/40
9 Brive 18/39
10 Castres 18/39
11 Montpellier 18/32
12 Pau 18/31
13 Bayonne 17/30
14 Agen 17/2

Pau must be getting nervous, especially as their next two fixtures are away to Bordeaux and Castres.

[kk20gb30]

French TV hits the jackpot :

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/top-14-w ... ghts-deal/

[Robespierre]

French TV hits the jackpot :

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/top-14-w ... ghts-deal/

Good news indeed for the Top14. However, this may well lead to more foreign players demanding higher wages and there being fewer opportunities for home-grown talent.
Having said that, French rugby is in rude health at the moment (not taking into account, of course, the current pandemic) with a lot of young players banging on the door for Test match rugby!

[Cagey Tiger]

French TV hits the jackpot :

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/top-14-w ... ghts-deal/

Good news indeed for the Top14. However, this may well lead to more foreign players demanding higher wages and there being fewer opportunities for home-grown talent.
Having said that, French rugby is in rude health at the moment (not taking into account, of course, the current pandemic) with a lot of young players banging on the door for Test match rugby!

I thought that the French clubs had to have a certain amount of home-grown players in their match-day squads, or some sort of quota?

[ourla]

Wow:

Top 14: €113.6million per year
Eng Prem: £36m a year
Pro14/16: €15-20m?

I think the finances for the other unions differ between England are going struggle to compete with French teams for players I would have thought...?

[Robespierre]

Wow:

Top 14: €113.6million per year
Eng Prem: £36m a year
Pro14/16: €15-20m?

I think the finances for the other unions differ between England are going struggle to compete with French teams for players I would have thought...?

Wow! That’s an enormous difference! The budget for foreign players will surely increase significantly, but as Cagey Tiger says in an earlier post, I believe that clubs are obliged to strike a balance between home grown talent and imported, but I’m not sure.

[JP14]

Plus that money will surely help clubs reduce Covid caused deficit, no?