After the bedlam of the #Nationale final now it's back to the (tediousness?) of the #Top14 A late change with Jean-Baptiste Gros out & Léo Ametlla starting and Daniel Brennan on the bench A Racing loss would guarantee Pau, Montpellier and Stade Français' play-off spots

Wow! What a result for Narbonne! They’ve turned over two huge spending teams now. They’ve got great stash and great social media accounts - so for those reasons, we are happy they have got promoted to #ProD2

The Access Match will be on May 31 not next weekend #ProD2 #Nationale

More from Laussucq: "Everyone had their minds on Bilbao. The players didn't want to get injured a week out from a final. It's expected that you committ a little less, are a little slower in defence. Against a good team we would have conceded 40 points. I'm not worried" #ChampionsCup #Top14

Bordeaux-Begles defence coach Christophe Laussucq very unhappy with his side after a nervy 37-32 win over Perpignan in the #Top14 "We're depend too much on certain guys. It's a bit worrying. We'd like to have a more balance squad, it's not the case this year" One week from the #ChampionsCup final

Lyon's Fiji winger scored his 18th #Top14 try of the season in their 42-35 win over Bayonne to become the club's first player to reach the landmark in the first division Baptiste Couilloud had the previous record of 17

Half an hour gone in the #Nationale final Wales fly-half Owen Williams with a penalty and conversion for Nice after Italy winger David Odiete's try

Leo Cullen will like seeing the result at Chaban-Delmas... #Top14

Theo Attissogbe's 78th minute try helps Pau beat Clermont 24-19 to improve les Bearnais' hopes for an automatic semi-final spot #Top14

#AccidentallyWesAnderson A bakery in the Auvergne

France announce the locations for Les Bleus & Les Bleues' home games in 2026-2027 Still no Stade de France date for the women but Lyon's Stade Gerland to host the WXV game with New Zealand Only men's game outside of Paris will also be in Lyon, but the Groupama Stadium

Pau's ex-All Blacks back-rower/ lock Luke Whitelock announces he will retire at the end of the season He's been at Stade du Hameau since 2019 and even had a few games along his brother Sam for La Section Focus now is a first #Top14 play-offs (and semi-final?) appearance...

Saracens confirm Samoa lock/ back-rower Theo McFarland is leaving for "an opportunity in France" 99% on his way to La Rochelle #Top14 saracens.com/theo-mcfarla...

Example 986,481 of how batshit French rugby can be Chapeau @squidgerugby.bsky.social

Apisai Naqalevu's extra-time 'tackle' is another highlight, a Fijian hug #Nationale

La Rochelle flanker Matthias Haddad suffered a pretty nasty concussion against Racing 92 and was stretchered off the field He seems OK having posted on Instagram "All good. Thanks for your messages. See you soon" #Top14

Two statement signings from Carcassonne despite their relegation from #ProD2 Portugal scrum-half Samuel Marques and local boy in flanker Clement Doumenc arrive with A LOT of experience in the #Top14 and second division Serious names for the #Nationale

If this doesn't make this week's Jouez: The French Rugby Dispatch Substack, nothing will!

Vannes release their supporters' t-shirt for the #ProD2 knock-outs "We are Brittany" in Breton They're straight into the semi-finals on May 28/29, when they will face one of Colomiers, Provence, Valence-Romans, Oyonnax or Brive

Looking like Mwayembe in for Ylanna Brosseau at loose-head is the only change for Sunday's game #W6N #SixNations

Bourdon Sansus is the only member of this France squad remaining from Les Bleues' last win over England, in 2018 "It's been years that we lose against them. But we've seen they have flaws" #W6N #SixNations

"It's up to us to show what we're worth and if our project really works against a big team" France scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus before playing England in Sunday's #W6N decider #SixNations

The paperback version of ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME is coming out soon! And with an even more stunning cover 🥰

Pretty funny post from Metz He sarcastically described himself as a "thoroughbread finisher" having score the grand total of ONE try druing his career "After 15 years, I'm leaving to chop some wood... but in a forest this time"

