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1
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Rugby?s Radical Plans in The Times
« on: March 19, 2024, 05:10:13 PM »
World Rugby is considering a global trial of the 20-minute red card ? where the player sent off is replaced by a substitute after 20 minutes has elapsed ? as part of a swathe of law changes aimed at improving the spectacle.
The sport?s world governing body also wants to explore the use of a shot-clock to speed up scrums and lineouts ? having introduced it for penalties and conversions ? and further down the line will look at the feasibility of lowering the height of the tackle in the elite game to the base of the sternum.
More immediately, referees have been told to crack down on water-carriers coming onto the pitch and the proliferation of ?caterpillar rucks?, by making the scrum half use the ball quicker.
These, and other potential changes to the laws of rugby, are recommendations from a recent Shape of the Game conference in London which gathered coaches, former players, referees and administrators during the Six Nations.
The most eye-catching suggestion is a world-wide trial for 20-minute red cards. The move has proved popular in the southern hemisphere, where it has been trialled in Super Rugby Pacific, as it punishes the offending player and team without spoiling the spectacle, as can happen when a red card is shown early in a match. However, its opponents fear it is a weak punishment that could lead to targeted thuggery.
The 20-minute red card would only be introduced alongside harsher sanctions for those sent off for dangerous tackles that made contact with the head.
World Rugby?s council will vote on the proposal in May, so there could be a global trial of 20-minute red cards as early as next season.
The governing body has moved to close several loopholes that are being exploited in the laws. Referees will be compelled to call ?use it? and start their five-second count at rucks earlier, to try to stop the formation of long ?caterpillar rucks? to protect a scrum half?s box-kick. They are heavily unpopular as they lead to predictable passages of play and several minutes of lost time from matches.
If an attacking player does not use the ball within the allotted five seconds after the referee shouts ?use it?, a scrum will be awarded to the defence, as is the standard ? albeit irregular ? practice.
Players will be asked to play the ball after it is clearly won and available in a ruck. If scrum halves move the ball down the caterpillar of players with their foot, the ruck will be deemed to be over.
The appearance of water-carriers will be restricted too. From July 2022, water-carriers were only allowed to appear at two allocated moments in each half. In January 2023, this was changed to allow them to also enter the field of play after tries, but World Rugby believe teams have pushed this too far.
For example, the Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins was involved in an argument with the French referee, Mathieu Raynal, during Saturday?s Six Nations match against Italy. Jenkins questioned whether Stephen Varney, the Italy scrum half, had made a high tackle to which Raynal replied: ?Your job is to bring the water on.? Jenkins hit back with: ?Your job is to ref the game,? after which Raynal banned him from returning with water.
To stop this sort of behaviour, World Rugby want referees to re-enforce the present rule, where water-carriers can only come onto the field after the scoring of a try, unless no tries are scored in the first 15-20 minutes or there is a lengthy injury break.
World Rugby also want to deal with the emergence of ?Dupont?s Law? ? a loophole that the French scrum half, Antoine Dupont, readily exploited, which has led to dead passages in games.
Law 10.7, which covers offside in rugby, states that players who are in front of the kicker can become onside as soon as the kick receiver has either passed the ball or run five metres with it. This means that in a territorial kicking battle, a group of chasers can station themselves in the opposing half, well in front of their own kicker, so they can try to charge down the catcher as soon as he runs or passes.
This means kickers have often held the ball and stood still, which kills the spectacle, as it did when Finn Russell and Thomas Ramos engaged in a long, stationary kick-tennis battle in the Scotland-France Six Nations match.
In Super Rugby Pacific, they have tried to stop this happening with a law trial where players will remain offside until they have been rendered onside by a team-mate who has come from behind the kicker, or the kicker himself.
To remove more dead time from matches, World Rugby want to introduce a law amendment where teams cannot take a second scrum from a free kick which is awarded after a scrum, and it is also keen to trial a shot-clock for scrums and lineouts.
Under a law trialled early last year and then brought in fully for the World Cup, kickers have 90 seconds to take a conversion and one minute to strike a penalty, but there are set to be trials where that time is reduced further. Owen Farrell was timed-out when taking a penalty against Samoa in the pool stage, while Paolo Garbisi hit a post with a penalty that would have earned Italy an historic Six Nations win in France, when he rushed his kick with the clock ticking down after the ball slipped off the kicking tee.
In future, players could call a ?mark? when they catch the ball inside their own 22 from a kick-off, to encourage more attacking play from both the kicking and receiving team.
A specialist working group will be established to look at reducing the influence of the TMO after high-profile incidents where they have intervened, such as Ben Whitehouse?s call to penalise the England No 8, Ben Earl, for a no-arms tackle last Saturday against France, which led to Ramos kicking the winning penalty in a 33-31 victory.
Another group will look at the ?appropriateness? of lowering the tackle height to the base of the sternum in elite rugby, as is now the case in the community game in 11 countries including England.
The use and timing of substitutes will also be analysed, after the likes of South Africa ? with their ?Bomb Squad? ? and France have utilised powerful forwards from their benches, as rugby tries to create more space on the field while improving rates of injuries.
The World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: ?Change is in rugby?s DNA. Two hundred years ago we were born from a desire to change, and we are harnessing that same spirit to excite the next generation of fans and players.
?That means being bold, embracing change by dialling up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it.?
Immediate law changes
? Referees to call ?use it? and start their five-second countdown at rucks earlier, to avoid ?caterpillar rucks?
? Hookers must maintain a full ?brake foot? by putting one foot forward at scrums to aid their stability
? A crackdown on water-carriers entering the field
Possible law changes (to be voted on by World Rugby council in May)
? Closing the ?Dupont Law? loophole, by tweaking the offside rule from kicks, to reduce kick-tennis battles
? Remove the option of a second scrum when a free kick is given at a scrum
? Outlawing the dangerous ?crocodile-roll? at rucks
Possible trials
? A shot-clock for scrums and lineouts
? Ability to mark the ball inside the 22m from a restart
? The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice
? Further protection of scrum halves at the base of rucks and scrums
? Play on if a lineout is not straight, but the throw is uncontested
Areas for further analysis
? Possible global trial of a 20-minute red card
? A big safety review of the breakdown, and possible removal of the ?jackal?
? A review of the role of the TMO
? A review of how and when replacements are used
? Possible introduction of a lower tackle-height for the elite game
The sport?s world governing body also wants to explore the use of a shot-clock to speed up scrums and lineouts ? having introduced it for penalties and conversions ? and further down the line will look at the feasibility of lowering the height of the tackle in the elite game to the base of the sternum.
More immediately, referees have been told to crack down on water-carriers coming onto the pitch and the proliferation of ?caterpillar rucks?, by making the scrum half use the ball quicker.
These, and other potential changes to the laws of rugby, are recommendations from a recent Shape of the Game conference in London which gathered coaches, former players, referees and administrators during the Six Nations.
The most eye-catching suggestion is a world-wide trial for 20-minute red cards. The move has proved popular in the southern hemisphere, where it has been trialled in Super Rugby Pacific, as it punishes the offending player and team without spoiling the spectacle, as can happen when a red card is shown early in a match. However, its opponents fear it is a weak punishment that could lead to targeted thuggery.
The 20-minute red card would only be introduced alongside harsher sanctions for those sent off for dangerous tackles that made contact with the head.
World Rugby?s council will vote on the proposal in May, so there could be a global trial of 20-minute red cards as early as next season.
The governing body has moved to close several loopholes that are being exploited in the laws. Referees will be compelled to call ?use it? and start their five-second count at rucks earlier, to try to stop the formation of long ?caterpillar rucks? to protect a scrum half?s box-kick. They are heavily unpopular as they lead to predictable passages of play and several minutes of lost time from matches.
If an attacking player does not use the ball within the allotted five seconds after the referee shouts ?use it?, a scrum will be awarded to the defence, as is the standard ? albeit irregular ? practice.
Players will be asked to play the ball after it is clearly won and available in a ruck. If scrum halves move the ball down the caterpillar of players with their foot, the ruck will be deemed to be over.
The appearance of water-carriers will be restricted too. From July 2022, water-carriers were only allowed to appear at two allocated moments in each half. In January 2023, this was changed to allow them to also enter the field of play after tries, but World Rugby believe teams have pushed this too far.
For example, the Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins was involved in an argument with the French referee, Mathieu Raynal, during Saturday?s Six Nations match against Italy. Jenkins questioned whether Stephen Varney, the Italy scrum half, had made a high tackle to which Raynal replied: ?Your job is to bring the water on.? Jenkins hit back with: ?Your job is to ref the game,? after which Raynal banned him from returning with water.
To stop this sort of behaviour, World Rugby want referees to re-enforce the present rule, where water-carriers can only come onto the field after the scoring of a try, unless no tries are scored in the first 15-20 minutes or there is a lengthy injury break.
World Rugby also want to deal with the emergence of ?Dupont?s Law? ? a loophole that the French scrum half, Antoine Dupont, readily exploited, which has led to dead passages in games.
Law 10.7, which covers offside in rugby, states that players who are in front of the kicker can become onside as soon as the kick receiver has either passed the ball or run five metres with it. This means that in a territorial kicking battle, a group of chasers can station themselves in the opposing half, well in front of their own kicker, so they can try to charge down the catcher as soon as he runs or passes.
