Top 14

Latest News
/ 5 days ago

France superstar Dupont is back!

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN A little over eight months, or exactly 266 days if you prefer, after he suffered an ACL...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 2 weeks ago

Pau rise high to cut down Bordeaux

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Pair of aces: Matthieu Jalibert in action for Bordeaux on Friday and, inset, Pau’s tyro No.10 Axel...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 3 weeks ago

Vunipola happy to stick with Caudullo

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Going strong: Billy Vunipola playing for Montpellier PICTURES: Getty Images REPORTS of Billy Vunipola’s impending Top 14...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 4 weeks ago

Toulon make up for their rain delay

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Unhappy: La Rochelle boss Ronan O’Gara PICTURE: Getty Images FOR 85 per cent of the Top 14,...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Club Rugby
/ 1 month ago

Jack Nowell: I love the challenge in France

A wounded animal is when it is at its most dangerous and La Rochelle intend to right some wrongs from last...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 1 month ago

Perpignan expected to move for Labit

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Last 10 standing: Perpignan fly-half Tommaso Allan and, inset, Joe Worsley PICTURES: Getty Images EIGHT. That was...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 1 month ago

Lucu is ready to answer the call

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SCRUM-HALF Maxime Lucu played his first minutes of the season for Bordeaux last night, after rupturing a...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 2 months ago

Perpignan fighting for life at the basement

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Tough times: Perpignan skipper Jamie Ritchie and, inset, fly-half Tristan Tedder PICTURES: Getty Images IN HIS fifth...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 2 months ago

Galthie gets set to brief his troops

JAMES HARRINGTON FABIEN Galthie and the France staff met up in person for the first time since the July tour of...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 2 months ago

Grenoble suffering a week to forget

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN PICTURE: Getty Images GRENOBLE’S 23-24 loss at home to Provence on Friday night was the tin lid...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 2 months ago

Toulon’s Herve on his way to Castres

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TOULON fly-half Enzo Herve is on the move, a few months after he rejected a proposed swap...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Features
/ 3 months ago

Head injuries force Willemse to retire

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IT has long been expected, but this week – nearly a year after his last appearance on...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Features
/ 3 months ago

Reasons to be cheerful at Stade

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Back in favour: Stade Francais fly-half Louis Carbonel PICTURES: Getty Images ONE match does not make a...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Letters
/ 3 months ago

French rugby deserves praise regarding scrum laws

French rugby deserves high praise for its brave decision to expose World Rugby’s woeful mismanagement of a key rugby union law....

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 3 months ago

Galthie’s pressing problem up front

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The battle up front: Régis Montagne and, inset top to bottom, Georges-Henri Colombe, Demba Bam-ba, Thomas Laclayat...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Top 14
/ 3 months ago

Vannes voted most likely to top ProD2

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN AS SURE as oeufs are oeufs, the end of August coincides with the return of French men’s...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Columnists
/ 3 months ago

French Column: Baptiste Jauneau and Lenni Nouchi to stay where they are

Last weekend, the futures of two of France's most sought-after young stars was a major topic of conversation. Montpellier flanker Lenni...

By James Harrington
Latest News
/ 4 months ago

Tuifua is keeping quiet on his plans

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Young talent: Patrick Tuifua in action for Hawke’s Bay PICTURE: Getty Images IN February 2024, the name...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 4 months ago

Time for France

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IT’S HOT in France right now. Very hot. Weather alerts were issued for the entire southern half...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 4 months ago

Racing 92 banking on youth strategy

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Moving in at No.10: Ugo Seunes has joined Racing 92 and could be the signing of the...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 4 months ago

French Column: Ten players who could hit the spot in ProD2

It's high summer in France – not that you’d necessarily know it given the weather over recent days, which has been...

By James Harrington
James Harrington
/ 5 months ago

French Colummn: Bayonne in the fast lane for No.9 Leo Coly

It was mid-August last year – the 13th, to be precise – when Racing 92 suddenly confirmed their highly rated and,...

By James Harrington
Columnists
/ 5 months ago

French Column: Top c14 lubs getting back in the swing

The Top 14 final brought the curtain down on the 2024/25 French rugby season just 15 days ago, with Toulouse lifting...

By James Harrington
Columnists
/ 5 months ago

French Column: Mystery surronds Uzair Cassiem’s future

One-time Scarlets and Springbok back row Uzair Cassiem is at the centre of a transfer storm in France. The 35-year-old knew...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Columnists
/ 5 months ago

James Harrington: Fabien Galthie’s squad will need to step up in New Zealand

After all the fuss from players and New Zealand Rugby, after the negotiations between union and league bosses, after the hints...

