Vannes continue to prepare for life in the Top 14 after signing former All Black centre Francis Saili, as predicted in Fissler Confidential two weeks ago.
Former Australia scrum-half Joe Powell has signed a three-year deal with French outfit US Montauban ahead of next season.
Watch some of France’s finest domestic sides collide in Pro D2, which is the second division of French rugby.
The French Pro D2 is known for providing exciting action, jaw-dropping tries and bone-crunching tackles. Excited to watch some French Pro D2 rugby this year? Well, from player updates and news stories to upcoming matches, standings and results, you’ll discover everything you need to know about the competition right here at RugbyPass.
The French Pro D2 was founded in 2000. Today, it’s the world's best-supported second tier rugby union league in terms of attendance.
Every year, 16 teams compete across 30 rounds of competition with one aim: gaining promotion to the Top 14, the top league of rugby union in France.
At the end of each Pro D2 season, the top six sides qualify for the play-offs. The winner of the play-offs is automatically promoted to the Top 14. Meanwhile, the runner-up enters a play-off with the second-from-bottom Top 14 team. The winner of this match then takes the final place in the Top 14.
At the other end of the Pro D2 rugby table, the team that finishes bottom is automatically relegated to the Nationale, which is the third tier of French rugby. The second-from-bottom side plays in a relegation play-off against the team that finishes as the runner-up in the Nationale. The winner of this battle takes the final place in Pro D2.