This means kickers have often held the ball and stood still, which kills the spectacle, as it did when Finn Russell and Thomas Ramos engaged in a long, stationary kick-tennis battle in the Scotland-France Six Nations match.
In Super Rugby Pacific, they have tried to stop this happening with a law trial where players will remain offside until they have been rendered onside by a team-mate who has come from behind the kicker, or the kicker himself.
To remove more dead time from matches, World Rugby want to introduce a law amendment where teams cannot take a second scrum from a free kick which is awarded after a scrum, and it is also keen to trial a shot-clock for scrums and lineouts.
Under a law trialled early last year and then brought in fully for the World Cup, kickers have 90 seconds to take a conversion and one minute to strike a penalty, but there are set to be trials where that time is reduced further. Owen Farrell was timed-out when taking a penalty against Samoa in the pool stage, while Paolo Garbisi hit a post with a penalty that would have earned Italy an historic Six Nations win in France, when he rushed his kick with the clock ticking down after the ball slipped off the kicking tee.
In future, players could call a ?mark? when they catch the ball inside their own 22 from a kick-off, to encourage more attacking play from both the kicking and receiving team.
A specialist working group will be established to look at reducing the influence of the TMO after high-profile incidents where they have intervened, such as Ben Whitehouse?s call to penalise the England No 8, Ben Earl, for a no-arms tackle last Saturday against France, which led to Ramos kicking the winning penalty in a 33-31 victory.
Another group will look at the ?appropriateness? of lowering the tackle height to the base of the sternum in elite rugby, as is now the case in the community game in 11 countries including England.
The use and timing of substitutes will also be analysed, after the likes of South Africa ? with their ?Bomb Squad? ? and France have utilised powerful forwards from their benches, as rugby tries to create more space on the field while improving rates of injuries.
The World Rugby chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont, said: ?Change is in rugby?s DNA. Two hundred years ago we were born from a desire to change, and we are harnessing that same spirit to excite the next generation of fans and players.
?That means being bold, embracing change by dialling up the entertainment value, making our stars more accessible and simplifying terminology and language used to explain rugby to those who are yet to fall in love with it.?
Immediate law changes
? Referees to call ?use it? and start their five-second countdown at rucks earlier, to avoid ?caterpillar rucks?
? Hookers must maintain a full ?brake foot? by putting one foot forward at scrums to aid their stability
? A crackdown on water-carriers entering the field
Possible law changes (to be voted on by World Rugby council in May)
? Closing the ?Dupont Law? loophole, by tweaking the offside rule from kicks, to reduce kick-tennis battles
? Remove the option of a second scrum when a free kick is given at a scrum
? Outlawing the dangerous ?crocodile-roll? at rucks
Possible trials
? A shot-clock for scrums and lineouts
? Ability to mark the ball inside the 22m from a restart
? The ball must be played after the maul has been stopped once, not twice
? Further protection of scrum halves at the base of rucks and scrums
? Play on if a lineout is not straight, but the throw is uncontested
Areas for further analysis
? Possible global trial of a 20-minute red card
? A big safety review of the breakdown, and possible removal of the ?jackal?
? A review of the role of the TMO
? A review of how and when replacements are used
? Possible introduction of a lower tackle-height for the elite game
2
Wasps Rugby Discussion / England A Squad
« on: February 15, 2024, 10:19:54 AM »
Quite a few ex Wasps.
Forwards
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, 7 caps)
Tarek Haffar (Northampton Saints)
Sam Riley (Harlequins)
Seb Blake (Gloucester)
Josh Iosefa Scott (Exeter Chiefs)
James Harper (Sale Sharks)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 11 caps)
Arthur Clark (Gloucester)
Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks)
Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
Guy Pepper (Newcastle Falcons)
Alfie Barbeary (Bath)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Jack Clement (Gloucester)
Backs
Caolan Englefield (Gloucester)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 2 caps)
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester)
Jamie Shillcock (Leicester Tigers)
Oliver Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
Oliver Hartley (Saracens)
Rekeiti Ma?asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
Josh Hodge (Exeter Chiefs)
Sam Harris (Bath)
Forwards
Fin Baxter (Harlequins)
Jamie Blamire (Newcastle Falcons, 7 caps)
Tarek Haffar (Northampton Saints)
Sam Riley (Harlequins)
Seb Blake (Gloucester)
Josh Iosefa Scott (Exeter Chiefs)
James Harper (Sale Sharks)
Nick Isiekwe (Saracens, 11 caps)
Arthur Clark (Gloucester)
Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks)
Rusiate Tuima (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Pearson (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)
Guy Pepper (Newcastle Falcons)
Alfie Barbeary (Bath)
Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
Jack Clement (Gloucester)
Backs
Caolan Englefield (Gloucester)
Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 2 caps)
Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester)
Jamie Shillcock (Leicester Tigers)
Oliver Sleightholme (Northampton Saints)
Oliver Hartley (Saracens)
Rekeiti Ma?asi-White (Sale Sharks)
Cadan Murley (Harlequins)
Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2 caps)
Josh Hodge (Exeter Chiefs)
Sam Harris (Bath)
4
Wasps Rugby Discussion / "The Double". 2 DVD set.
« on: February 02, 2024, 11:46:42 AM »
I want to give my 2 DVDs, Heineken Cup Winners 2004 & Zurich Premiership Champions 2003-04, to a Wasps fan. I'm not selling them but I would appreciate the recipient to make a donation to the RNLI which is my charity of choice. I leave the amount of the donation up to you but suffice to say the 2 DVDs are on sale on Amazon for ?39.98. As my DVD player has died, I cannot test them. Please send me a PM, with your name and address and I will send them to you. If I get more than 1 reply then I will chose the winner by lot. They will be available for 1 week until February 9th.
Ross.
Ross.
5
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Krissiemas
« on: December 25, 2023, 08:36:34 AM »
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful 2024.
from Ross McInnes.
from Ross McInnes.
6
Wasps Rugby Discussion / OT: Audio question.
« on: November 22, 2023, 12:18:27 PM »
Hi, This a somewhat esoteric audio query. I have thousands of MP3 (mostly) and FLAC files stored on my windows PC. Up till now I have streamed my music both by WiFi and ethernet to 2 elderly Logitech devices (Squeezebox Boom & Classic), both of which are over 20 years old and have suddenly died on me - no power and no (streamed) music 
I had setup playlists on my PC which I used with Logitech media centre.
As both of my Logitech devices are getting long in the tooth I have decided that replacement will be preferable to a possibly expensive repair. Now, here is my problem. I have done quite a lot of searching but cannot come up with an obvious substitute(s). The best that I have found is a modern stand alone speaker such as Denon 150 and use PlayFi on my computer to organise the streaming. However I don't actually know if this will work as I would want it! Can anyone suggest any alternative? I don't want to spend a fortune. BTW: I replaced the power supply on one of my devices but without success.
PS. I do not have a smart phone but have an Android tablet.
Thank you for reading.
I had setup playlists on my PC which I used with Logitech media centre.As both of my Logitech devices are getting long in the tooth I have decided that replacement will be preferable to a possibly expensive repair. Now, here is my problem. I have done quite a lot of searching but cannot come up with an obvious substitute(s). The best that I have found is a modern stand alone speaker such as Denon 150 and use PlayFi on my computer to organise the streaming. However I don't actually know if this will work as I would want it! Can anyone suggest any alternative? I don't want to spend a fortune. BTW: I replaced the power supply on one of my devices but without success.
PS. I do not have a smart phone but have an Android tablet.
Thank you for reading.
7
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Which Club is Next for The Chop?
« on: October 05, 2023, 11:07:03 AM »
Read this on Shedweb. Posted by ROLLO (many posters here will be familiar with him) - Wuss stalwart.
"Talk yesterday was that the next club in peril is Saints."
That surprised me as I thought they were in better shape then most.
What do you think?
"Talk yesterday was that the next club in peril is Saints."
That surprised me as I thought they were in better shape then most.
What do you think?
8
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Eddie's Aus Crash and Burn.
« on: September 17, 2023, 06:47:34 PM »
FT. Aus 15 - Fiji 22.
9
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Excellent Article (IMO) in The Telegraph. Very long-Part 2.
« on: September 08, 2023, 02:36:03 PM »
Top 14 glitz and ProD2 grit
On Thursday night, Gillham?s Brive, in the second-tier ProD2, will host league leaders Provence. Brive play in Brive-la-Gaillarde, with a population of around 50,000, but 10,000 are expected at Stade Am?d?e-Domenech.
What makes that statistic even more remarkable is that in the past 10 seasons, Brive have yo-yoed between the Top 14 and ProD2, but has never finished above eighth in the top flight.
Brive are no anomaly. Last season, half of the clubs in the second tier boasted an average attendance of over 5,000. A thriving second division, with movement between the top flight, is vital to French rugby?s success. It is also significant that the two leagues are run and managed as a group of 30 clubs together, with the same governing body and a joint television deal, rather than as separate entities.
?The year we were going to finish eighth or ninth in the Top 14, we had no chance of being relegated and no chance of being in the play-offs,? Gillham says. ?Our gates dropped - there was no jeopardy! Jeopardy and promotion sell tickets. It?s what brings out the best in clubs - and in rugby.
