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…
France
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…
French fatigue: Long season blamed for Argentina defeat
IN CASE you missed it what with all the misery surrounding the Home Nations narrow defeats at the weekend, France also suffered at the hands of the southern hemisphere. Their…
Amlin Challenge Cup Final: Biarritz 21-18 Toulon
A RATHER drab and uninspiring final with Biarritz able to ensure their Heineken Cup qualification thanks to the boot of Dimitri Yachvili in wet conditions at the Stoop. They were…
Top 14 Focus: Toulon’s Galacticos near summit
By Gavin Mortimer IS THIS going to be the season when Toulon finally climb back to the summit of French rugby? The last time they were there was exactly twenty…
Top 14 Focus: Relegation scrap heats up
By Gavin Mortimer TWO ROUNDS of the Top 14 to go and down at the foot of the table it’s looking tight. Lyon are doomed, that much is sure, even…
Clermont Auvergne v Leinster: The Preview
Bordeaux is famed for its wine but this weekend it’ll be the smell of rugby players’ sweat filling the air rather than the fruity aroma of a good red. Clermont…