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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoLaporte’s shadow still hangs over game
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Politics at the top of the FFR overshadowed the return of the Top 14 this week, which...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoGibbes given his marching orders after Tigers mauling
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Christophe Urios will take charge at Top 14 side Clermont on Monday, after the “breathing space” afforded...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoFrance must wait for Meafou
Remember last year’s Patrick Schickerling incident? When Exeter’s Namibian front row thought he had qualified to play for England through residency,...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoTriple top! Galthie has tough ‘to-do’ list
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Delight: Fabien Galthie celebrates beating England to secure the 2022 Grand Slam PICTURE: Getty Images FRANCE coach...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoClermont snatch it to take heat off Gibbes
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN CLERMONT coach Jono Gibbes, no doubt, breathed a huge sigh of relief, as his side came from...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoConvicted Laporte ‘suspends himself’
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN PICTURE: Getty Images AS 2022 gives way to 2023, and about three weeks after he was convicted...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoTop clubs finding it tough in Europe
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Reigning Champions Cup title holders La Rochelle and 2021 winners Toulouse have been notable exceptions but Top...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoConviction that spells the end for Laporte
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Bernard Laporte’s future as president of French rugby’s governing body has to be untenable after he was...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoKpoku on alert as he gets set for Saracens
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Raring to go: I’m massively excited about our match against my old club, says Lyon’s Joel Kpoku...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoClermont face fight to hold on to Penaud
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Star player: Damian Penaud is one of the hottest properties in French rugby PICTURE: Getty Images Damian...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoToulon’s Kolbe has Japan in his sights
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FIFTEEN months ago, news of Cheslin Kolbe’s switch from Toulouse to Top 14 rivals Toulon delivered an...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoLucu gets chance to show what he can do
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Opportunity: Maxime Lucu steps up for France in today’s match against Japan PICTURE: Getty Images When an...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoUrios falling out of favour as Marti looks at options
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Under pressure: Bordeaux head coach Christophe Urios overseas training and, inset, Laurent Marti PICTURES: Getty Images A...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoBayonne turning home into a fortress
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN HEADING into the three-week international break, two Top 14 teams in particular will be pretty happy with...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoThe going now gets tough for Toulouse
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IT’S very much a case of so far, so good for Top 14 leaders Toulouse, who headed...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoDavidson’s departure puts Mela on the spot
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Of the three words in Arnauld Mela’s week-old job title ‘interim head coach’ at Top 14 side...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoLancaster bombs out Giroud at Racing 92
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Injury concern: France may be without full-back Melvyn Jaminet for the autumn internationals PICTURE: Getty Images The...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoLabit and Ghezal set to link up in Paris
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN France attack coach Laurent Labit is set to replace Gonzalo Quesada at the head of Stade Francais...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoMelikidze makes it count for Bordeaux
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SATURDAY’S Top 14 match between Bordeaux and Stade Francais was not one for the annals - persistent...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoVerdict on corruption charges is awaited
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Tuesday, December 13. That’s the date a Paris court delivers its verdicts on FFR President Bernard Laporte,...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoJalibert in line to join Barrett at Racing 92
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN France international fly-half Matthieu Jalibert’s unfortunately timed early-season travails continued on Saturday, amid renewed questions over his...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoRacing 92 hit hard by Vakatawa retirement
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN For Racing 92, this is the first weekend after the unexpected retirement before. A matter of days...
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James Harrington
/ 3 years agoToulouse will take title, say coaches
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Toulouse will win the Top 14 title at the end of another tight season – according to...
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Club Rugby
/ 3 years agoConcern as refs switch to other side
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Another of French rugby’s leading gamekeepers turned coach this week, as Top 14 referee Maxime Chalon put...
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Columnists
/ 3 years agoTransfer market that never sleeps
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Accepted wisdom has it that the shortest period of time is the New York Second – helpfully...
