Big names, big calves and ‘Les eléphants' — France's end-of-term bunfight
Fans of promotion and relegation are in for a treat over the next month. France has commenced its end-of-season fête of play-offs: weekend after weekend of quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals and matchs d'accession. The fluidity has begun.
Let us start where amateur meets professional. On Sunday, Niort triumphed over Langon to secure their place in Nationale, the third tier of French rugby. The Niortais are towards the west, just under an hour's drive from La Rochelle, and they will rise up a level with Rennes Étudiants Club (REC), who beat them in the Nationale 2 final.
The restoration of REC to the third tier — they have a five-year plan to reach Pro D2 — adds a Breton accoutrement to the sport's upper echelons, following
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
George Turner relishing return to Scotland fold as milestone appearance looms
George Turner is intent on hitting the 50-cap mark for Scotland after returning to the Test arena following a year in Japan. The 32-year-old was Gregor Townsend's first-choice hooker before he effectively ruled himself out of contention for the national team when he left Glasgow to join Kobe Steelers last summer. After securing a move to Harlequins for the upcoming campaign, however, Turner has been recalled for the summer tour of the Pacific Islands and is relishing the chance to add to his 45 caps. 'I've wanted to hit 50 caps for a while and I'm nearly there, so I think that's a good driving force,' he said after returning to the fold for the first time since the 2024 Six Nations. 'I'm getting older but I'm still young enough to have a few more years left.' Turner, who was previously a mainstay of Townsend's front-row, admitted it was tough watching Scotland from afar, but he always felt there was a possibility he could return. 'Yeah, there was obviously a bit of the FOMO (fear of missing out), seeing the boys getting warmed up and playing those games. I obviously watched, and it was nice to almost be a fan, but it was tough watching sometimes. 'Before going out to Japan, there was always a possibility of coming back. I didn't really plan much ahead apart from just getting out there, I kind of knew it would only be a year. I had to do it, I felt like I had a really good time, and then towards the last few months I made the plans about coming back, so I'm excited and happy to be back in here.' Reflecting on his year in Japan, Turner said: 'It was really cool. It was really good for my family, they had a great time, they integrated well, they didn't want to leave in the end, I felt bad. 'It was a really cool year for us and for rugby as well, it was cool to experience that kind of bit more fast-paced, loose, crazy rugby.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
WRU to revamp £2.84m funding for community clubs
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is revamping the way in which it shares almost £3m in funding the 276 community clubs in body chiefs say "for the first time" the money distributed from the 2026-27 onwards will acknowledge off as well as on-field "success" with the aim of creating "quality, resilient, sustainable and thriving clubs".Targets have been set by the WRU for clubs to achieve by 2030 with 95% of them establishing plans for club development as well as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) schemes to show "they are welcoming, inclusive and safe environments".The third aim is for all the clubs to "maintain a rolling programme of self-assessment, which ensures they are well governed, culturally astute, modern and well run". The "major cultural shift" detailed in a WRU statement, external comes after a year in which officials met club representatives throughout the plan's aims include helping clubs become "funding ready" to ensure they can share in grants and to provide them "with easily accessible digital templates and online resources to ensure all meet minimum operating standards".WRU executive director of community Geraint John, who led the review into grassroots funding, said: "The new model reflects the reality that our modern community rugby clubs must focus just as much on culture, inclusion and governance as they do on performance."We are rewarding those who are proactive in developing junior participation and community links, and who commit to building welcoming, well-run club environments. This is an essential part of future-proofing our clubs."John Manders is a WRU board member and also chairs the the governing body's community game said: "We believe this new model will transform club rugby and give many of our clubs the opportunity to apply for greater funding."The model is the result of months of collaboration and consultation with our clubs."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The truth behind Caitlin Clark's real Olympic snub... one year after WNBA star was left out of Team USA
Caitlin Clark turned down the chance to play for USA's 3x3 team at the Paris Olympics before being left off the full women's roster, it has been revealed. The WNBA sensation was controversially snubbed by Team USA boss Cheryl Reeve at last year's Olympic Games, despite her record-breaking college success with Iowa and strong start up in the big leagues with the Indiana Fever at the time. Reeve's decision sparked outrage amongst fans who were adamant that Clark deserved to go to the French capital, where both the men's and women's teams claimed gold medals. Yet according to reporter and author Christine Brennan, the Fever star did have the chance to go to the Olympics with the three-on-three team. In her new book - titled 'On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports' - Brennan claims Clark rejected an offer to play for the 3x3 team 'well before June'. USA officials made the offer knowing there was still a qualifying event she could play in to become eligible for the Olympics, having never played on a national 3x3 team, she explains. Instead of playing 3x3 basketball, Clark used the WNBA's mid-season break during the Olympics to recharge her batteries ahead of the second half of her rookie year. After being snubbed for a place on the main roster, she said in June 2024: 'I'm excited for the girls that are on the team. I know it's the most competitive team in the world and I know it could've gone either way, me being on the team or me not being on the team. 'I'm excited for them, gonna be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, it'll be fun to watch them. 'Honestly, no disappointment. I think it just gives you something to work for. It's a dream, hopefully one day I can be there. I think it's just a little bit more motivation. You remember that and hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.' Clark also revealed that she was already aware she hadn't been picked before the news broke. 'They called me and let me know before everything came out, which was really respectful of them and I appreciated that,' she continued. 'They did the same for every girl that made the team or every girl that didn't make the team. There's a lot of players in the Olympic pool, so it wasn't like I was the only one they had to call. They had to make quite a few calls.' Brennan, who is not without controversy, has an upcoming book on Clark and her impact A year on from her surprise decision, Reeve is facing calls to resign over her 'stunningly bad' conflict of interest involving Clark. In a remarkable set of resurfaced tweets, highlighted by Brennan, the Team USA coach appeared to take aim at Caitlin, who has become the face of the WNBA in recent years. In May 2024, Reeve appeared to take issue with the amount of TV time given to the Indiana rookie when she wrote 'The W is more than one player'. 'How on earth is that ok with the US Olympic and Paralympic community and the USA basketball team that its coach is actively tweeting and going on social media about someone who is in the selection pool?' Brennan said on The Adam Gold Show.
