THESE ARE good times to be a Stade Français fan. Currently level on points with Clermont at the summit of the Top 14 table, the Parisian outfit have claimed some…
Top 14
The Top 14 and the death of l’esprit de clocher
There’s a revolution underway in French rugby, one that is having ramifications for the home nations. We’ve already seen evidence of it in October when Toulon, Toulouse and Racing Metro…
Teddy Thomas: France’s new star
Find out more about the Racing Métro winger who scored a hat-trick on his France debut
Rene Ranger on life in France
On first introduction, Rene Ranger seems so laid-back you would be forgiven for checking his pulse. However, when the versatile, attacking back is asked about his cult hero status back…
Joe Worsley on Bordeaux’s flying start
The Top 14 is having a breather until the end of October as European competition holds sway, allowing clubs a chance to assess their performances a third of the way…
Top 14’s latest ‘Revelation’, Rémi Lamerat
It was a night of triumph for Toulon on Monday at the 11th edition of the ‘Nuit du Rugby’, the annual awards ceremony honouring French rugby’s standout performers. Matt Giteau…
Five things we learned in the rugby world in September
Slipping giants It was reported last week that global tiger populations have stabilised. This will come as little consolation to the people of Leicester, as their Tigers are in a…
Bet you never saw this: Andrew Sheridan’s career
He’s played for Richmond, Bristol, Sale and Toulon, so you could argue that loosehead prop Andrew Sheridan is a man who continually sought a tougher test; a bigger scrap. Now…
Top 14: What’s going on at Castres?
The talk of late has been about Toulouse but what of another French club slipping towards the cliff edge? Castres’ fall has been even more precipitous than that of Toulouse,…
Rugby statistics: Are yellow cards really that bad for you?
There is a common belief that a team receiving a yellow card will be punished by an average of seven points during the following sin-bin, but is that actually true?…