Brendan Gallagher

Brendan Gallagher: France are keeping the global game alive ahead of the Rugby World Cup

Brendan Gallagher examines how French rugby has become the driving force behind the global game, providing vital support for Tier 2 nations ahead of the expanded Rugby World Cup.

by
Brendan Gallagher
2 August 2026

Bordeaux-Bègles and Perpignan players compete during a Top 14 clash.

Sometimes you just have to step back and take note of what is really happening out there, especially as the new enlarged 24-team World Cup looms large, the reality is there is no conceivable way rugby can stage a global World Cup without the largesse, generosity and scope of professional rugby in France.

French rugby is the driver of the global game and has been for a while now with the actual administrators for the sport – the laughably named World Rugby – reduced to impotent passengers.
Consider these facts, and I am indebted to the splendid Tier 2 website and its X account for them.
At the...

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