?And we have been allowed to flourish as a 30. And every single game is televised ? that?s important ? the fact is you feel important because you can tell your sponsors, and anyone, that we?re on TV on Canal+ at 19.30 on Thursday night. That?s huge.
?All these kids want to be Mbapp?, but they can?t be. And the local clubs have realised that ? and so have the kids.
?There?s money in the ProD2 now, too. We have an operating budget this year of somewhere between ?16-17million, which had previously been unheard of. In 2007, ?17 million was the highest budget in the Top 14! Now, they?re between ?35-40 million.
?Fourteen Top 14 clubs and 16 ProD2 clubs. We work as a 30. We sit in a big room in a horseshoe shape and we argue our balls off. But, in the end, we make decisions and we vote. Where England messed up was ring-fencing ? whatever you want to call it ? the Premiership.?
Ren? Bouscatel, LNR president, points to the diversity of the two leagues as another advantage. ?We have widened our base,? he says. ?Little by little, the level of the second division has increased in a sporting sense, in an attractability sense, and in a financial sense.
?It has allowed us to have clubs spread around the country. There are emerging clubs like Vannes, Rouen, Massy, Angouleme, Nevers, which are not traditional rugby heartlands but now are professional hubs ? there is real appetite there.
?I?m not judging, but I think that the directors of the English clubs have prioritised the economics, the interests of their own clubs, rather than doing it for the bigger picture of professional rugby.?
The television deal is critical. A new contract was agreed with Canal+, from the start of the 2023/24 season and running for four years, for an annual ?97.5 million, representing a 17 per cent increase on the previous deal. In England, the latest Premiership deal was worth only ?40 million a season. The French deal, too, includes elements like Thursday matches and Sunday 9pm kick-offs; anathema to away fans and players, but a masterstroke in attracting TV eyeballs.
?Canal+ has been the rugby channel for the past 30 years and, whenever the rights are put out to tender, they come up with the goods,? Gillham says. ?Canal+ is a pay-TV channel but the current deal is good value for money, with matches from Thursday to Sunday. Canal+ pulled away from football, which was a ridiculous amount of money. It?s a really good partnership. And the TV deal is two-and-a-half times that of the Premiership.?
Bouscatel, at the heart of the two leagues? relationship with Canal+ since he succeeded Goze in 2021, adds: ?We would never agree rights with a broadcaster solely for money,? he says. ?Money is important, but the vision is even more important.
?There?s a massive difference between the French and English systems. The English have prioritised the economic and financial side, with billionaires who have invested in the big English clubs - but they don?t want competition.?
The final difference, Gillham adds, is that of financial regulation. The situation that occurred with Wasps, Worcester and London Irish all going to the wall in England is nigh-on impossible to replicate across the Channel.
?We have intense financial controls by a central auditing committee [previously DNACG; now A2R],? says Gillham. ?It is ferocious, and doesn?t let you start the season without concrete proof that you have all the funding that you say you?re going to have. If we say we?re predicting ourselves to finish sixth ? and budget accordingly ? they will turn around and say: ?Well, you finished 12th the past three years, so we?ll have you down as finishing 12th. So we?ll base your revenue on the past three years.? Any sponsorship over ?50k, they?ll demand to see the contract. If you can?t prove everything, then the committee won?t register the players and allow the team to start the season. Not one club in the Top 14 or ProD2 has gone to the wall in the last 10 years.?
Bouscatel adds: ?Yes, we are in a purple patch, but we have built that, it hasn?t happened by chance. We have to continue to progress. A lack of progression is regression.?
If progression really is the aim, then we should all strap ourselves in for a period of French domination.
The moment of truth
All eyes now turn to the Stade de France where, on Friday night, France host New Zealand in the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where the strides made over the past decade will truly be tested.
?It has all been a virtuous cycle and circle between the clubs and the French team,? Gillham says. ?Since France won the rights to host the 2023 tournament, we, as presidents, decided that the best thing for French rugby ? and club rugby ? would be France winning the World Cup.?
With what French rugby has built over the past 10 years, France will never have a better opportunity at being crowned champions of the world ? on home soil. They could not be better prepared.
On Thursday night, Gillham?s Brive, in the second-tier ProD2, will host league leaders Provence. Brive play in Brive-la-Gaillarde, with a population of around 50,000, but 10,000 are expected at Stade Am?d?e-Domenech.
What makes that statistic even more remarkable is that in the past 10 seasons, Brive have yo-yoed between the Top 14 and ProD2, but has never finished above eighth in the top flight.
Brive are no anomaly. Last season, half of the clubs in the second tier boasted an average attendance of over 5,000. A thriving second division, with movement between the top flight, is vital to French rugby?s success. It is also significant that the two leagues are run and managed as a group of 30 clubs together, with the same governing body and a joint television deal, rather than as separate entities.
?The year we were going to finish eighth or ninth in the Top 14, we had no chance of being relegated and no chance of being in the play-offs,? Gillham says. ?Our gates dropped - there was no jeopardy! Jeopardy and promotion sell tickets. It?s what brings out the best in clubs - and in rugby.
?And we have been allowed to flourish as a 30. And every single game is televised ? that?s important ? the fact is you feel important because you can tell your sponsors, and anyone, that we?re on TV on Canal+ at 19.30 on Thursday night. That?s huge.
?All these kids want to be Mbapp?, but they can?t be. And the local clubs have realised that ? and so have the kids.
?There?s money in the ProD2 now, too. We have an operating budget this year of somewhere between ?16-17million, which had previously been unheard of. In 2007, ?17 million was the highest budget in the Top 14! Now, they?re between ?35-40 million.
?Fourteen Top 14 clubs and 16 ProD2 clubs. We work as a 30. We sit in a big room in a horseshoe shape and we argue our balls off. But, in the end, we make decisions and we vote. Where England messed up was ring-fencing ? whatever you want to call it ? the Premiership.?
Ren? Bouscatel, LNR president, points to the diversity of the two leagues as another advantage. ?We have widened our base,? he says. ?Little by little, the level of the second division has increased in a sporting sense, in an attractability sense, and in a financial sense.
?It has allowed us to have clubs spread around the country. There are emerging clubs like Vannes, Rouen, Massy, Angouleme, Nevers, which are not traditional rugby heartlands but now are professional hubs ? there is real appetite there.
?I?m not judging, but I think that the directors of the English clubs have prioritised the economics, the interests of their own clubs, rather than doing it for the bigger picture of professional rugby.?
The television deal is critical. A new contract was agreed with Canal+, from the start of the 2023/24 season and running for four years, for an annual ?97.5 million, representing a 17 per cent increase on the previous deal. In England, the latest Premiership deal was worth only ?40 million a season. The French deal, too, includes elements like Thursday matches and Sunday 9pm kick-offs; anathema to away fans and players, but a masterstroke in attracting TV eyeballs.
?Canal+ has been the rugby channel for the past 30 years and, whenever the rights are put out to tender, they come up with the goods,? Gillham says. ?Canal+ is a pay-TV channel but the current deal is good value for money, with matches from Thursday to Sunday. Canal+ pulled away from football, which was a ridiculous amount of money. It?s a really good partnership. And the TV deal is two-and-a-half times that of the Premiership.?
Bouscatel, at the heart of the two leagues? relationship with Canal+ since he succeeded Goze in 2021, adds: ?We would never agree rights with a broadcaster solely for money,? he says. ?Money is important, but the vision is even more important.
?There?s a massive difference between the French and English systems. The English have prioritised the economic and financial side, with billionaires who have invested in the big English clubs - but they don?t want competition.?
The final difference, Gillham adds, is that of financial regulation. The situation that occurred with Wasps, Worcester and London Irish all going to the wall in England is nigh-on impossible to replicate across the Channel.
?We have intense financial controls by a central auditing committee [previously DNACG; now A2R],? says Gillham. ?It is ferocious, and doesn?t let you start the season without concrete proof that you have all the funding that you say you?re going to have. If we say we?re predicting ourselves to finish sixth ? and budget accordingly ? they will turn around and say: ?Well, you finished 12th the past three years, so we?ll have you down as finishing 12th. So we?ll base your revenue on the past three years.? Any sponsorship over ?50k, they?ll demand to see the contract. If you can?t prove everything, then the committee won?t register the players and allow the team to start the season. Not one club in the Top 14 or ProD2 has gone to the wall in the last 10 years.?
Bouscatel adds: ?Yes, we are in a purple patch, but we have built that, it hasn?t happened by chance. We have to continue to progress. A lack of progression is regression.?
If progression really is the aim, then we should all strap ourselves in for a period of French domination.
The moment of truth
All eyes now turn to the Stade de France where, on Friday night, France host New Zealand in the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where the strides made over the past decade will truly be tested.
?It has all been a virtuous cycle and circle between the clubs and the French team,? Gillham says. ?Since France won the rights to host the 2023 tournament, we, as presidents, decided that the best thing for French rugby ? and club rugby ? would be France winning the World Cup.?
With what French rugby has built over the past 10 years, France will never have a better opportunity at being crowned champions of the world ? on home soil. They could not be better prepared.
10
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Excellent Article (IMO) in The Telegraph. Very long-Part 1.
