the football one is almost the opposite
What's the historical forces driving that split?
oh, around the middle usually
Logical enough! The definition of 'the north' tends to shift downwards the closer you get to the Med. Lyon, Clermont and La Rochelle are in the north for someone in Toulon but the south for someone from Lille.
The most neutral division is maybe the phone prefixes. 02 and 03 are completely unrepresented.
Just a heads up for anyone interested. The Pro D2 starts this weekend. FRUK channel on YouTube are showing Brive v Vannes on the 30th August (This Saturday) at 8.00pm.
3 nil to Brive. Cooney with a penalty
Cooney 10 v Vannes 0.
Cooney 17 v Vannes 0
Cooney 20 vs Jeremy Davidson's Vannes 14
Finished 30 - 30. Vannes lost Saili to a red card early on, but almost stole the win, Brive equalised with 2 minutes to go.
ROG is back! A big game V UBB on Saturday night, live on Premier Sports. (Thank goodness I won't have to watch the soccer!)
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugby/arid-41699804.html (Subscriber only)
" Ronan O'Gara: A new start, but any other coach would have been sacked by now
This is my fifth season in charge, and I’m fairly sure some lads are tired of hearing my voice. That’s fine, I’m working on that. ……….
The reality in France and the Top 14 is that had I not won a couple of European Cups already at La Rochelle, I would probably be out of work now – or certainly no longer in the employ of this great club."
"Saturday night in Bordeaux might be sweet or sour but what means most is a first opportunity to wash away the last game of last season, and the defeat to Pau, from the system. That horrible memory I need to erase. With the best respects to Pau, we have to be beating them. We had salvaged a season with a run of wins and put ourselves 80 minutes from the barrage, but capitulated when the moment demanded so much more. We needed Tarzan. We got Jane."
"We needed Tarzan, we got Jane"
As the Womens Rugby World Cup moves towards the knock out stages, ROG seeks to win friends and influence people
🙄
Let's see Corey Tarzan's fend first.
He hared off some time ago
Facebook & Twitter post from Premier that Montpellier v Toulon will be streamed live on YouTube from 5:55p.m on Saturday.
https://x.com/PremSportsTV/status/1963618242326384717
Lyon beating Racing well, but the bigger news is that the Top 14 has new host broadcaster graphics for the first time in 11 years!
I do not care for it.
Racing were also very bad, but not much new there I guess.
Well, UBB beat La Rochelle 23-18 in a decent game with occasional flashes of brilliance. LaR looked sharp, and had chances to win it, but I'd say that ROG will be fuming about the try that Penaud created for Bordeaux from a quick lineout when LaR went to sleep for a few seconds.
The commentator informed us that the TOP 14 referees will be penalising crooked scrum feeds this season, I don't know if this will apply in the other leagues too, but it's good news.
Toulouse visit Clermont this evening, live on Premier Sport.
ASM v Stade Toulousain is a cracker.
24 - 27 after 67mins
Absolutely stupid free kick from Clermont
Jelonch goes over to make 24-34 after 73mins
Full time at Marcel Michelin
ASM 24
Stade Toulousain 32
Tonights Pro D2 game on YouTube at 20.00 is Agen V Grenoble.
A couple of Munster links to Agen: Dave Ryan played there for about a decade and is now scrum coach; and second row John Madigan is in the squad.
I don't know if Grenoble have any Irish links.
https://www.youtube.com/@FRUKrugby
The less said about Irish links to Grenoble the better.
Yes indeed! 😱
But I've found a link - the video analyst (rugby videos only) is called Luke Burke and he's Irlandaise!
Torrential rain seems to have caused the postponement of the Toulon v LaR match tonight
Also, in Pro 2, Montauban have had their Pro2 winning shield stolen.
https://www.rugbyrama.fr/2025/09/21/insolite-faits-divers-le-bouclier-de-champion-de-france-de-pro-d2-appartenant-a-montauban-a-ete-vole-lors-dune-foire-agricole-12944430.php
There's a ferocious thunderstorm going on there at the moment. The webcam shots from the port are quite impressive. https://toulon.fr/webcams
The stadium was flooded, water coming up through the manhole covers
Ma'aa Nonu (aged 43) scored for Toulon last night, but a last minute drop goal from Joris Segonds (who scored 25 points) got Bayonne a win that they scarcely deserved. FT 35 - 32; 2 tries to 4.
