LONG READ Why France has become rugby's land of milk and honey

Do you remember that Ariana Grande song “7 Rings” in which she says “You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it/I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it, yeah”? Well, French club rugby is the living embodiment of that song right now, hiring more than a few of the most spectacular superstars of our oval world.

From Courtney Lawes to Manu Tuilagi, and George North to Owen Farell, there is no shortage of star power in the transfer lists of the 30 teams which fill the ranks of the two main club divisions.

But how can these signings help change the future of their new clubs? And who are some of the best hidden gems?

The behemoths

It is clear as daylight the vast majority of clubs went big in the summer, and added a couple of massive – and lethal – cannons to their rosters, with Montpellier, Provence, Racing 92, and CA Brive some of those with the most eye-catching additions.

After avoiding what could’ve been one of the most shocking relegation stories of recent years, Montpellier hired 15 players, hoping to get back into the title race, or at least, have a more relaxing season. Try-glutton Madosh Tambwe (who bagged 19 in 35 games for Bordeaux-Begles), Red Rose heavyweight Billy Vunipola and Wallaby hooker Jordan Uelese are three of their major recruits. Add in Scotland centurion Stuart Hogg’s return from retirement, and head coach Joan Caudullo has the raw material to climb back to the Champions Cup berths.

And what to say about Aix-en-Provence’s work? The Mediterranean club has picked a handful of star players, with Welsh legend North sitting at the top of the table, joined by former Wallabies Ned Hanigan and Izack Rodda, and Les Bleus playmaker Jules Plisson. In a team already blessed with Jimmy Gopperth, Josh Tyrell, Tomas Francis, and Atila Septar, it seems obvious Provence have Top 14 promotion in their crosshairs, chucking a couple more million into what is already one of the biggest budgets of the ProD2 (an incredible 14m Euros was the official number for last season).

And if we are talking about budgets, CA Brive is the biggest fish in the ProD2 pond with the arrivals of bone-crushing Premiership champion Lawes, and the elusive play-maker Curwin Bosch. Lawes will likely combine with Ross Moriarty and Retief Marais to form one of the deadliest loosie trios, while Bosch’s role will be to add a bit of unpredictability to a backline built on the back of Sam Johnson, Paul Pimienta, Asaeli Tuivuaka, Thomas Laranjeira and Timilai Rokoduru.

And what about the Parisian sides? Will the Top 14 title find its way back to the capital? Stade Français and Racing 92 plunged deep into their pockets to collect a handful of firecrackers for their arsenal, with the latter making the biggest move of the transfer market: Farrell.

Les Ciel et Blanc went all-in, finally filling the boots of Finn Russell with another prolific kicker who can also deliver a spectacular puppeteering show to the Paris La Défense Arena. If Siya Kolisi stays in the City of Light, it would be a mistake to not regard them as one of the title contenders alongside Bordeaux Begles and Toulouse.

Here are my top five French club signings:

1. Owen Farrell (Saracens to Racing 92): the biggest of them all, and a good bet to finish top points scorer this season in a Racing side with major championship credentials.
2. George North (Ospreys to Provence): the Welsh tank is going to have fun in the ProD2 and shine as one of the best backs in the competition. If he keeps a clean bill of health, North will hit double figures on the try tally by the end of the season.
3. Louis Carbonel (Montpellier to Stade Français): once a darling of Toulon and a star of the all-conquering French U20s, the fly-half has fallen off the international stage of late. He remains a thrilling menace who can help Stade Français get back on the title trail. Carbonel is 46 points shy of 1000 in the Top 14, and he will reach it in new colours this term.
4. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints to Brive): Lawes is 35 yet never looked as good. The type of player who may have fun in environments such as the ProD2, always ready for a tussle or to run wild and wide with the ball. Back him to finish as the league’s top tackler.
5. Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints to Toulon): will Ludlam help deliver a new era of plenty to Toulon? The England flanker was one of the most coveted players of 2024, and I have no doubt he will make the diehards of the Cote d’Azur fall in love with his defensive work-rate and unbreakable spirit.

The hidden nuggets

With the big dogs out of the way, it’s time to assess those diamonds in the rough, players to whom few give an ounce of thought, but who can shine as brightly as any of the A-listers.

My first pick? Gianmarco Lucchesi, who left Benetton to join Toulon. Lucchesi’s insane skill range made him one of the finest hookers in the URC, playing almost 100 games over five years. The Italian can add that zing factor to his new club, becoming a power cell to the forward pack especially at maul time! He will pack down with English titan Kyle Sinckler.

Christian Ambadiang comes next, and after three seasons of scoring an average of nine tries per year in the ProD2, the Cameroonian wing gets a deserved shot in the Top 14. Castres clinched a deal for the former Nevers back, granting a threatening wing the opportunity to fight for a new golden era.