Vannes' one-time France lock Fabrice Metz announces his retirement aged 35 Absolute warhorse having played more than 300 senior games as a rare product from the Alsace Promotion to the #Top14 now the goal for the Bretons #ProD2

Prop Ambre Mwayembe has been one of my Les Bleues' highlights so far this #W6N This week's Jouez: The French Rugby Dispatch looks at the wanabee wrestler, squad DJ and her fake eyelashes before Sunday's title decider with England Out on Thursday here: illtuddafydd.substack.com/

Example 9,873 of how crazy #ProD2 is... Aurillac centre Hugo 'Sexy' Bastard scored against Grenoble on Friday without his shirt off (The assist from Lucas Oudard is tidy too) #ProD2MonAmour

Montpellier's Argentina centre Justo Piccardo joined this select list of players to score a #Top14 quadruple on the weekend Try picking a starting 11 & 14 from that bunch

Toulon president Bernard Lemaitre confirms Munster's Alex Codling will head to Stade Mayol next season www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRjO...

Saturday's #Nationale final between Nice and Narbonne will be refereed by #Top14 veteran Jonathan Gasnier Lengthy trip for both sets of fans too Nice is 550km and 5h30 drive away, Narbonne 470km and 5 hours Winner goes up to #ProD2, loser plays Mont-de-Marsan or Biarritz in promotion play-off

The final round of the regular season in #ProD2 on Friday Colomiers and Provence battling for the second semi-final spot with home play-off spots up for grabs too Mont-de-Marsan/Biarritz for the relegation play-off The south-west could lose a bastion of the sport to the third tier #Nationale

Bayonne are interested in Bordeaux-Begles' winger Madosh Tambwe, according to Midi Olympique The Basques are also looking for a second-row/ blindside flanker with Baptiste Chouzenoux facing a possible early retirement due to concussion #Top14

More from Ratier: "How many games have they won on the bounce? 40? 150? 2,000? I don't know any more. It will be the world champions against the fourth in the world. It will be Rocky III" #W6N #SixNations

Feel like if anyone is going to break a record for longest conversion, it’s going to be Jaminet. During the recent storms (and high winds) in Southern France, he nailed one in training from his own 22m…

"The bosses' round" Toulouse and their half-backs show who's in the charge with their hammering of Toulon on Saturday #Top14

Suarve

And now its penalty shoot outs!!!!

Great atmosphere in Albi with a sizeable away following for Les Oranges et Noirs

Wow, Melvyn Jaminet (in Nike boots) has just cleared the in-goal area with a 60m penalty, huuuuge Toulon lead Toulouse 20-17 just before the break #Top14

Vendrame out of the Giro, along with Vine, Soler, Holter and Buitrago following the crash with 23kk to go

France head coach Francois Ratier after beating Scotland 69-28 to set-up another #W6N decider against England, next Sunday "What we're looking for is to put in an ultimate performance next weekend" #SixNations

One of the #Top14's Nike derbies kicks off in 10 minutes as Toulon host Toulouse in Marseille The American brand's relationship with French rugby is the focus of this week's Substack Read it here: substack.com/home/post/p-196530776

Not the best timing for the #Top14 website to undergo an udpate...

Half-Time score in the #Top14 'multiplex' games Looks like Montauban are down to #ProD2

I just watched a mad match in Pro D2 : HT Aix 0-24 Vannes FT Aix 34-31 Vannes Sadly, Sione Kalamafoni got badly KOd at the end.

Perpignan head coach Laurent Labit confirms Jamie Ritchie's move to Glasgow: "Jamie is someone who gives a lot, who is thankful towards the club, there are moments when personal and private life is more important than professional life" #Top14

Nike x French rugby, they go back a while... The subject of this week's Jouez: The French Rugby Dispatch Out tomorrow, here: substack.com/@illtuddafydd

Leigh Halfpenny, the Toulon years (2014-2017, 544 points in 40 games) (and yes that's Dan Carter on the ground...)