LET'S NOT get carried away. Gael Fickou had a good game for Toulouse in their win over Leicester on Sunday, but was the 18-year-old’s try-scoring performance really that special? Sure,…
France
Fickou one of eight uncapped players named in France squad
YOUNG TOULOUSE star Gaël Fickou has been named in France's squad for the upcoming November Internationals against Australia, Argentina and Samoa. The 18-year old centre impressed on his Heineken Cup…
Magic Michalak on fire in France
“MICHALAK IS back” screams the headline in this week’s Midi Olympique, alongside a photograph of Toulon’s Freddie, a player for whom the word ‘mercurial’ could have been invented. Michalak played…
Sheridan’s fighting fit in Toulon
THEY SAY Lourdes is where you go in search of a miracle cure, but if you’re a thirty-something Englishman Toulon seems to be the place in France that has healing…
Vakatawa shines as he signals his French intent
THE TOP 14 may be a slow-burner right now with few games of real drama but one man doing his best to light the touch paper is Virimi Vakatawa. The…
Rise and fall of Sebastien ‘Caveman’ Chabal
By Gavin Mortimer, Rugby World writer FOR A man who two years ago was reputedly the highest paid rugby player in the world, Sebastien Chabal embarked upon the latest stage…
French test for Wales lock Luke Charteris
DOWN IN Perpignan Luke Charteris isn’t hard to miss. At 6ft 9in and 20st, and with that fair Celtic skin of his, he stands out a mile in the Catalan…
Jonny Wilkinson on the new Top 14 season
By Gavin Mortimer, Rugby World writer THE OLYMPICS are over and the football season is about to get underway. But don’t worry, it’s not all depressing news on the sports…
French Focus: New home planned for France
FIRST THE good news. Five years from now rugby fans will no longer be required to trudge out to the Stade de France every time France play a home international.…
Magic Michalak back with a bang
FREDDIE'S BACK! Just a week after we were pondering the future of French flair, Frederic Michalak orchestrated a thumping 49-10 win for France in Tucuman of all places. Not many…