Top 14
This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Top 14 news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoFrench 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...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoFrench 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...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoJames 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...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoJames 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoAnother 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...
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Columnists
/ 1 year agoFrench 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...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 year agoDamian 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.
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoToulouse 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoBiarritz 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoTry-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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoPlayer 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoGustard’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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoTeenage starlets
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN SCRUM-HALF Simon Daroque is 19 years old. Yesterday, he started his second senior match, and scored his...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoFrench 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...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 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 –...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 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...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 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...
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International Rugby
/ 1 year agoRomain 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoNice 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoStade 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...
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Miscellaneous
/ 1 year agoSurvival 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...
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James Harrington
/ 1 year agoTop 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...
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Latest News
/ 1 year agoBayonne 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...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoPatrice 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...
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Miscellaneous
/ 2 years agoDark 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...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoToulouse 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,...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoEncore 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...
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Champions Cup
/ 2 years agoTeddy 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...
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Club Rugby
/ 2 years ago‘Je ne regrette rien’: Lewis Ludlam loving life at Toulon
Lewis Ludlam insists he will return to Northampton one day but has no regrets about leaving the town or England behind...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoFabien Galthie’s Six Nations dilemma: Who gets the vote at 10?
French Column - By James Harrington There are bigger rugby weeks to come in 2025, but the Wednesday between January’s twin...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoStuart Lancaster looks like he will hang on
French Column, By James Harrington In the end, after weeks of speculation, chairman Laurent Travers will leave Racing 92 at the...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoBouscatel looks like he will run again
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoBouscatel looks like he will run again
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoBouscatel looks like he will run again
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoOyonnax must live without Joe El-Abd
By James Harrington Oyonnax’s seven-try 53-10 bonus-point win over ProD2 rivals Soyaux-Angouleme on Friday – their first victory since October 25...
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International Rugby
/ 2 years agoFrance won’t play All Blacks in USA
French Column - By James Harrington The FFR has rejected a proposal from New Zealand to relocate the third Test of...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoStade are heading in right direction Racing
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IS there an early winter equivalent to the idiom about solitary swallows and the impending arrival of...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoSadourny gets nod to replace Davidson
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Hat-trick man: Toulon wing Gael Drean runs in to score against Bayonne PICTURE: Getty Images IN April...
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Club Rugby
/ 2 years agoAnyanwu heads the list of star attractions
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has – so far – been...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoGalthie turns his sights to the future
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Not wanted: Charles Ollivon has been omitted from the France squad by coach Fabien Galthie PICTURES Getty...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoMaverick Jalibert makes his case
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN HOW do you solve a problem like Matthieu Jalibert? The 25-year-old Bordeaux fly-half is, undoubtedly, one of...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoGustard needs to get Stade rocking
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE November break cannot come quickly enough for Stade Francais, no matter what happens against Clermont in...
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Columnists
/ 2 years agoManu Tuilagi makes mark for Bayonne
French Column, by James Harrington While the focus of French rugby attention is on Stade Ernest Wallon and the return to...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoStade get back into winning routine
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN WHEN does a bad start become a crisis? For Stade Francais it was the morning after last...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoMagnificent Sam Marques deserves place at the top table
The splendid Samuel Marques – 35 but still going strong and mulling coming out of international retirement – has been declared...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoGalthie’s plans will need a re-think
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FOUR weeks into the Top 14 season and six weeks out from France’s opening Autumn Nations Series...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoFrisch in mood to impress Galthie
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Ambitious: Antoine Frisch is keen to make a mark in the international setup PICTURE: Getty Images ONE-TIME...
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James Harrington
/ 2 years agoHenry Chavancy notches No. 400 for Racing 92
French Column - By James Harrington Racing 92’s veteran centre Henry Chavancy reached a remarkable career milestone on Saturday when he...
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Latest News
/ 2 years agoStuart Lancaster: Owen Farrell will be key to Racing 92 Success
Racing 92 head coach Stuart Lancaster believes that Owen Farrell’s development over the last decade will be key to the Parisians’...
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Top 14
/ 2 years agoCastres steal it in dramatic late show
JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The big kick-off: Henry Arundell scored Racing’s first try of the season but it was not a...
International Rugby
George Kruis backs Courtney Lawes for England’s 2027 World Cup push
International Rugby
Jonathan Davies: England should pair up Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade at centre
Latest News
Kiss kicks off with win over Japan
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