Racing 92 and Stade Francais to merge from next season

thomond2006

http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html
http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html

Who saw this coming? Stade Francais just redeveloped Stade Jean-Bouin and Arena 92 is under construction for Racing.

Where will the team play? What will happen with both squads? Will there be no ProD2 promotion playoff now? So many questions.

Your Face

That's insane news.

irishbucsfan

Mad

geotrig

/me checks date ...not april 1st


are they becoming one are just merging resources ?

durthacht

thomond2006 wrote: »

http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html
http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html

Who saw this coming? Stade Francais just redeveloped Stade Jean-Bouin and Arena 92 is under construction for Racing.

Where will the team play? What will happen with both squads? Will there be no ProD2 promotion playoff now? So many questions.

:eek:

Bridge93

Can't see the fans being happy with that

sydthebeat

crazy stuff ??

irishbucsfan

When you translate this comment on the Racing92 site, it reads like Jacques-Jacques Liverot:

"Without voice ... when we see the Racing Paris, in sky blue and pink, with a Dupuy - Carter hinge it 's going to be weird. Most likely, we will not even look."

New club so will it have to start from the bottom?

thomond2006

Philip Jolly Washbowl wrote: »

New club so will it have to start from the bottom?

No chance of that. Neither club will be relegated this year so there's no issue there.

Former Former

Mental. Absolutely bizarre.

Big winners here could be Grenoble, if they avoid relegation as a result.

errlloyd

Wait. What

Peregrine

Woah. They're two of the oldest clubs in the Top 14. I'll be kinda sad.

LostArt

mad

errlloyd

Great news for Bernard Jackman, I assume only one gets relegated?

Cookiemunster

thomond2006 wrote: »

http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html
http://www.racing92.fr/fr/Equipe_Pro/Plus_forts_ensemble__-Actualite-49-4915.html

Who saw this coming? Stade Francais just redeveloped Stade Jean-Bouin and Arena 92 is under construction for Racing.

Where will the team play? What will happen with both squads? Will there be no ProD2 promotion playoff now? So many questions.

According to Gavin Mortimer on twitter they'll play in the new Arena92 and Stade Jean-Bouin will be used by Ligue 2 football team Red Star.

Cookiemunster

Former Former wrote: »

Mental. Absolutely bizarre.

Big winners here could be Bayonne, if they avoid relegation as a result.

They're bottom. Grenoble more likely to benefit if they stay 13th.

irishbucsfan

errlloyd wrote: »

Great news for Bernard Jackman, I assume only one gets relegated?

Gavin Mortimer suggesting it'll be a playoff between Pro D2 runner up and 13th in Top 14.

irishbucsfan

So many questions.

What happens if you're a squad player on a long term contract, not considered good enough to make the cut for the new supersquad? Do you get a payoff?

Also, how valuable will my old Stade Francais jersey be on ebay now?

Former Former

Cookiemunster wrote: »

They're bottom. Grenoble more likely to benefit if they stay 13th.

You got in before my ninja edit. Bastard.

rekdtangle

Wonder what they will be calling themselves? Paris, Racing Paris, Stade 92, my favourite would be Racing Francais.

However this goes there will be serious investment in the squad.

thomond2006

They'll have an insane lineup next season if they can cherry pick a new squad from the current Racing and SF squads.

sullivlo

The biggest question:

Will the stade jersey still be amazing?

Somedaythefire

sullivlo wrote: »

The biggest question:

Will the stade jersey still be amazing?

This is what I'm worried about. Though if they go pink and sky blue it could be even better than pink and navy.

errlloyd

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Gavin Mortimer suggesting it'll be a playoff between Pro D2 runner up and 13th in Top 14.

So just to clarify. The ProD2 runner up, is effectively the team who comes third, because the winner of the D2 doesn't go through play offs?

irishbucsfan

errlloyd wrote: »

So just to clarify. The ProD2 runner up, is effectively the team who comes third, because the winner of the D2 doesn't go through play offs?

It'd be the loser of the Pro D2 final, is what he actually said before I butchered it.

aloooof

What happens with the coaching staff?? Queue ROG rumours...

irishbucsfan

aloooof wrote: »

What happens with the coaching staff?? Queue ROG rumours...

Brilliant! How did I miss that. That's the media cycle for this week sorted.

irishbucsfan

Ronan O'Gara to Ireland as attack coach. You read it here first I know that because I just invented it

Zzippy

Jaysus, that's the biggest news in club rugby in a long time.

Gonna be a lot of players on the market unless they're planning a squad of 80+.

Will ROG be kept on? IIRC Racing had a fairly small coaching staff anyway. No idea about Stade...

irishbucsfan

Zzippy wrote: »

Jaysus, that's the biggest news in club rugby in a long time.

Gonna be a lot of players on the market unless they're planning a squad of 80+.

Will ROG be kept on? IIRC Racing had a fairly small coaching staff anyway. No idea about Stade...

