James Harrington

Oyonnax have to keep on believing

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Oyonnax manager Joe El-Abd promised last week that his side would ‘fight to the end’ following their so-near-so-far 35-39 home defeat […]

Calvet’s likely to step in at Agen

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN France Under-20s coach Sebastien Calvet has emerged as favourite to replace Bernard Goutta on the conveyor-belt of managers at ProD2 side […]

Davidson relief as Castres stop rot

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The afternoon after the Friday-night chastening Six Nations defeat in Marseille before, a subdued French rugby audience tuned in to the […]

Lucu the man to replace Dupont

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN An email drop and social media flurry confirmed the line-up of France’s 34-player training squad for the Six Nations, which kicks […]

No rush to get Tuilagi involved

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Something of a big deal was made last week about the fact that, a matter of days before Fabien Galthie announces […]

O’Gara’s problems keep on coming

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Australian hooker Tolu Latu went straight into La Rochelle’s matchday squad for pre-Christmas trip to Stade Francais, days after completing a […]

Davies enjoying life in a new lake

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SWAPPING Dragons for a new challenge at Grenoble – and the lens of Welsh rugby for relative anonymity in southeast France […]

Laporte & Co hit the panic button

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN A week after ripping out their coaching set-up and employing an Etch-a-Sketch style reset to their season, Montpellier officially hit the […]

Welsh warrior bows out in style

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Rugby – even thoroughly modern professional rugby – sometimes proves it still has at least a little room for a smidgeon […]

Biarritz enjoy a change in fortune

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FRANCE could… Scotland need… Australia on the brink of… Fiji might … South Africa will… Wales already have… If Italy… There […]

Vannes fail to keep out Beziers

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN AWAY from the bright lights of the World Cup, domestic rugby in France has, mostly, continued. The Top 14 is on […]

Racing ramp up interest in Ford

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN In July, The Rugby Paper reported that ‘grand’ Top 14 side Racing 92 had Sale and England fly-half George Ford in […]

Oyonnax are worth place at top table

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promoted ProD2 champions Oyonnax demonstrated – if there was still any doubt after last weekend’s impressive opening day home win over […]

Lyon take the heat to topple Toulon

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN A “heat dome” settled over France last weekend to send temperatures soaring as the new Top 14 season’s three-match pre-World Cup […]

Anger as Biarritz sign up Haouas

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TWO weeks ago, the long-awaited sale of ProD2 side Biarritz fell apart, affecting the immediate and longer-term futures of not just […]