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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Toulouse

Stade are willing to fight for Gustard

9 March 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN STADE Francais’ billionaire owner hinted last week that head coach Paul Gustard’s reported move to Leicester may not be quite as […]

Survival the name of game for Stade

2 March 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN AS approximately no one once said, a year is a long time in rugby. After the 17th round of the 2023/24 […]

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

23 February 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington Racing really needed that. A first win in the Top 14 since they beat Pau on the road in […]

Bayonne make it tough for Bordeaux

16 February 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Change of heart: France prop Tevita Tatafu has decided to stay at Bayonne PICTURES: Gety Images FOURTH hosted first yesterday, as […]

Patrice Collazo’s mission to rescue Racing 92

9 February 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington Lo! And, indeed, behold! Former Montpellier, Toulon, Brive and La Rochelle coach Patrice Collazo has parachuted in to save […]

Dark clouds hanging over selection of duo

2 February 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN EVERY member of a France team must contribute to preserving an exemplary image,” reads the opening paragraph of the FFR’s hastily […]

Toulouse show offstrength in depth

26 January 2025 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Scottish ace: Blair Kinghorn was on the scoresheet for Toulouse PICTURES: Getty Images UGO Mola’s remarkable Toulouse, shorn of 10 key […]

Encore for exiled prop star Rabah Slimani

19 January 2025 0 comments

French Column by James Harrington Last Wednesday, Fabien Galthie named six uncapped players in his 42-strong list for the first match of the senior men’s […]

Teddy Thomas reflects on career success, fatherhood

12 January 2025 0 comments

Lifting the most prestigious European competitions within rugby is only achieved by a small percentage despite the countless number of children who dream of this when they first step out on the pitch.

‘Je ne regrette rien’: Lewis Ludlam loving life at Toulon

12 January 2025 0 comments

Lewis Ludlam insists he will return to Northampton one day but has no regrets about leaving the town or England behind for now.

Fabien Galthie’s Six Nations dilemma: Who gets the vote at 10?

12 January 2025 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington There are bigger rugby weeks to come in 2025, but the Wednesday between January’s twin Champions and Challenge Cup […]

Stuart Lancaster looks like he will hang on

29 December 2024 0 comments

French Column, By James Harrington In the end, after weeks of speculation, chairman Laurent Travers will leave Racing 92 at the end of the season, […]

Bouscatel looks like he will run again

22 December 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up to Christmas, as Top […]

Bouscatel looks like he will run again

22 December 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up to Christmas, as Top […]

Bouscatel looks like he will run again

22 December 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN ADVENT tensions rather than goodwill in the corridors of French rugby power in the week leading up to Christmas, as Top […]

Oyonnax must live without Joe El-Abd

15 December 2024 0 comments

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 – was a relief […]

France won’t play All Blacks in USA

8 December 2024 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington The FFR has rejected a proposal from New Zealand to relocate the third Test of next July’s tour to […]

Stade are heading in right direction Racing

1 December 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN IS there an early winter equivalent to the idiom about solitary swallows and the impending arrival of summer? Because – whatever […]

Sadourny gets nod to replace Davidson

24 November 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Hat-trick man: Toulon wing Gael Drean runs in to score against Bayonne PICTURE: Getty Images IN April 2019, then-France coach Jacques […]

Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions

10 November 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has – so far – been no exception. In fact, […]

Galthie turns his sights to the future

3 November 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Not wanted: Charles Ollivon has been omitted from the France squad by coach Fabien Galthie PICTURES Getty Images FRANCE head coach […]

Maverick Jalibert makes his case

27 October 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN HOW do you solve a problem like Matthieu Jalibert? The 25-year-old Bordeaux fly-half is, undoubtedly, one of the talents of French […]

Gustard needs to get Stade rocking

20 October 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE November break cannot come quickly enough for Stade Francais, no matter what happens against Clermont in Paris on Saturday night […]

Manu Tuilagi makes mark for Bayonne

13 October 2024 0 comments

French Column, by James Harrington While the focus of French rugby attention is on Stade Ernest Wallon and the return to action of a certain […]

Stade get back into winning routine

6 October 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN WHEN does a bad start become a crisis? For Stade Francais it was the morning after last Saturday’s defeat at Pau, […]

Magnificent Sam Marques deserves place at the top table

29 September 2024 0 comments

The splendid Samuel Marques – 35 but still going strong and mulling coming out of international retirement – has been declared the ProD2 player of […]

Galthie’s plans will need a re-think

29 September 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FOUR weeks into the Top 14 season and six weeks out from France’s opening Autumn Nations Series match, Fabien Galthie is […]

Frisch in mood to impress Galthie

22 September 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Ambitious: Antoine Frisch is keen to make a mark in the international setup PICTURE: Getty Images ONE-TIME Bristol Bear Antoine Frisch […]