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Features
/ 3 years agoTide has turned on overseas galacticos
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IT is a truth long universally accepted that the Top 14 is a pension-liner for big-name overseas...
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Columnists
/ 3 years agoToulouse spoilt for choice at full-back
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN How do you solve a problem like three current international full-backs competing for the only available 15...
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Club Rugby
/ 3 years agoBroncan: We want to invest in youth
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Pre-season is now underway for all Top 14 sides apart from champions Montpellier, who officially return to...
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Features
/ 3 years agoFofana, one of the stars of 2006, to bow out
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Clermont star Wesley Fofana this week became the latest Top 14 player to join the annual line...
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Features
/ 3 years agoTop eight to follow in Spring’s footsteps
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Young Racing 92 fullback Max Spring earned careful praise from France head coach Fabien Galthie after a...
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Club Rugby
/ 3 years agoClash of the champions will open new season
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Two blockbuster matches are scheduled for the opening weekend of the 2022/23 Top 14 season as European...
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Features
/ 3 years agoGalthie in no rush to sign up his coaches
JAMES HARRINGTON - FRENCH COLUMN FFR President Bernard Laporte was ready to offer Les Bleus’ head coach Fabien Galthie a new,...
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Features
/ 3 years agoAll eyes on Mercer as he rules in Paris
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN There’s no doubt the better side won Friday’s Top 14 final. Montpellier’s 29-10 win over Castres at...
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Features
/ 3 years agoFrance star Woki still weighing his options
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN No sooner have France’s Top 14 clubs just about closed the book on recruitment for the year...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoWorld Cup will be won and lost in the run-up
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Fifteen months out from the 2023 World Cup, the rugby debate in host nation France is getting...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoRacing 92 play down any move for Jones
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Try double: Matthieu Jalibert helped Bordeaux book their place in the play-offs England head coach Eddie Jones...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoBayonne win battle for home semi-final
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Away from the bright lights of the European semi-finals, the regular season of France’s second-tier ProD2 drew...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoProD2 call for system reset to aid recruitment
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Biarritz’s long-inevitable relegation from the Top 14 was finally confirmed last weekend when they lost 48-13 at...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoAll to play for as it begins to get serious
JAMES HARRINGTON Like any other league, the business end of the Top 14 season is played in a haze of permutations...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoBeauxis: Time to hang up my boots
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Arguably the most wonderfully and frustratingly French of French fly-halves, Lionel Beauxis, confirmed he will call time on...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoNo respite as the race for play-offs ramps up
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The rugby season in Europe’s top three leagues gets confused at this time of year, as we...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoToulon must do their maths to avoid points deduction
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TOULON’S end-ofseason run-in – and their points total for next season – may be complicated by JIFF...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoToulon fans in uproar at Carbonel departure
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Even by Toulon’s unusual standards, this season has been an extraordinary tale of failure and redemption. But,...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoBarlot gets the better of big rival Mauvaka
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Castres Olympique hooker Gaetan Barlot scored his third Top 14 try of the season yesterday, scoring a...
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Columnists
/ 4 years agoLes Bleues inspired to follow the men’s lead
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN A little over 24 hours after England’s statement win over Scotland in the first match of the...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoNo time to rest as pressures mount up
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN This should have been a weekend off for those Top 14 and ProD2 players not involved in...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoBiarritz’s top-flight dream all but over
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promotion and relegation matters returned firmly to the forefront of Top 14 rugby minds, after bottom side...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoLock star Jolmes is latest UFO to appear
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The French for UFO is OVNI – which stands for objet volant non identifié. It is a...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoJuggernaut Joseph has found his smile at Pau
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN This has been a bleublanc-rouge letter week for former France U20 phenomenon Jordan Joseph. It started last...
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James Harrington
/ 4 years agoLemaitre puts his faith in Mignoni
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Toulon president Bernard Lemaitre pulled something of a recruitment rabbit out of his hat this week, as...
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