A French-inspired XV to take on the world
A weekly look at the game's other talking points
The ProD2 Twitter account – sorry X account – conveyed congratulations earlier this week to the 11 Portugal squad players who play in the League not to mention the four who ply their trade in the feeder National 1 League and indeed even down to the Federale Divisions.
That inspired me to conduct a quick head count and I make it 32 professionals from the ProD2 have appeared at this World Cup and another 14 from those other lower leagues which is quite something. Put that alongside the 104 Top 14 players who have strutted their stuff and we have 150 French-based players who have been on parade, just a fraction under 23 per cent of those involved in total.
Of those 104 Top 14 many will have come up through the ProD2, both current French internationals but especially from the Tier 2 nations whose players tend to earn their spurs in the lower division first.
What an arsenal of talent the ProD2 is and how we should envy it this side of the Channel where the Championship once seemed comparable. Bill Sweeney and others seem to have forgotten that back in the day a Championship XV – or National League XV as it was called – beat the Springboks at Worcester.
The ProD2 is a big part of the French rugby pyramid, aligned administratively and organisationally to the Top 14 and as it grows in strength so does the flagship league. Those of a xenophobic disposition may think that such altruism mainly benefits other nations but the wise acknowledged decades ago that any serious rugby nation requires the possible strongest second tier.
My ProD2 World Cup XV
15. Inaki Ayarza (Chile and Soyaux Angouleme): Very classy long legged, ponytailed full-back who featured in most of Chile's best moments during the World Cup although he missed the England game with injury. Played as a junior with Bayonne where his brother was a prop. Inaki can fill any position behind the scrum and should be a mainstay of the Condores going forward.
14. Raffaele Storti (Portugal and Beziers): One of the stars of Rugby World Cup with three scorching tries, a couple of assists and 23 carries in 280 mins of rugby. Extreme pace and nose for the line, good vision, and excellent skills. A former member of the Portugal 7s squad, he has already scored 19 Test tries in 26 appearances. Officially on the Racing books but loaned out to Beziers where he scored 10 tries in 12 games in an injury curtailed campaign last season.
13. Pedro Bettencourt (Portugal and Oyonnax): Powerhouse centre who grew into the tournament and scored a cracking try against Australia. The former Newcastle Falcons player has spent the last three seasons helping Oyonnax into the Top 14, something they finally achieved last season.
12. Nicolas Freitas (Uruguay and Vannes): Highly skilled utility back who has been part of the Vannes success story in recent seasons – they finished fifth in ProD2 last season and are establishing a strong rugby presence in Brittany.
11. Rodrigo Marta (Portugal and Colomiers): Portugal's other speed merchant who has scored 28 tries in 36 Tests and brought the bacon home against Fiji with that 78th minute winner in Toulouse. Moved initially from Portugal to Dax before switching to Colomiers. Another who spent a season with the Portugal 7s squad. Carried a massive 459m at the RWC.
10. Joris Moura (Portugal and Valence) The one position I am struggling with. Portugal's Joris Moura – aformer France U20 star – is a big prospect and is playing his rugby for Valence but couldn't force his way in ahead of the brilliant Jeronimo Portela who plays in Portugal while Montauban's Tedo Abzhandadze has been a key man for Georgia but found himself on the bench at this World Cup behind Luka Matkava.
9. Samuel Marques (Portugal and Beziers): Legendary figure of the ProD2 and even the old Federale 1 who has enjoyed three separate spells with Pau and stints with Brive and Toulouse as well a long recent spell with Carcassonne before joining Beziers for the forthcoming season. Brought all that nous and cleverness to proceedings and was the cool hand at the tiller that ensured Portugal generally kept calm under pressure. Gets the nod over class operators Tomas Cubelli who is at Biarritz and Sonatane Takulua of Tonga who played at Agen last season and has joined Mont de Marsan.
1. Luke Tagi (Fiji and Provence): Force of nature for Provence for the last three years, so much so that he has earned a contract with Bayonne. Had originally tried his luck in France with Stade Francis but moved to Provence to get more 1st team rugby. Romania's Alexandru Tarus, now at Rouen, and Portugal's Anthony Alves at Mont de Marsan are others who came into the equation.
2. Mike Tadjer (Portugal and Perpignan): Slightly cheating as Perpignan have been Top 14 side for two seasons but the veteran Tadger has spent a 15 year professional career mainly in ProD2 with the likes of Massy, Agen, Montauban, Grenoble and was even with Racing in 2008 when they won the ProD2 title. Unsurprisingly there is little he doesn't know about front row play.
3. Francisco Fernandes (Portugal and Beziers): The grand old man of Portuguese Rugby at the age of 38 and a ripe character to say the least. Portuguese parents but French born, he declared for Portugal in 2011 when he played in their RWC qualifying campaign. That is the same year he joined Beziers where he has been ever since, clocking up nearly 300 games mainly in France's second tier league.
4. Adrian Motoc (Romania and Agen): Athletic Oaks lock who managed to shine in adversity. Cut his teeth in France with Racing Espoirs before being released to Agen where he did well before moving onto to Biarritz where he has become the mainstay of their pack.
5. Jose Maderia (Portugal and Grenoble): Portugal's main lineout ace and seemingly like everybody in the Portugal line-up, very comfortable with the ball in hand and on the hoof. Moved from Portugal to Grenoble in 2020 and has been the sand out in their pack ever since. Still only 22 so a massive future ahead of him.
6. Tornike Jalagonia (Georgia and Biarritz): Was talent spotted by Biarritz at the Junior World Cup five years ago and came up through their Espoir XV before becoming a regular in their First XV. Employed as a flanker and an agile ball carrying No.8.
7. Nicolas Martins (Portugal and Angouleme): Extraordinary tournament from this virtual unknown. Played 309 minutes, averaged over 16 tackles per game and 50 metre-plus carries per game. Tall, rangy, athletic, relentless, indomitable. Clearly a player who would thrive at the very highest level of club rugby in Europe. Portuguese family, French born, he has somehow escaped the French net.
8. Lasha Jaiani (Georgia and Nevers): Educated at Whitgift school, skippered the Georgia U18 and U20s teams and enjoyed a season with Exeter University when they won the BUCs title before moving to Nevers last season where he made an immediate impression alongside fellow Georgian lock Lado Chachanidze. Almost certainly a Lelos skipper sooner rather than later.
