The 2024/2025 season of the French Pro D2 is about to start, and the number of international players keeps growing with the likes of Courtney Lawes, George North, Chris Farrell, and Curwin Bosch having joined it.
Bernard Laporte's Montpellier are taking a growing trend in French rugby to the extreme by loaning out nearly one-fifth of their side to other clubs next season.
Montpellier coach Philippe Saint-Andre revealed he “screamed” at his team at half-time as he criticised their “apathetic” first-half performance in their Heineken Champions Cup draw with London Irish.
Biarritz president Jean-Baptiste Aldige has branded the current promotion format to the Top 14 from Pro D2 as tears and blood, a business made on human misery.
An Argentine scrum-half, a Wallabies centre, an All Blacks back-rower and an Irish prop head a stellar cast signed by Biarritz for the Top 14.
Leicester and Montpellier have named their teams for Friday night's Challenge Cup final at Twickenham which will have 10,000 fans present.
Unlike football's transfer windows, rugby's system leads to situations such as Zach Mercer playing for Bath against his new club Montpellier.
Variation shines when comparing early January wingers across the Premiership, PRO14 and Top 14, Montpellier fielding players with a 56kg weight difference.
There were big wins for 2017-18 Top 14 finalists Castres and Montpellier on Saturday, with Benjamin Urdapilleta inspiring.
Clermont had not been beaten since October, but they were brought back down to earth by Top 14 champions Castres.