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Racing boss walks away from Stade union

Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti (right) and Stade Francais' Thomas Savare

It is safe to say it has been an unusual week in French rugby – and little of what has happened has troubled the positive side of the good/bad spectrum.

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It started on Monday, when Racing 92 and Stade Francais dropped THAT merger bomb on the the Top 14.

The shock that followed quickly gave way to anger and prompted an indefinite player strike as well as an outcry on social media. Players and staff at Top 14 rivals Toulon wore pink armbands to show their support for Stade’s players at their game against Grenoble on Sunday.

Even Les Bleus’ best Six Nations’ finish in years, with that 100th-minute victory over Wales, only managed to add the faintest veneer of respectability on French rugby, coming as it did amid chaotic scenes at Stade de France, and tainted as it was by allegations of biting and faked injuries.

After this particular week that was, French rugby could have been forgiven for wanting to run away and hide for a little while. It was not going to be so lucky.

Less than 24 hours after the events at Stade de France, an open letter from Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti was posted on the Top 14 side’s website and on social media.

In it, Lorenzetti revealed that the planned union with Stade Francais had been called off – prompting in equal measure the social media equivalent of cheers, and scathing comments about the plan, French rugby and the French in general.

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Stade’s player strike was quickly called off, after less than a week.

“I have decided to give up this beautiful project,” Lorenzetti said in the letter, in which he defended the plan but conceded that, maybe, the timing was not right. “I have heard and understood the reservations … the social, human, sporting conditions are not met. Perhaps it was the right thing too soon,” he wrote.

“The future of Stade Français will be written without us and I wish them the best.”

His partner in the merger plan, Stade’s Thomas Savare, said in a separate statement: “I have heard the emotion, surprise and incomprehension of supporters, players and members of our association.

“I have also heard of their deep attachment to the independence of Stade Francais – and this attachment comes before all other considerations.”

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This may not be the last we will hear of the merger plan, however. That ‘right thing too soon’ line is haunting.

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The statements from Lorenzetti and Savare pre-empted a meeting planned for Monday, after the LNR postponed the games involving the two clubs at the weekend – Racing were due to travel to Montpellier, while Stade were also supposed to be away, at Castres – after an initial meeting on Friday.

But they also revealed something else: the apparently precarious position of Stade Francais.

Savare admitted to Reuters that he cannot afford to keep the historic club afloat. It is no secret that he has been trying to sell Stade for some time, and has been engaged in bout of a belt-tightening after investing €20million of his own money since buying the club, against the wishes of some of his family, in 2011.

Already, a number of young French players who made up the Top 14 title-winning team of 2014/15 are on their way out. Rabah Slimani will join Clermont next season; Hugo Bonneval and Raphael Lakafia are on their way to Toulon; Jules Plisson, it is rumoured, could follow Geoffrey Doumayrou to La Rochelle; others may well follow, while coach Gonzalo Quesada has also said this campaign will be his last.

Players come and players go, but the churn out of Stade at the moment is unusually high. It’s almost an exodus. The number of players due to come in is minimal in comparison.

And now, pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus, which this year agreed to pay €97million a year for exclusive rights to the Top 14 in France between 2019 and 2023, has claimed that Savare has three months find a buyer, otherwise Stade risks being bumped down to the amateur leagues.

You may think selling a Top 14 club would be easy. When Mourad Boudjellal talked about selling Toulon, he was reportedly inundated with offers to take over a side deep in the heart of the rugby-mad south of the country. The problem for Savare is that Stade is not based in the rugby-mad south. It’s in a city where sport is simply not a religion – Paris only appears able to support one major soccer team (compare that to, for example, London). The inconvenient truth is two Top 14 rugby clubs in the capital may arguably be one too many.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 3 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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