Henry Chavancy notches No. 400 for Racing 92

15 September 2024 0 comments

French Column – By James Harrington Racing 92’s veteran centre Henry Chavancy reached a remarkable career milestone on Saturday when he came on to replace […]

Stuart Lancaster: Owen Farrell will be key to Racing 92 Success

13 September 2024 0 comments

Racing 92 head coach Stuart Lancaster believes that Owen Farrell’s development over the last decade will be key to the Parisians’ success this season. Lancaster, […]

Castres steal it in dramatic late show

8 September 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN The big kick-off: Henry Arundell scored Racing’s first try of the season but it was not a debut to remember for […]

Bayonne centre Manu Tuilagi to miss start of season

1 September 2024 0 comments

Manu Tuilagi will miss the start of the upcoming Top 14 season for new club Bayonne after breaking his hand.

Brive get one over title rivals Oyonnax

1 September 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN PICTURES: Getty Images Impressive debut: Courtney Lawes playing for Brive against Oyonnax. Inset, Jonny May COURTNEY Lawes officially kicked off his […]

Manu Tuilagi suffers broken hand in pre-season game for new club Bayonne

28 August 2024 0 comments

Tuilagi has suffered more injury woe after he swapped England for France. Former England centre Manu Tuilagi will have to wait before he can debut […]

Farrell in danger of being lost in France

25 August 2024 0 comments

Jeremy Guscott Outspoken and unmissable… Every week Finn Russell’s statement about how much he’d like to reunite with Owen Farrell for the 2025 Lions, particularly […]

Carbonel will add the flair for Stade

25 August 2024 0 comments

James Harrington French column Last season, Stade Francais finished second in the Top 14 to qualify directly for the semi-finals – where an after-the-hooter conversion […]

Racing 92 confirm Le Garrec is leaving

18 August 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN On the move: Scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec will be joining La Rochelle PICTURE: Getty Images YES, it’s still August – I’ve […]

Mehrtens reported to lead group out to buy Beziers

18 August 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON LESS than two weeks before the new ProD2 season kicks off, overseas buyers have officially submitted a bid to buy Beziers – four […]

Jaminet appeals against long ban

4 August 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN FRANCE international Melvyn Jaminet is to appeal against a 34- week suspension and €30,000 fine imposed by the FFR’s disciplinary committee […]

14 poised to hit the ground running

28 July 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN One to watch: Owen Farrell is the next in a long line of big-name internationals who have played at 10 for […]

Vannes facing a tough early test

21 July 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Promoted ProD2 winners Vannes will kick off their first-ever season in the Top 14 at home against 23-time French champions Toulouse […]

Time for players to behave properly

14 July 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN There are no ‘good’ responses to Melvyn Jaminet’s violently racist outburst on social media, or the serious sexual assault allegations levelled […]

There’s more than money to Toulouse

7 July 2024 0 comments

RUGBY MATTERS A weekly look at the game’s other talking points BRENDAN GALLAGHER There have, rightly, been acres of words written about Toulouse in recent […]

Jalibert is top of the ‘wanted’ list again

7 July 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Never mind that the words ‘Stade Toulousain’ have only just been meticulously punched into the plaque on the Bouclier de Brennus […]

Terrific Toulouse go on the rampage

30 June 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN “We didn’t just lose the arm wrestle – we had our wrists broken under the table,” Bordeaux boss Yannick Bru admitted, […]

Ntamack makes sure for Toulouse

23 June 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN RONAN O’Gara must be wondering what he has to do for his La Rochelle side to beat Toulouse when it matters. […]

Carbonel winner ensures last-gasp Montpellier survival

16 June 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN THE English Football League’s Championship play-off final is sometimes referred to as ‘the richest game in football’, with £100million of spoils […]

Hogg has eyes set on Top 14 surprise

9 June 2024 0 comments

JAMES HARRINGTON FRENCH COLUMN Stuart Hogg’s reported surprise reverse-ferret back into the professional game after his retirement last year – and repeated suggestions that he […]

Cholley has cast his fearsome shadow over Castres

2 June 2024 0 comments

Castres have reinforced their position as the most red-carded of clubs, a fact unlikely to surprise those who remember their most famous or infamous player […]

Gopperth misses out on top flight

2 June 2024 0 comments

FRENCH COLUMN By JAMES HARRINGTON Jimmy Gopperth won’t be the oldest-ever player to feature in the Top 14 next season after all, after his Provence […]

Top 14

Biarritz

Bordeaux

Brive

Castres

Clermont

La Rochelle

Lyon

Montpellier

Paris

Pau

Perpignan

Racing 92

Toulon

Toulouse

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