« on: September 08, 2023, 02:33:49 PM »
Inside the journey which took France from global laughing stock to World Cup contenders
It is mid-June and global club rugby?s most opulent event kicks off north of Paris. The Top 14 final, between the titans of Toulouse and La Rochelle, is a sold-out circus. The streets of the French capital, situated hundreds of kilometres away from either of the two competing sides, are awash with the rouge et noir of Toulouse, and the jaune et noir of La Rochelle ? as well as the accompanying bands and airhorns ? amid the evening sunshine.
At the stadium, Telegraph Sport has exclusive access to the Presidential Suite, where Emmanuel Macron hosts other luminaries ? from both inside and outside of the rugby world. In a large salon, hundreds of VIPs gather to watch a Toulousain victory, with the champagne flowing and the steak sizzling before Macron heads to the dressing rooms to see off a beer with the victors after the match.
The cachet of the Top 14 final is timeless, but France leading the field in all aspects of rugby has not been. Between the 2011 and 2019 World Cups, France?s average Six Nations finish was fourth; despite having reached the World Cup final on three occasions ? Les Bleus imploded in both 2015 and 2019, failing to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
For the richest domestic rugby scene in the world and for a country of such fertile rugby history and tradition, that simply was not good enough. France had become a laughing stock, something had to be done.
In the last 18 months, France have first and second-placed Six Nations finishes on their roll of honour, an under-20 world championship title, and a Top 14 club has won both of Europe?s domestic cups in the past two seasons. France has four professional leagues and, notwithstanding some rotten injury luck, Les Bleus are favourites for their home World Cup.
Something was done. This is France?s journey from disorganised, under-performing rabble to princes of Europe, on the cusp of sporting immortality.
Fabien Galthi? ? and his lieutenants
The 2019 World Cup quarter-final between France and Wales is best remembered for S?bastien Vahaamahina?s elbow to opposing flanker Aaron Wainwright.
But that match, which saw France?s hopes of glory swill down the plughole with Vahaamahina?s early bath, marked a new dawn for French rugby. Jacques Brunel, a respected and successful coach at club level, would be stepping down after the tournament, having failed to transform France?s fortunes.
To mitigate for Brunel?s departure, the F?d?ration Fran?aise de Rugby (FFR) allowed the head coach?s successor, Fabien Galthi?, to shadow the backroom staff at the tournament. As Brunel headed off into the sunset, Galthi? could hit the ground running. The Rugby Football Union had a similar concept in the works regarding Steve Borthwick taking over from Eddie Jones, but events there took a rather different turn.
As Galthi??s tenure began in December 2019, work hastily took place behind the scenes to engineer a club-country agreement that suited the new head coach?s vision. Galthi??s experience as a Top 14 head coach meant he could sympathise with the wishes of the club presidents, while also bearing in mind that, for France?s domestic scene to be taken seriously, the national team had to function better.
The negotiations resulted in Galthi? being able to call up 42 players to his training squads, instead of 31 as it was under Brunel, with 14 released on the Thursday of each match week. It might sound sensible and logical to have enough players in a squad whereby 15 can face 15 in training-game scenarios, but sense and logic have often gone out the window where French rugby is concerned.
?The clubs are working hand-in-hand with the federation, not complaining and whining the way they did back in the day, because they realised that, without a good international side, the club audience can suffer, too,? Fabrice Dolo, president of fifth-tier Sarcelles, tells Telegraph Sport.
Peter McNaughton, an exiled Scot with a long history at the FFR ? and now in charge of its international development ?also hails the influence of the enigmatic Galthi?, alongside the recruitment of his back-room team. Shaun Edwards departed Wales to bring his Wigan charm to France?s defence; Laurent Labit left Racing 92 as attack coach; William Servat, that granite French hooker, took care of the pack; line-out oracle Karim Ghezal was installed alongside Thibault Giroud as the conditioning guru; and Galthi??s former team-mate, Rapha?l Iba?ez, was brought in to oversee it all as manager.
?Having coached Toulon in the Top 14, Galthi? realised that there was too much demand on the top players,? McNaughton says. ?Since France were named as hosts of the 2023 World Cup, in 2019, everything fell into place. Galthi? was instrumental in that. He was given the financial means and he selected very cleverly the team that he wanted. But the availability of the pro players, Galthi? was behind that ? and it was a key part of the whole thing.?
Simon Gillham, Brive president, adds: ?Appointing Galthi? and the people around him . . . Everyone talks about Galthi?, but people don?t talk enough about Iba?ez, the impact he?s had on the management ethos, the values, the pride in the shirt - all that stuff which had gone AWOL.?
With greater access to players and, consequently, an improved standard of training, France?s renaissance was swift. Victories against every so-called ?Tier One? nation followed over the course of the next two years, as well as an historic Grand Slam in 2022, over ten years since the previous.
With such swift results, however, it did pose the question: why had no one done this before? Was it really that easy? The short answer is no. The swiftness of success came amid a perfect storm; French rugby was finally getting its canards in a row.
The path to that memorable Grand Slam started seven years before Galthi??s first match as head coach, with an idea of Castres president, Pierre-Yves Revol, that most people in England would likely associate with an anachronistic cleaning product than a rugby regulation: JIFF.
Investing in youth
Ask anyone who?s anyone in French rugby as to why the league and national team are thriving and the word ?JIFF? will more than likely be uttered. JIFF is the acronym which describes the regulation of home-grown players appearing in French matchday squads.
To qualify as JIFF, a player must have been registered with the FFR for at least five years before turning 23, or have spent three seasons in an FFR-approved training centre before turning 21.
When the regulation was introduced, clubs were only permitted 16 non-JIFF players across their entire squad. Now, the system is tighter, more sophisticated: there are different stipulations for promoted teams; if a club?s JIFF quota is particularly impressive then extra funds are made available to them; clubs must have an average of 16 JIFF players in their matchday squads across the season; if they fall short in this regard, then they can be docked points. Suddenly, the LNR meant business.
A steady increase in the number of JIFF players that clubs are obliged to field in a season over the past 10 years has meant that the Top 14 and ProD2 clubs have been able to rely less and less on foreign imports. They have been forced to develop and invest in their own ? otherwise, they would not have had the squad depth to compete.
S?bastien Piqueronies, director of rugby at Pau in the Top 14 and previously the head coach of France?s under-20 golden generation, was described to Telegraph Sport as the ?mastermind? of France?s junior rugby hegemony. In his view, the JIFF has been instrumental.
?JIFF has played a fundamental role,? he says. ?These regulations, alongside improved development, have allowed young French players to play more ? and to a higher standard. We have 30 fully professional clubs, and each one has its own academy - so, in the landscape of French rugby, any youngster, regardless of what age they start playing elite rugby, is well trained, developed. Evidently, the JIFF regulations have played a major part in that but the ability of these youngsters to play quickly, as soon as they leave the academy, is just as important.
?France has found its model of training and development. We are now reaping the rewards of something that has been in place for the past eight, ten years.?
The inception of the JIFF regulations was not welcomed from all angles, however, but the LNR and FFR persevered. Certainly, in Toulon, where a team of foreign galacticos dominated French and European rugby, the reception was hostile. Gillham, for one, despised the idea ? and he was not alone.
?The JIFF system has, at last, started to work,? Gillham says. ?It has taken a few years. The relationship between club and country has been good for a few years, with everyone wanting to pull together for the World Cup.
?We all hated it when it came in because people were talking about quotas; a horrible word. I voted against JIFF. I was completely wrong. I?m absolutely loving it now. I?m so proud that we have Leo Carbonneau, son of Philippe, playing scrum-half for us at 18. Mathis Fert? playing at full-back ? when he came on last week, the crowd went berserk ? he?s 19! It?s because he?s a local boy. He was one of the stars of France?s under-20s victory.?
McNaughton adds: ?Maurad Boudjellal [Toulon?s billionaire president] reacted very poorly, saying that France was a racist country and that the FFR was racist because they were imposing quotas,? he says.
?At the time, a lot of the pro clubs didn?t like it, but it did go through. That was the trigger because everyone knew there were a lot of home-born players around, but they just weren?t getting the game time in professional rugby. That was the starting point.?
The trickle-down effect of the JIFF cannot be underestimated, either. Even in the tiers below, there are quotas on foreign players, as Dolo explains.
?It?s not just the JIFF [for Top 14 and ProD2] but also, at F?d?rale level,? he says. ?At Sarcelles, we can?t have more than four foreign players in your side. Now, all clubs have to produce their own players. Before, they would sign or loan Georgians or Kiwis ? but now they can?t do it. It?s made the development better.
?Do you remember the time that there was no French tighthead starting in the Top 14? For a country that loves scrummaging! Ridiculous.?
It was not just the JIFF regulations that have spurred this revitalisation. It is all part of a potent cocktail; the next ingredient of which involved appreciating the diverse, cosmopolitan state that France has become.
City of increasingly bright lights
No one would ever describe Paris as the heartland of French rugby. Although the historic glamour and grandeur of Racing 92 ? as well as, more recently, Stade Francais ? is well known throughout the rugby world, the bedrock of the game in France has traditionally been the south. Specifically, the south west, with Toulouse as the behemoth.
McNaughton believes that, between 1970 and 2000, there were barely 15 players who played for France hailing from ?le-de-France (the wider region that includes Paris). Since 2000, however, McNaughton estimates that number to be almost up to 40. But, why? The answer is immigration. Taking advantage of France?s multiculturalism; diversity, inclusion and some committed, eagle-eyed scouting from a little-known coach by the name of Alain Gazon.