By James Harrington
Columnists
/ 6 months ago

James Harrington: Back to the future again for Biarritz

The decision, when it came, was no great surprise. ProD2 side Biarritz, relegated for financial reasons shortly after the end of...

By James Harrington
Latest News
/ 6 months ago

Another bad day for sorry Grenoble

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN All action: Grenoble’s Julien Farnoux takes the fight to Perpignan at Stade des Alpes PICTURE: Getty Images...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Columnists
/ 6 months ago

French Column: Fabien Galthie prepares to spring surprises for New Zealand tour

White smoke of a sort was spotted this week, heralding FFR and LNR agreement on tweaks to the player release deal...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Champions Cup
/ 6 months ago

Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey: A pair of aces who fill our hearts with joy

If the level of mastery is unusually high, the depth of mystery is unfathomable.

By Chris Hewett
Latest News
/ 6 months ago

Toulouse keen to get back in groove

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SITTING out last weekend’s Champions Cup final was not in Toulouse’s plans at the start of the...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 6 months ago

Biarritz made to pay price – again

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN HISTORIC French rugby side Biarritz were relegated from the ProD2 on Monday for financial reasons, just over...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 7 months ago

Try-fests galore as fans flock to ProD2

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Try time: Flyer Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored again for Bordeaux in their victory against Castres PICTURES: Getty Images...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 7 months ago

Player dies after horrific accident

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN PICTURE: Getty Images TO steal a football quote attributed to a former pope, “Among all the unimportant...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 7 months ago

Gustard’s the last manager standing

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Under pressure: Paul Gustard, head coach of Stade Francais PICTURE: Getty Images DRY, with sunny spells, a...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 7 months ago

Teenage starlets

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SCRUM-HALF Simon Daroque is 19 years old. Yesterday, he started his second senior match, and scored his...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 8 months ago

French Column: Big guns want to take on All Blacks

By James Harrington Could Fabien Galthie head to New Zealand for July’s three-Test tour with a France squad that looks more...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 8 months ago

Top 14: Raffaele Storti set to get his chance at Grenoble

French Column by James Harrington Portugal winger Raffaele Storti has made a habit of not doing things the easy way –...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 8 months ago

Top 14: All set for exciting race to the finish

French Column - By James Harrington Twelve Top 14 teams were involved this Champions and Challenge Cup round-of-16 weekend. The two...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 8 months ago

Top 14: Paul Gustard to stay at Stade Francais after all

French Column - By James Harrington So, Paul Gustard will remain at Stade Francais next season after all, despite asking to...

By The Rugby Paper Team
International Rugby
/ 9 months ago

Romain Ntamack: I’d love to take on All Blacks

By James Harrington - French Column So, Romain Ntamack wants to go to New Zealand in July. New Zealand have already...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 9 months ago

Nice are planning a quick reversal

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Nice work: Former Wales fly-half Owen Williams PICTURE: Getty Images YOU may not have heard of Stade...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 9 months ago

Stade are willing to fight for Gustard

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN STADE Francais’ billionaire owner hinted last week that head coach Paul Gustard’s reported move to Leicester may...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Miscellaneous
/ 9 months ago

Survival the name of game for Stade

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN AS approximately no one once said, a year is a long time in rugby. After the 17th...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 10 months ago

Top 14: Racing 92’s delight at smash and grab

French Column - By James Harrington Racing really needed that. A first win in the Top 14 since they beat Pau...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 10 months ago

Bayonne make it tough for Bordeaux

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Change of heart: France prop Tevita Tatafu has decided to stay at Bayonne PICTURES: Gety Images FOURTH...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 10 months ago

Patrice Collazo’s mission to rescue Racing 92

French Column - By James Harrington Lo! And, indeed, behold! Former Montpellier, Toulon, Brive and La Rochelle coach Patrice Collazo has...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Miscellaneous
/ 10 months ago

Dark clouds hanging over selection of duo

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN EVERY member of a France team must contribute to preserving an exemplary image,” reads the opening paragraph...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Latest News
/ 10 months ago

Toulouse show offstrength in depth

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Scottish ace: Blair Kinghorn was on the scoresheet for Toulouse PICTURES: Getty Images UGO Mola’s remarkable Toulouse,...

By The Rugby Paper Team
James Harrington
/ 11 months ago

Encore for exiled prop star Rabah Slimani

French Column by James Harrington Last Wednesday, Fabien Galthie named six uncapped players in his 42-strong list for the first match...

By The Rugby Paper Team
Champions Cup
/ 11 months ago

Teddy Thomas reflects on career success, fatherhood

Lifting the most prestigious European competitions within rugby is only achieved by a small percentage despite the countless number of children...

By Cam Stephens