by The roll call for English international players looking to turn their backs on the Premier League and cross the English Channel increases by the week. Of those who were part of Steve Borthwick’s World Cup squad, Henry Arundell, Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and David Ribbans chose to fly their flags with the top 14 clubs this season. Northampton club captain Lewis Ludlam will join the Ribbons in Toulon next season, with others rumored to be joining him.
Outside of Borthwick’s squad, Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds, Joe Simmonds, Dan Robson and Harry Williams are international colleagues who left the England system last season to travel in France.
On the face of it, the allure of the Top 14 – and, even, the ProD2 – is a feather in the cap of the French system. René Bouscatel, president of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (the governing body of the first and second leagues in France) shares that view – to a certain extent. Bouscatel, who spent 25 years as president of Toulouse, is not convinced that the benefits of an influx of English players are as obvious as they might be for the sport in general.
“It’s good news at the same time for the clubs that are signing the difficulties at the English clubs, with a lot of players coming to France, but I’m not sure it’s good news for rugby in general,” says Bouscatel .
“We both experience highs and lows. England were ahead of us at the beginning of professionalism but now they are facing challenges – and I think it is harmful to take advantage of these difficulties by bringing a lot of English players to France.
“It’s good news for the clubs that get players from abroad, including the English. It’s good news for the attractiveness of our leagues, but not necessarily good news for rugby in general in the long term.
“At a high performance level, competition is key. You need opposing teams that are at the same level. I take no pleasure in the state of English clubs – or in other countries.
“If some English players came to France and some French players to England it would be great. I would be happy about that, because it will enrich both series. However, it should not be too large, as it would weaken one country or another. We have to strike a balance.”
Despite the disappointment of their own World Cup quarter-final, rugby continues to thrive in France. As well as dampening the suddenness of the event, hosting the competition across the English Channel has seen unprecedented domestic rugby attendances. Average TV audiences for Top 14 and Pro D2 rugby – broadcast via subscription only Canal+ – and the play-off semi-finals, which are due to take place over one weekend in Bordeaux in June 2024, are up by 10 per cent. sold out in four days. Société Générale and GMF, two long-time sponsors, have renewed their partnerships with three more to come.
But, stressed Bouscatel, the advice to their English colleagues is simple: it’s not all about money. Keeping the competition alive is vital – six clubs in the top 14 qualify for the finals of the season, as opposed to four in the Premier League.
“In the beginning, English rugby was based on millionaires, men with a lot of money who thought they were always right because they had a lot of money,” he says. “Not all of them were like that – but many.
“A bath is a good example. It is thought that they have been building a stadium for the last 25 years. I have been there many times, and they show me the plans every time, but I have not seen it. I always have to take my umbrella there – it rains a lot. I mean this in the nicest way possible, because Bruce is my friend [Craig]but they are dreamers there.
“The English are kings of marketing! But if you want to sell, it needs a good product. We have built a product. Two European champions in a row. Our league is attractive. When I was a young president, there was one club – mine, Toulouse – that was better than the rest. We won four titles in a row, never against the same competitor. These days, champions don’t usually go on, and in the Top 14, on the final day of last season’s championship, there were 10 clubs who could have finished in the top six. as champions of France.
“I think what has been corrosive within the English game is that the economic product has been prioritized over the sport. In France, we prioritized sport – building our product, our competition – and from that success, we generated economic benefit. Not the other way around. At one point, I was the president of Toulouse and we lost by 70 points to Wasps in the Heineken Cup. We had to change.”
Others followed suit and now France, at home, is blazing a trail.