?It?s definitely to do with these athletic kids, who have been scouted in poor, black or north-African immigrant areas,? McNaughton explains. ?It?s not really about pro clubs. Their physical potential had already been evidenced in the French football team. The 1998 football World Cup, in France, won by France, was a big moment; the population realised that a quarter of the team were kids from these areas. That was a jolt for rugby at the time ? we started to get out there, to Massy, Sarcelles, Gennevilliers and others. Below the three pro clubs ? Racing 92, Stade Francais and [third-tier] Massy ? the next five best clubs in the region are from those areas. It?s not just more numbers and more professional rugby. It?s more that we?ve been out and scouted those kids. I like to think we?ve made rugby a little less of a white middle-class sport.
?Massy, in the third tier, has by far been the most instrumental. Yacouba Camara, Cameron Woki, Jordan Joseph. Gazon watched Joseph when he was 12, met his parents and got him to come to Massy. Gazon is 70 now, he was sent to the Paris region as a postal worker back in the 70s and thought he might have stayed for three years and headed back to Agen or wherever he was from. But he stayed and built this whole thing in Massy, but then Jacky Lorenzetti [Racing 92?s president] head-hunted him and he went there ? it?s definitely down to him that Racing 92 have the Wokis, Tangas etc.
?What we realised in ?le-de-France, in 2004, whereas we used to get thrashed when we played Midi-Pyr?n?es or Languedoc-Roussillon, we pitched up with a team with Bastareaud and Fofana in the centre ? and suddenly we won! That was when, at local level, we started saying to the clubs that they had to go out and work with the schools. We urged the creation of a genuine link between local school and club.?
For Dolo, president at Sarcelles ? a club at the heart of this Parisian spark ? the picture is the same.
?For many years, one of the problems in French rugby was that everything was in the hands of a select few who all hailed from the same region ? the south west,? he says. ?When you?re in this closed bubble, you don?t realise the rest of the world is changing, and you?re being left behind.
?Maybe seven years ago, a young generation appeared and won the world championship. Some of those players came from very different backgrounds to the ?traditional? rugby player in France. They weren?t born in the south west, or near Toulouse, many were from the banlieues or suburbs. They stunned everyone with their physical abilities.
?People used to ask me whether we had any Fijians or Tongans playing with us, and my answer was always: ?We don?t need them. We?re in the suburbs and we have everything we need.?
?People who are fit, strong runners ? fighters almost. Youngsters who almost had to fight every day for what they needed.
?The FFR has started throwing a bit of money in our direction, investing in these rough suburbs because they know that they might be tomorrow?s diamonds.?
It is mid-June and global club rugby?s most opulent event kicks off north of Paris. The Top 14 final, between the titans of Toulouse and La Rochelle, is a sold-out circus. The streets of the French capital, situated hundreds of kilometres away from either of the two competing sides, are awash with the rouge et noir of Toulouse, and the jaune et noir of La Rochelle ? as well as the accompanying bands and airhorns ? amid the evening sunshine.
At the stadium, Telegraph Sport has exclusive access to the Presidential Suite, where Emmanuel Macron hosts other luminaries ? from both inside and outside of the rugby world. In a large salon, hundreds of VIPs gather to watch a Toulousain victory, with the champagne flowing and the steak sizzling before Macron heads to the dressing rooms to see off a beer with the victors after the match.
The cachet of the Top 14 final is timeless, but France leading the field in all aspects of rugby has not been. Between the 2011 and 2019 World Cups, France?s average Six Nations finish was fourth; despite having reached the World Cup final on three occasions ? Les Bleus imploded in both 2015 and 2019, failing to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
For the richest domestic rugby scene in the world and for a country of such fertile rugby history and tradition, that simply was not good enough. France had become a laughing stock, something had to be done.
In the last 18 months, France have first and second-placed Six Nations finishes on their roll of honour, an under-20 world championship title, and a Top 14 club has won both of Europe?s domestic cups in the past two seasons. France has four professional leagues and, notwithstanding some rotten injury luck, Les Bleus are favourites for their home World Cup.
Something was done. This is France?s journey from disorganised, under-performing rabble to princes of Europe, on the cusp of sporting immortality.
Fabien Galthi? ? and his lieutenants
The 2019 World Cup quarter-final between France and Wales is best remembered for S?bastien Vahaamahina?s elbow to opposing flanker Aaron Wainwright.
But that match, which saw France?s hopes of glory swill down the plughole with Vahaamahina?s early bath, marked a new dawn for French rugby. Jacques Brunel, a respected and successful coach at club level, would be stepping down after the tournament, having failed to transform France?s fortunes.
To mitigate for Brunel?s departure, the F?d?ration Fran?aise de Rugby (FFR) allowed the head coach?s successor, Fabien Galthi?, to shadow the backroom staff at the tournament. As Brunel headed off into the sunset, Galthi? could hit the ground running. The Rugby Football Union had a similar concept in the works regarding Steve Borthwick taking over from Eddie Jones, but events there took a rather different turn.
As Galthi??s tenure began in December 2019, work hastily took place behind the scenes to engineer a club-country agreement that suited the new head coach?s vision. Galthi??s experience as a Top 14 head coach meant he could sympathise with the wishes of the club presidents, while also bearing in mind that, for France?s domestic scene to be taken seriously, the national team had to function better.
The negotiations resulted in Galthi? being able to call up 42 players to his training squads, instead of 31 as it was under Brunel, with 14 released on the Thursday of each match week. It might sound sensible and logical to have enough players in a squad whereby 15 can face 15 in training-game scenarios, but sense and logic have often gone out the window where French rugby is concerned.
?The clubs are working hand-in-hand with the federation, not complaining and whining the way they did back in the day, because they realised that, without a good international side, the club audience can suffer, too,? Fabrice Dolo, president of fifth-tier Sarcelles, tells Telegraph Sport.
Peter McNaughton, an exiled Scot with a long history at the FFR ? and now in charge of its international development ?also hails the influence of the enigmatic Galthi?, alongside the recruitment of his back-room team. Shaun Edwards departed Wales to bring his Wigan charm to France?s defence; Laurent Labit left Racing 92 as attack coach; William Servat, that granite French hooker, took care of the pack; line-out oracle Karim Ghezal was installed alongside Thibault Giroud as the conditioning guru; and Galthi??s former team-mate, Rapha?l Iba?ez, was brought in to oversee it all as manager.
?Having coached Toulon in the Top 14, Galthi? realised that there was too much demand on the top players,? McNaughton says. ?Since France were named as hosts of the 2023 World Cup, in 2019, everything fell into place. Galthi? was instrumental in that. He was given the financial means and he selected very cleverly the team that he wanted. But the availability of the pro players, Galthi? was behind that ? and it was a key part of the whole thing.?
Simon Gillham, Brive president, adds: ?Appointing Galthi? and the people around him . . . Everyone talks about Galthi?, but people don?t talk enough about Iba?ez, the impact he?s had on the management ethos, the values, the pride in the shirt - all that stuff which had gone AWOL.?
With greater access to players and, consequently, an improved standard of training, France?s renaissance was swift. Victories against every so-called ?Tier One? nation followed over the course of the next two years, as well as an historic Grand Slam in 2022, over ten years since the previous.
With such swift results, however, it did pose the question: why had no one done this before? Was it really that easy? The short answer is no. The swiftness of success came amid a perfect storm; French rugby was finally getting its canards in a row.
The path to that memorable Grand Slam started seven years before Galthi??s first match as head coach, with an idea of Castres president, Pierre-Yves Revol, that most people in England would likely associate with an anachronistic cleaning product than a rugby regulation: JIFF.
Investing in youth
Ask anyone who?s anyone in French rugby as to why the league and national team are thriving and the word ?JIFF? will more than likely be uttered. JIFF is the acronym which describes the regulation of home-grown players appearing in French matchday squads.
To qualify as JIFF, a player must have been registered with the FFR for at least five years before turning 23, or have spent three seasons in an FFR-approved training centre before turning 21.
When the regulation was introduced, clubs were only permitted 16 non-JIFF players across their entire squad. Now, the system is tighter, more sophisticated: there are different stipulations for promoted teams; if a club?s JIFF quota is particularly impressive then extra funds are made available to them; clubs must have an average of 16 JIFF players in their matchday squads across the season; if they fall short in this regard, then they can be docked points. Suddenly, the LNR meant business.
A steady increase in the number of JIFF players that clubs are obliged to field in a season over the past 10 years has meant that the Top 14 and ProD2 clubs have been able to rely less and less on foreign imports. They have been forced to develop and invest in their own ? otherwise, they would not have had the squad depth to compete.
S?bastien Piqueronies, director of rugby at Pau in the Top 14 and previously the head coach of France?s under-20 golden generation, was described to Telegraph Sport as the ?mastermind? of France?s junior rugby hegemony. In his view, the JIFF has been instrumental.
?JIFF has played a fundamental role,? he says. ?These regulations, alongside improved development, have allowed young French players to play more ? and to a higher standard. We have 30 fully professional clubs, and each one has its own academy - so, in the landscape of French rugby, any youngster, regardless of what age they start playing elite rugby, is well trained, developed. Evidently, the JIFF regulations have played a major part in that but the ability of these youngsters to play quickly, as soon as they leave the academy, is just as important.
