By Nick Cain

Vannes versus Bordeaux is one of my highlights of the 2024-25 season so far, because if you want to see a vibrant, competitive, compelling portrait of what club leagues should be, this is it.
It also explains why seeing the Premiership owners’ group – which is still doing its utmost to block promotion-relegation – corralled into watching a re-run of the Top 14 match between newly promoted Vannes and league leaders Bordeaux, is top of my New Year’s wish list.
Their attempts to prevent the Championship winners coming up have become farcical, whereas across The Channel, in a league ...