Perpignan created a memorable season for their fans and were just a few points away from qualifying for the Top 14 play-off. In a team packed with heart, Franck Azema added a third playmaker to the mix with Antoine Aucagne joining Tommaso Allan and Jake McIntyre. It won’t be an easy season for the former U20 French international, but he has the potential to break through and become a household name in the Pyrenees side.

Looking now to the ProD2, Taylor Gontineac might be the sleeper signing most have missed, and the Romanian international has found in Beziers-Herault the right club to climb to the next level. With one Rugby World Cup already under his belt, the son of Oaks icon Romeo Gontineac runs like an unstoppable truck impervious to any speedbump.

He is still far from being a first-team regular in the Lelos, but Ioane Iashagashvili has carved out a reputation in France as a battering ram of the best kind. He had his breakthrough season in 2022 when he was playing for Valence Romans and ended up being nominated for the best XV of the 2023/2024 season. Stade Montois waited for the right moment to pounce and grab a proper bargain with the potential to go big.

Uruguay’s Manuel Leindekar will be the poster boy for the Oyonnax lineout, rejoining the club after two years at Bayonne. The 27-year-old is a breakdown pest, one of the top specialists on the emerging nations scene.

The last hidden nugget must be Enzo Reybier. The wing amazed fans at U20 level and proceeded to become a showstopper for Oyonnax, helping his club win a ProD2 in 2023. With Tambwe moving to Montpellier, there’s a real opportunity for the 22-year-old to entrance the Bordeaux-Begles fans.

The hungriest hippos

At the extreme end of the spectrum, Montpellier were the most prolific Top 14 recruiter with 15 new faces. Biarritz racked up a staggering 17 signings while allowing 21 players to leave – a total shakeup for a club which battled severe financial issues until being bought over in April.

Not everyone was caught in the transfer fever. Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle made just a solitary acquisition, veteran Wallaby Kane Douglas the only new player to arrive on the Atlantic Coast.

Of the 263 new signings, more than half are not France-born and 88 have been capped by another national team. England contribute the most (19 signings), followed by Georgia (18) and South Africa (17). Props are, statistically speaking, the most prized players with 29 of them signed up by French clubs, ahead of back-rows and wings.

The sheer volume of recruitment activity demonstrates the dominance, economic power and notion of how valued the competitions are for local fans. If both divisions clinch a worldwide broadcasting deal, the Top 14 could become rugby’s Premier League.

The expert opinions

Four signings leap out at French rugby journalist and RugbyPass contributor James Harrington.

“Owen Farrell is the first one to come to mind. Far be it from me to argue with (Stade Français defence coach) Paul Gustard, who has said Farrell will be the signing of the season. Props rarely get the love they deserve, but Castres grabbing Will Collier, who made the Champions Cup XV of the season, has to go down as a great get.

“As for the ProD2, Kaminieli Rasaku’s last season with Bayonne was cut short by a family bereavement, but he tore up the league when he was on loan with Mont-de-Marsan in 2022/23. I expect him to do the same again.”

For Sam Larner, rugby analyst and RugbyPass writer, Welsh international Owen Lane is one of his signings to watch.

“Lane is an enormous winger who will make a massive difference to the Valence side. The other ProD2 player has to be Lawes. He still has plenty of miles left on the clock. Brive are in need of someone like him to make the next step.

“In the Top 14, Ambadiang was insanely good for Nevers and I can’t wait to see what he will do in an even better team. Hacjivah Dayimani is such a good prospect. Hopefully he can settle in the capital with Racing 92.”

There is only one @Hacjivah #staycool https://t.co/SrUSPvK1wx pic.twitter.com/gbiWfqm8ZD

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 29, 2024

Why is there an increase of URC, Premiership and Super Rugby Pacific players joining the French club ranks, aside from the massive wage boost?

“I mean, the money helps – no-one can pretend otherwise,” Larner says. But, without exception, players talk about the challenge of playing in the French leagues, and the way the clubs sell themselves internally – as family, as a community, as part of something greater – does speak to elite-level sportspeople. It’s not unique to France, but there is something indefinably special.”

Vannes’ Mako Vunipola discussed this in a recent interview with RugbyPass, when he said: ‘As you walk around town there are lots of Vannes rugby flags up and the club emblem is in the shops. If people recognise you, they wish you good luck for the season. Every Friday we go to different local areas in Brittany for open training sessions and there has been lots of support at every one of them.’

Larner adds: “The quality of life in France is better plus there are bigger crowds and more job security. If you don’t make it in the Top 14 then ProD2 and Nationale are still options. In England, it’s very, very hard to make a living in the Championship and some players are scratching for a living in the Premiership. Players I’ve spoken to have talked about significantly better team chemistry in France compared to the UK.”

What matters now is the Top 14 and ProD2 are about to start, and over 250 new signings are ready to show they mean business. They want to embrace their time in the spotlight and to bask in the unique passion of French rugby.