Stade have a small coaching staff, their head coach Gonzalo Quesada might have been a big threat to ROG's job but he's already announced that he's leaving.

Their newly appointed head coach was to be their current backs coach though, Greg Cooper. So they might end up having to choose between Cooper and ROG.

wp_rathead

Remember the sh¡tfest when was rumored Biarritz and Bayonne were merging - can only imagine this gonna be bigger sh¡tfest

errlloyd

I wonder is there anyone worth raiding. Dupuy, Machenaud and Genia. They are one international standard, but not starting, scrum half surplus to requirements. Ulster?

Plisson, Carter, Steyn, Tales?

CMOTDibbler

So to recap. French rugby was starting to look sane. That couldn't last really.

irishbucsfan

https://twitter.com/hugobonneval/status/841251739407962112

Juicy

Zzippy

Weepsie wrote: »

Could the players just walk if they wanted? and some of them could start shopping themselves around elsewhere

Any lawyers on the forum? Presumably it's the same as a merger and contracts with the employer remain valid, and the employer either retains staff or pays off their contract and lets them go? I doubt they could consider their contracts invalid and just walk if they wanted to...

CMOTDibbler

Zzippy wrote: »

Any lawyers on the forum? Presumably it's the same as a merger and contracts with the employer remain valid, and the employer either retains staff or pays off their contract and lets them go? I doubt they could consider their contracts invalid and just walk if they wanted to...

Depends on what's in their contract really. Though it would have to be the most pedantic lawyer imaginable that would put such a clause in a player's contract.

thomond2006

irishbucsfan wrote: »

https://twitter.com/hugobonneval/status/841251739407962112

Juicy

He's signed for Toulon in any case.

errlloyd

Flights seem pricey enough, but I'd love to go see Stade's last home game against Racing.

Former Former

http://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/top-14/2016-2017/racing-92-jacky-lorenzetti-promet-aux-supporters-qu-apres-la-fusion-il-seront-inarretables_sto6091908/story.shtml

Jacky Lorenzetti wrote:

We have been champions of Pro D2, of Top 14, our academy team has triumphed twice in a row, our youth teams shine, we have great training facilities, but this year has shown us the difficulty of maintaining this level of performance year after year. Our neighbours at Stade have the same problem.

So we are confronted by the question; how do we go from winning once to being in a position to win every year? They, like us, asked themselves this question. We said to ourselves that the answer was right before our eyes, an answer that we hadn't raised before now because it was difficult even if it was obvious. The answer? To join forces, co-operate at an organisational level, and merge our two professional teams, because together we will be unstoppable.

irishman86

I thought they would have been two of the biggest teams

Neil3030

Christ, no matter how bad your morning has been, just be thankful you are not the Stade out-half, waking up to learn you now have to compete with Dan Carter for your shirt. Or the Racing No. 8, learning that you now must go head to head with Sergio.

thomond2006

Reading on Twitter it seems more of a Racing takeover than a merger.

CMOTDibbler

It's hard to understand really. Two of the oldest clubs in French rugby effectively gone. It's not as though there's a windfall from the sale of the Stade Francais stadium, because that belongs to the city of Paris.

Is it a case of the sugar daddies looking to pool their investment and cut their costs? Stade were near relegation five years ago due to financial problems until Savare bought a controlling interest. Perhaps Lorenzetti is feeling the pinch with the cost of the U Arena and this is the best way they can see to cutting their expenditure?

vienne86

Just arrived home and WOW! All sorts of questions - what will happen to coaching staff, surplus players.....and I'm really sorry for the fans. How was this kept quiet until now. Huge news.

errlloyd

thomond2006 wrote: »

Reading on Twitter it seems more of a Racing takeover than a merger.

That was the impression I was getting. Racing coaches, Racing Stadium seem to be taking control. Probably explains Bonneval's disappointment

Cookiemunster

https://twitter.com/gavinmortimer7/status/841274770746462209

thomond2006

Gav Mortimer also saying the SF players were only infirmed themselves this morning. That's scandalous.

VinLieger

Rumours in the French press the Stade Francais players might strike ahead of the Castres game

Podge_irl

irishbucsfan wrote: »

It'd be the loser of the Pro D2 final, is what he actually said before I butchered it.

The loser of the Pro D2 final gets promoted anyway though? It's normally 2 up 2 down so now it would just be 2 up 1 down?

errlloyd

Podge_irl wrote: »

The loser of the Pro D2 final gets promoted anyway though? It's normally 2 up 2 down so now it would just be 2 up 1 down?

I tried to clarify this.

The proD2 final takes place between the winners of the ProD2 semis (which is logical)

But the ProD2 semi finalists are teams 2,3,4,5. The team that tops the league gets promoted straight away and doesn't play the play off. So in this case. Teams going up would be.

ProD2 League Winner
ProD2 Play off Winner

Teams going down.

Top14 Loser.

Teams playing off

Top14 13th place
ProD2 playoff final loser.