?France has found its model of training and development. We are now reaping the rewards of something that has been in place for the past eight, ten years.?
The inception of the JIFF regulations was not welcomed from all angles, however, but the LNR and FFR persevered. Certainly, in Toulon, where a team of foreign galacticos dominated French and European rugby, the reception was hostile. Gillham, for one, despised the idea ? and he was not alone.
?The JIFF system has, at last, started to work,? Gillham says. ?It has taken a few years. The relationship between club and country has been good for a few years, with everyone wanting to pull together for the World Cup.
?We all hated it when it came in because people were talking about quotas; a horrible word. I voted against JIFF. I was completely wrong. I?m absolutely loving it now. I?m so proud that we have Leo Carbonneau, son of Philippe, playing scrum-half for us at 18. Mathis Fert? playing at full-back ? when he came on last week, the crowd went berserk ? he?s 19! It?s because he?s a local boy. He was one of the stars of France?s under-20s victory.?
McNaughton adds: ?Maurad Boudjellal [Toulon?s billionaire president] reacted very poorly, saying that France was a racist country and that the FFR was racist because they were imposing quotas,? he says.
?At the time, a lot of the pro clubs didn?t like it, but it did go through. That was the trigger because everyone knew there were a lot of home-born players around, but they just weren?t getting the game time in professional rugby. That was the starting point.?
The trickle-down effect of the JIFF cannot be underestimated, either. Even in the tiers below, there are quotas on foreign players, as Dolo explains.
?It?s not just the JIFF [for Top 14 and ProD2] but also, at F?d?rale level,? he says. ?At Sarcelles, we can?t have more than four foreign players in your side. Now, all clubs have to produce their own players. Before, they would sign or loan Georgians or Kiwis ? but now they can?t do it. It?s made the development better.
?Do you remember the time that there was no French tighthead starting in the Top 14? For a country that loves scrummaging! Ridiculous.?
It was not just the JIFF regulations that have spurred this revitalisation. It is all part of a potent cocktail; the next ingredient of which involved appreciating the diverse, cosmopolitan state that France has become.
City of increasingly bright lights
No one would ever describe Paris as the heartland of French rugby. Although the historic glamour and grandeur of Racing 92 ? as well as, more recently, Stade Francais ? is well known throughout the rugby world, the bedrock of the game in France has traditionally been the south. Specifically, the south west, with Toulouse as the behemoth.
McNaughton believes that, between 1970 and 2000, there were barely 15 players who played for France hailing from ?le-de-France (the wider region that includes Paris). Since 2000, however, McNaughton estimates that number to be almost up to 40. But, why? The answer is immigration. Taking advantage of France?s multiculturalism; diversity, inclusion and some committed, eagle-eyed scouting from a little-known coach by the name of Alain Gazon.
?It?s definitely to do with these athletic kids, who have been scouted in poor, black or north-African immigrant areas,? McNaughton explains. ?It?s not really about pro clubs. Their physical potential had already been evidenced in the French football team. The 1998 football World Cup, in France, won by France, was a big moment; the population realised that a quarter of the team were kids from these areas. That was a jolt for rugby at the time ? we started to get out there, to Massy, Sarcelles, Gennevilliers and others. Below the three pro clubs ? Racing 92, Stade Francais and [third-tier] Massy ? the next five best clubs in the region are from those areas. It?s not just more numbers and more professional rugby. It?s more that we?ve been out and scouted those kids. I like to think we?ve made rugby a little less of a white middle-class sport.
?Massy, in the third tier, has by far been the most instrumental. Yacouba Camara, Cameron Woki, Jordan Joseph. Gazon watched Joseph when he was 12, met his parents and got him to come to Massy. Gazon is 70 now, he was sent to the Paris region as a postal worker back in the 70s and thought he might have stayed for three years and headed back to Agen or wherever he was from. But he stayed and built this whole thing in Massy, but then Jacky Lorenzetti [Racing 92?s president] head-hunted him and he went there ? it?s definitely down to him that Racing 92 have the Wokis, Tangas etc.
?What we realised in ?le-de-France, in 2004, whereas we used to get thrashed when we played Midi-Pyr?n?es or Languedoc-Roussillon, we pitched up with a team with Bastareaud and Fofana in the centre ? and suddenly we won! That was when, at local level, we started saying to the clubs that they had to go out and work with the schools. We urged the creation of a genuine link between local school and club.?
For Dolo, president at Sarcelles ? a club at the heart of this Parisian spark ? the picture is the same.
?For many years, one of the problems in French rugby was that everything was in the hands of a select few who all hailed from the same region ? the south west,? he says. ?When you?re in this closed bubble, you don?t realise the rest of the world is changing, and you?re being left behind.
?Maybe seven years ago, a young generation appeared and won the world championship. Some of those players came from very different backgrounds to the ?traditional? rugby player in France. They weren?t born in the south west, or near Toulouse, many were from the banlieues or suburbs. They stunned everyone with their physical abilities.
?People used to ask me whether we had any Fijians or Tongans playing with us, and my answer was always: ?We don?t need them. We?re in the suburbs and we have everything we need.?
?People who are fit, strong runners ? fighters almost. Youngsters who almost had to fight every day for what they needed.
?The FFR has started throwing a bit of money in our direction, investing in these rough suburbs because they know that they might be tomorrow?s diamonds.?
11
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Alex Lowe in Today's Times.
« on: August 28, 2023, 08:46:40 AM »
Someone at Twickenham needed to remove the microphone from the person on the public address system. As the Fiji players dropped to a knee in prayer after a first win against England, as the enclave of Fiji supporters in the northeast corner of the stadium sang and danced in celebration of an historic achievement, the astonishing fatuousness that came screeching from the stadium speakers was borderline offensive. ?It didn?t go our way today,? the RFU match-day presenter said, ?but there were so many positives.?
The English rugby public were being treated like fools, which is no real surprise because it has been that way for years. Remember the claims of ?great progress? made by England after the 2021 Six Nations, in which they had finished fifth with a record of two wins from five? What happened next? Exactly the same set of results in 2022 and 2023.
Anyone who questioned the direction of travel was dismissed as a trouble-maker, as a non-believer, and told that the World Cup was all that mattered. Well, here we are at the World Cup and England depart for France on Thursday at an all-time low, with nothing but acrimony and chaos to show for their rugby since scraping the 2020 Six Nations title.
So many positives. Over four years of steady decline, England have fallen from No 1 in the world to rock bottom after this first defeat by Fiji; if indeed this is rock bottom. Never before had England lost to a team from outside of the old Five Nations or modern-day Rugby Championship.So many positives. England?s record in the past 12 months is: played 13, won four, drawn one, lost eight. Tries for: 28; tries against: 38.
So many positives. England are down to eighth in the world, their joint-worst position.
So many positives. England?s godforsaken warm-up campaign ended with Jack van Poortvliet and Anthony Watson suffering tournament-ending injuries, Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola banned for the start of the World Cup.
So many positives. The apathy around the England team meant that the top deck of Twickenham was closed for this big send-off occasion.
So many positives. The RFU sent out scheduled emails to fans on Saturday night urging them to celebrate England?s ?victory? by making use of a discount in the England rugby store.
Those emails landed within minutes of Fiji winning 30-22, reinforcing the notion that England are a laughing stock. ?Steve Borthwick had bad news for Jonny May and Alex Mitchell when he finalised his World Cup squad yesterday. He told both players they had been picked?. That kind of thing.
There was a tide of goodwill behind Borthwick when he took charge of a struggling England team before the Six Nations but that is eroding after six defeats from nine Tests, including a record thumping at home by France and Saturday?s loss to Fiji, and so few signs of progress. You need only listen to the conversations in Twickenham pubs on Saturday night or on grassroots club touchlines on Sunday morning.
George Ford, the fly half, admitted after the game that training standards have not been good enough (despite weeks of everyone being told England looked like world champions in their behind-closed-doors sessions). The indications are that the players do not fully buy into the plan. The public certainly do not.
England?s approval rating has rarely been lower. The joy has slowly been sapped from the national team over the past four years. In an era where Bazball represents high octane, front-foot cricket, Boreball does what it says on the tin. A collection of talented individuals are proving substantially less than the sum of their parts.
Nine games into his tenure and Borthwick was having to defend his record and the contribution of his coaches, a group of men with gilded reputations for their playing achievements in league and union but with very little experience.
England?s attack has been clunky and inaccurate for years, a trend that has continued this month under Richard Wigglesworth; their defence a whole lot worse. Kevin Sinfield is a fund-raising hero but that does not excuse him from scrutiny given how easily England are being carved open. They fell off 27 tackles against Fiji and have now conceded 30 tries in nine games.
?I?m very confident with all the people involved in the team ? the players, the coaches and the management,? Borthwick, the head coach, said. ?What I sense is that this is a group that is coming even tighter together. Everybody in that changing room is totally invested in English rugby doing well. We are all really disappointed by that. ?We have got to ensure we don?t slip off 27 tackles. That?s not what we require in the Test team ? you can?t make that number of errors and missed tackles to win a Test match. Now our focus is on ensuring we are much better than that against Argentina in two weeks? time.?
