French Top 10 – “Fait accompli”

Over 4,600 players and officials  – including 18 current internationals – have signed a petition against the new Top 10 structure. After a meeting with the FFR at the end of August the Top 10 clubs submitted two alternative proposals to the structure imposed on them – but this week both were rejected out of hand as lacking "consistency" and being "in total contradiction with federal policy."

And so – with the minor addition of the “challenge” competition for non-international players in the New Year – the new structure imposed by the FFR becomes a reality on Sunday.

The 10 clubs have been divided into two pools, based on their finishing positions last season:

Pool 1

MontpellierCaenPerpignanBobignyBordeaux

Pool 2

LilleLonsRennesBlagnac Saint OrensLa Valette

The teams will play home-and-away until December. The FFR’s plan is that the top four from each pool will then compete in a knock-out tournament in non-international weekends in the New Year to decide the champions, while the bottom two teams will be relegated and play no more rugby (other than a play-off to see who finishes 9thand 10th).

The clubs have not given up entirely, however, and many hope that the second phases can still be revised to allow for a six-team championship and four team relegation pools (“play-up” and “play-down”) instead – thus guaranteeing games for all clubs throughout the rest of the season. But for now all they can do is play… and hope.

The opening weekend’s games will see the top two from last season sitting out the opening round. In Pool 1 Bordeaux – who narrowly avoided relegation last year – will host Caen, while in the capital Bobigny will welcome Perpignan. In Pool 2 newly promoted La Valette start their first season at the top against visitors Lons, and finally at their new home newly renamed Blagnac St Orens play Rennes.