Defence is supposed to reveal a team?s character and England were in disarray against Fiji, as they have been all year. England have the second-lowest successful tackle percentage of Tier One nations this year (83.9 per cent) and they concede the highest number of points of any team when in their own 22 (3.1), with an average of more than three tries per game. So many positives.
No wonder England seemed petrified of Fiji?s fluidity and power in attack. After May had ended a drought of more than six hours since an England back had scored a try, Fiji accelerated into a 20-8 lead. Waisea Nayacalevu scored after Selestino Ravutaumada had confounded May with a stutter step. Too easy. Ben Earl then failed to police the edge of a breakdown and Vinaya Habosi took advantage. Far too easy. Fiji?s players ate up metres after contact and kept the ball alive, which led to Simione Kuruvoli scoring their third after Danny Care had dropped the kick-off. Just imagine how bad it could have been for England if Fiji had had a functioning lineout and a full-strength side. Levani Botia, the flanker, and Josua Tuisova, the versatile back, were absent and both would walk into England?s team. The development of professional rugby on the islands is already reaping dividends. They halted England?s mauls and did not crumble when the hosts threatened a comeback with second-half tries from Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant. ?They are going to do very well at the World Cup and there?s the potential for us to meet them again in a few weeks time [in the quarter-finals],? Borthwick said. Australia and Wales, Fiji?s pool rivals, have been warned.
At the start of this World Cup camp, it was a given that England would progress from a pool that includes Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa. They still should and even a semi-final place is in their reach. But after losing at home to Fiji, who can be sure? Argentina beat England in November. The Samoa game looks treacherous since they pushed Ireland to the limit on Saturday night.
Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, has overseen England?s decline but refuses to stick his head above the parapet. Sweeney?s protectors believe it would be unfair for him to take questions on England?s performance, even though he is ultimately responsible given Borthwick reports to him.
The discord between Twickenham?s executive team and the RFU council, which represents the grassroots of the game, will only grow with that kind of leadership. There is a feeling in some areas of the council that the reporting structure for the England head coach needs to change. A return to the 2003 system has been mooted, when Sir Clive Woodward was accountable to a panel of experts called Club England. A governance review is imminent.
More than ever, the RFU needs this tournament to make a positive imprint on the wider sporting consciousness. Participation is down. Grassroots clubs are desperate to have community coaches back. Three professional clubs have gone bust. And you wonder where the revelations that Elton Jantjes and Rhys Webb have failed drug tests will lead in the game.
Inevitably, England have begun to circle the wagons. Wigglesworth dismissed criticism of England?s performances as ?white noise?, as if it was some media creation. The RFU tried to shield England players last week from questions about ?previous performances and match results?. The corporate machine that demands positivity is blind to reality.
?Write us off now, all the best,? Ellis Genge, England?s vice-captain, wrote on social media on Saturday night. It was angry and tone deaf. England supporters would give anything for something encouraging to hold on to going into the World Cup.
?I am confident we will use these last few weeks as fuel to go forward into this tournament,? Borthwick said. ?The sense I felt from the players after this game is a determination to put out a level of performance that is representative of the talent.?
To expect England to suddenly deliver that in France, having not managed it with any consistency since 2019, is far-fetched, despite what the public address announcer at Twickenham will have you believe.
The English rugby public were being treated like fools, which is no real surprise because it has been that way for years. Remember the claims of ?great progress? made by England after the 2021 Six Nations, in which they had finished fifth with a record of two wins from five? What happened next? Exactly the same set of results in 2022 and 2023.
Anyone who questioned the direction of travel was dismissed as a trouble-maker, as a non-believer, and told that the World Cup was all that mattered. Well, here we are at the World Cup and England depart for France on Thursday at an all-time low, with nothing but acrimony and chaos to show for their rugby since scraping the 2020 Six Nations title.
So many positives. Over four years of steady decline, England have fallen from No 1 in the world to rock bottom after this first defeat by Fiji; if indeed this is rock bottom. Never before had England lost to a team from outside of the old Five Nations or modern-day Rugby Championship.So many positives. England?s record in the past 12 months is: played 13, won four, drawn one, lost eight. Tries for: 28; tries against: 38.
So many positives. England are down to eighth in the world, their joint-worst position.
So many positives. England?s godforsaken warm-up campaign ended with Jack van Poortvliet and Anthony Watson suffering tournament-ending injuries, Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola banned for the start of the World Cup.
So many positives. The apathy around the England team meant that the top deck of Twickenham was closed for this big send-off occasion.
So many positives. The RFU sent out scheduled emails to fans on Saturday night urging them to celebrate England?s ?victory? by making use of a discount in the England rugby store.
Those emails landed within minutes of Fiji winning 30-22, reinforcing the notion that England are a laughing stock. ?Steve Borthwick had bad news for Jonny May and Alex Mitchell when he finalised his World Cup squad yesterday. He told both players they had been picked?. That kind of thing.
There was a tide of goodwill behind Borthwick when he took charge of a struggling England team before the Six Nations but that is eroding after six defeats from nine Tests, including a record thumping at home by France and Saturday?s loss to Fiji, and so few signs of progress. You need only listen to the conversations in Twickenham pubs on Saturday night or on grassroots club touchlines on Sunday morning.
George Ford, the fly half, admitted after the game that training standards have not been good enough (despite weeks of everyone being told England looked like world champions in their behind-closed-doors sessions). The indications are that the players do not fully buy into the plan. The public certainly do not.
England?s approval rating has rarely been lower. The joy has slowly been sapped from the national team over the past four years. In an era where Bazball represents high octane, front-foot cricket, Boreball does what it says on the tin. A collection of talented individuals are proving substantially less than the sum of their parts.
Nine games into his tenure and Borthwick was having to defend his record and the contribution of his coaches, a group of men with gilded reputations for their playing achievements in league and union but with very little experience.
England?s attack has been clunky and inaccurate for years, a trend that has continued this month under Richard Wigglesworth; their defence a whole lot worse. Kevin Sinfield is a fund-raising hero but that does not excuse him from scrutiny given how easily England are being carved open. They fell off 27 tackles against Fiji and have now conceded 30 tries in nine games.
?I?m very confident with all the people involved in the team ? the players, the coaches and the management,? Borthwick, the head coach, said. ?What I sense is that this is a group that is coming even tighter together. Everybody in that changing room is totally invested in English rugby doing well. We are all really disappointed by that. ?We have got to ensure we don?t slip off 27 tackles. That?s not what we require in the Test team ? you can?t make that number of errors and missed tackles to win a Test match. Now our focus is on ensuring we are much better than that against Argentina in two weeks? time.?
Defence is supposed to reveal a team?s character and England were in disarray against Fiji, as they have been all year. England have the second-lowest successful tackle percentage of Tier One nations this year (83.9 per cent) and they concede the highest number of points of any team when in their own 22 (3.1), with an average of more than three tries per game. So many positives.
No wonder England seemed petrified of Fiji?s fluidity and power in attack. After May had ended a drought of more than six hours since an England back had scored a try, Fiji accelerated into a 20-8 lead. Waisea Nayacalevu scored after Selestino Ravutaumada had confounded May with a stutter step. Too easy. Ben Earl then failed to police the edge of a breakdown and Vinaya Habosi took advantage. Far too easy. Fiji?s players ate up metres after contact and kept the ball alive, which led to Simione Kuruvoli scoring their third after Danny Care had dropped the kick-off. Just imagine how bad it could have been for England if Fiji had had a functioning lineout and a full-strength side. Levani Botia, the flanker, and Josua Tuisova, the versatile back, were absent and both would walk into England?s team. The development of professional rugby on the islands is already reaping dividends. They halted England?s mauls and did not crumble when the hosts threatened a comeback with second-half tries from Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant. ?They are going to do very well at the World Cup and there?s the potential for us to meet them again in a few weeks time [in the quarter-finals],? Borthwick said. Australia and Wales, Fiji?s pool rivals, have been warned.
At the start of this World Cup camp, it was a given that England would progress from a pool that includes Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa. They still should and even a semi-final place is in their reach. But after losing at home to Fiji, who can be sure? Argentina beat England in November. The Samoa game looks treacherous since they pushed Ireland to the limit on Saturday night.
Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, has overseen England?s decline but refuses to stick his head above the parapet. Sweeney?s protectors believe it would be unfair for him to take questions on England?s performance, even though he is ultimately responsible given Borthwick reports to him.
The discord between Twickenham?s executive team and the RFU council, which represents the grassroots of the game, will only grow with that kind of leadership. There is a feeling in some areas of the council that the reporting structure for the England head coach needs to change. A return to the 2003 system has been mooted, when Sir Clive Woodward was accountable to a panel of experts called Club England. A governance review is imminent.
More than ever, the RFU needs this tournament to make a positive imprint on the wider sporting consciousness. Participation is down. Grassroots clubs are desperate to have community coaches back. Three professional clubs have gone bust. And you wonder where the revelations that Elton Jantjes and Rhys Webb have failed drug tests will lead in the game.
Inevitably, England have begun to circle the wagons. Wigglesworth dismissed criticism of England?s performances as ?white noise?, as if it was some media creation. The RFU tried to shield England players last week from questions about ?previous performances and match results?. The corporate machine that demands positivity is blind to reality.
?Write us off now, all the best,? Ellis Genge, England?s vice-captain, wrote on social media on Saturday night. It was angry and tone deaf. England supporters would give anything for something encouraging to hold on to going into the World Cup.
?I am confident we will use these last few weeks as fuel to go forward into this tournament,? Borthwick said. ?The sense I felt from the players after this game is a determination to put out a level of performance that is representative of the talent.?
To expect England to suddenly deliver that in France, having not managed it with any consistency since 2019, is far-fetched, despite what the public address announcer at Twickenham will have you believe.
12
Wasps Rugby Discussion / England squad to face Ireland - No Farrell
« on: August 17, 2023, 04:32:08 PM »15. Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers, 24 caps)
14. Anthony Watson (unattached, 55 caps)
13. Joe Marchant (Stade Francais, 17 caps)
12. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 51 caps)
11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 58 caps)
10. George Ford ? vice-captain (Sale Sharks, 83 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 123 caps)
1. Ellis Genge ? vice-captain (Bristol Bears, 50 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 78 caps)
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 27 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 68 caps)
5. David Ribbans (Toulon, 6 caps)
6. Courtney Lawes (captain) (Northampton Saints, 98 caps)
7. Ben Earl (Saracens, 16 caps)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 69 caps)
Replacements:
16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 1 cap)
17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 80 caps)
18. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 62 caps)
19. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 9 caps)
20. Jack Willis (Toulouse, 11 caps)
21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 88 caps)
22. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 22 caps)
23. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 12 caps)
13
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Could This Be the Start of Central Contracts in English Rugby?
« on: July 21, 2023, 12:44:03 PM »
From today's Telegraph.
Anthony Watson being paid directly by England to keep him in the Premiership
Anthony Watson has become the first male England player to sign a training contract with the Rugby Football Union, paving the way for the wing to stay in the Premiership with Leicester Tigers after the World Cup.
Watson is listed as ?unattached? in the latest England squad update issued on Monday but Telegraph Sport understands the 29-year-old will be paid directly by the RFU through to the end of the World Cup after his previous contract with Leicester expired. Tigers are in pole position to re-sign Watson following the tournament.
French clubs, including Castres, had been circling Watson and it is thought the RFU was encouraged to make its move at the behest of England head coach Steve Borthwick, who wanted to keep him in the Premiership ? and thus available for selection ? after the World Cup. Watson was one of the few shining lights for England in a Six Nations campaign in which they finished fourth.
RFU insiders are at pains to emphasise this is not the same as a central contract like in Ireland, where the Irish Rugby Union directly pays the wages of its leading players. Instead it was an act of short-term expediency after Watson?s deal with Leicester came to an end. As Telegraph Sport previously reported, Watson struggled to find his market value in the Premiership as a result of the minimal salary-cap compensation clubs would receive during his lengthy absences in a World Cup season.
The move is not completely without precedent. Centre Ben Te?o was also offered a training contract before the 2019 World Cup, although that was rescinded when he was cut from Eddie Jones?s squad following his brawl with Mike Brown at a training camp in Treviso.
RFU and Leicester remain tight-lipped over deal
Yet the RFU is still playing with fire by signing Watson. Other Premiership clubs could perceive that the RFU is handing Leicester a unique advantage by paying for Watson?s absence during the World Cup. Such is the sensitivity of the subject that neither the RFU nor Leicester were prepared to comment upon the deal.
At the end of last season, Leicester were unable to re-sign Watson due to salary-cap restraints, but the training contract and Harry Potter?s departure to Western Force have opened up the fund for Watson to remain at Welford Road. Leicester have already bolstered their back-three options with the signings of Ollie Hassell-Collins and Josh Bassett from London Irish and Harlequins, while veteran full-back Mike Brown will remain at the club as cover during the World Cup.
Telegraph Sport also understands the RFU is proposing establishing a ?hybrid contract? for England?s leading players. This would give Borthwick and the RFU more control and input into the playing and training load of his main players in return for greater compensation. At present all clubs are paid ?40,000 for every player provided to England?s Elite Player Squad, regardless if they are an established starter or unused player.
Information sharing may be key to entente cordiale
Premiership Rugby certainly recognises there should be greater recompense for providing England?s leading players but many clubs are resistant to the idea of losing autonomy over a player?s schedule. There is an increased sense of collaboration with England and the clubs agreeing to employ the same GPS units so they can monitor data on each other?s watch.
A sign of the more cordial relationship is underscored by the fact they have rebranded the Professional Game Agreement, which determines relations between the RFU and Premiership Rugby, as the Professional Game Partnership. However, while there are many areas of alignment, there is still a considerable difference of opinion on the cost of the PGP, which is due to begin in 2024.
Under the previous PGA, which was signed in 2016, the RFU paid the clubs ?112 million for the first four years, with the second four-year period being linked to the RFU?s financial performance. After losing three Premiership clubs last season, the league is pushing for greater revenue. The RFU, however, is adamant it will not imperil the funding of the community game to prop up the Premiership. If it was to match or increase its backing, it would want greater input, whether in the form of hybrid contracts or a direct running of the academy system.
Anthony Watson being paid directly by England to keep him in the Premiership
Anthony Watson has become the first male England player to sign a training contract with the Rugby Football Union, paving the way for the wing to stay in the Premiership with Leicester Tigers after the World Cup.
Watson is listed as ?unattached? in the latest England squad update issued on Monday but Telegraph Sport understands the 29-year-old will be paid directly by the RFU through to the end of the World Cup after his previous contract with Leicester expired. Tigers are in pole position to re-sign Watson following the tournament.
French clubs, including Castres, had been circling Watson and it is thought the RFU was encouraged to make its move at the behest of England head coach Steve Borthwick, who wanted to keep him in the Premiership ? and thus available for selection ? after the World Cup. Watson was one of the few shining lights for England in a Six Nations campaign in which they finished fourth.
RFU insiders are at pains to emphasise this is not the same as a central contract like in Ireland, where the Irish Rugby Union directly pays the wages of its leading players. Instead it was an act of short-term expediency after Watson?s deal with Leicester came to an end. As Telegraph Sport previously reported, Watson struggled to find his market value in the Premiership as a result of the minimal salary-cap compensation clubs would receive during his lengthy absences in a World Cup season.
The move is not completely without precedent. Centre Ben Te?o was also offered a training contract before the 2019 World Cup, although that was rescinded when he was cut from Eddie Jones?s squad following his brawl with Mike Brown at a training camp in Treviso.
RFU and Leicester remain tight-lipped over deal
Yet the RFU is still playing with fire by signing Watson. Other Premiership clubs could perceive that the RFU is handing Leicester a unique advantage by paying for Watson?s absence during the World Cup. Such is the sensitivity of the subject that neither the RFU nor Leicester were prepared to comment upon the deal.
At the end of last season, Leicester were unable to re-sign Watson due to salary-cap restraints, but the training contract and Harry Potter?s departure to Western Force have opened up the fund for Watson to remain at Welford Road. Leicester have already bolstered their back-three options with the signings of Ollie Hassell-Collins and Josh Bassett from London Irish and Harlequins, while veteran full-back Mike Brown will remain at the club as cover during the World Cup.
Telegraph Sport also understands the RFU is proposing establishing a ?hybrid contract? for England?s leading players. This would give Borthwick and the RFU more control and input into the playing and training load of his main players in return for greater compensation. At present all clubs are paid ?40,000 for every player provided to England?s Elite Player Squad, regardless if they are an established starter or unused player.
Information sharing may be key to entente cordiale
Premiership Rugby certainly recognises there should be greater recompense for providing England?s leading players but many clubs are resistant to the idea of losing autonomy over a player?s schedule. There is an increased sense of collaboration with England and the clubs agreeing to employ the same GPS units so they can monitor data on each other?s watch.
A sign of the more cordial relationship is underscored by the fact they have rebranded the Professional Game Agreement, which determines relations between the RFU and Premiership Rugby, as the Professional Game Partnership. However, while there are many areas of alignment, there is still a considerable difference of opinion on the cost of the PGP, which is due to begin in 2024.
Under the previous PGA, which was signed in 2016, the RFU paid the clubs ?112 million for the first four years, with the second four-year period being linked to the RFU?s financial performance. After losing three Premiership clubs last season, the league is pushing for greater revenue. The RFU, however, is adamant it will not imperil the funding of the community game to prop up the Premiership. If it was to match or increase its backing, it would want greater input, whether in the form of hybrid contracts or a direct running of the academy system.
14
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Fiver.
« on: July 20, 2023, 10:28:40 AM »
Danny Cips for those who may not be familiar with his Wasps' nick name 
His autobiography "Who am I?" is out on September 14th .
His autobiography "Who am I?" is out on September 14th .
15
Wasps Rugby Discussion / Top 14 Final
« on: June 17, 2023, 03:48:00 PM »
Shown live for free on TV5 Monde - only with French commentary- at the below link:
https://europe.tv5monde.com/en/live?tim ... ope/London
Allez Jack.
I don't think you need a VPN.
It?s also on Viaplay (if you?re a subscriber), but only via the app (apparently).
https://europe.tv5monde.com/en/live?tim ... ope/London
Allez Jack.
I don't think you need a VPN.
It?s also on Viaplay (if you?re a subscriber), but only via the app (apparently).