AXA Elite 1 Feminine: How things stand ahead of Round 16

France’s AXA Elite 1 Feminine returns on Sunday, just one week after England beat France to a Guinness Women’s Six Nations Grand Chelem in Bordeaux.

All the way back in mid-April, ASM Romagnat leapfrogged long-time leaders Toulouse before the break, courtesy of a try-scoring bonus picked up and another missed. These fine margins could prove to be vital with the play-off reckoning around the corner.

Here, then, is how all 10 teams are faring in the top-flight of the women’s game in France, as the season draws to a close…

ASM Romagnat (68 points)

Remaining matches: Toulon (a); Bobigny (h); Toulouse (a)

No French internationals, no problem for Romagnat, who climbed above long-time leaders Toulouse with a 25-0 bonus-point win over Grenoble last time out.

It was a victory built, as much of Romagnat’s season has been built, on hermetic defence, that denied the clumsy visitors any space to score.

Romagnat boast the best defence in the Elite 1, shipping just 131 points in 15 matches this campaign. Nearest rivals Toulouse have conceded 193 — but are more incisive in attack, scoring 653 points compared to the Auvergne side’s 491.

The difference between the two sides is in bonus points. Clermont do just enough time after time to pick up a try-scoring bonus, even as Toulouse frequently score a sackful. At the end of the day, however, there’s only one try-scoring bonus available. And, whoever finishes top of the table will face a slightly easier challenge in the play-off semi-final.

Stade Toulousain (67 points)

Remaining matches: Bobigny (h); Montpellier (a); ASM Romagnat (h)

The final match of the season weighs on the future of Toulouse’s season like a lead ball on a rubber sheet, after Romagnat overtook them — on bonus points — for the first time in the campaign in the week before the Women’s Six Nations break.

Without their stock of French internationals, Toulouse — who have scored 97 tries in 15 matches this season — only touched down twice as they won a hard-fought derby at Blagnac 13-0 last time out, to cede top spot to the Auvergne side.

The top two have been the standout sides in the Elite 1 this season, both winning 14 out of 15 outings so far, separated only by the try-scoring bonus Toulouse missed out on at Blagnac.

The odds are that they’ll meet again in the final in Biarritz on the weekend of June 27. Though, defending champions Stade Bordelais and fourth-placed Blagnac would like to have their say, first.

Stade Bordelais (55 points)

Remaining matches: Lyon (a); Grenoble (h); Toulon (a)

Joanna Grisez’s serious knee injury in France’s Women’s Six Nations opener against Italy in Grenoble was not just a blow for Les Bleues. It will also hurt club Stade Bordelais, as she has been their key attacking threat all season, scoring nine of their 72 Elite 1 tries so far.

After losing their first two games, the side formerly coached by France’s François Ratier have won 11 of 13 to ensure their third title defence in a row goes into the play-offs. And, they’re the only side to get the better of Toulouse this season, winning a thriller of an encounter in March 34-29 — in the first French women’s elite match with in-stadium audio description for visually impaired fans.

In league terms, the first past is done for Bordeaux. They have ensured their title defence goes into the post-season. And no one, not even current league leaders ASM Romagnat, who have already beaten them twice this season, will expect anything less than a stern examination.

Blagnac (44 points)

Remaining matches: Montpellier (a); Lyon (h); Grenoble (a)

What was originally a club April Fool’s social media joke became real when, four years after her last club outing, former France international-turned-TV pundit Marjorie Mayans made a surprise return for injury and international call-ups hit Blagnac.

Mayans played the last 20 minutes at centre — 15 years after she last played there — for their 18-17 win over Stade Bordelais on April 5, and again in the 13-0 loss at home against neighbours Toulouse on April 12. That’s expected to be her last outing for a while, as she is due to return to her ‘day job’ as a Top 14 analyst and commentator for broadcaster Canal Plus.

Despite the defeat last time out, Blagnac — with 10 wins in 15 outings so far this season — are as good as certain of a top-four finish. Third, meanwhile, remains a mathematical possibility. But they’d need a lot of outside assistance to get there. All they can do is work to win their remaining matches. And hope.

Montpellier (29 points)

Remaining matches: Blagnac (h); Toulouse (h); Lyon (a)

Three wins in their opening three matches hinted at a strong season to come for ambitious Montpellier. But five defeats on the bounce followed, and the eight-time French champions have struggled to string results together since.

The slump continued in 2026 — Montpellier have won just three times in eight outings since the start of the year — means they’re out of the running for a targeted top four finish, and left manager Stéphane Ferrière with a ‘feeling of helplessness’.

“Being a team means playing to our strengths and addressing our weaknesses,” he told regional newspaper Midi Libre in March. “At the moment, I feel that while we certainly have weaknesses, above all we’re no longer able to identify our strengths.”

Two of their three remaining matches are against top-four opposition. Fifth is the best they could hope for after a season that has not gone as planned. But, like Bobigny who are level on points with them, that would be an improvement on their last campaign.

Bobigny (29 points)

Remaining matches: Toulouse (a); Romagnat (a); Lille (h)

The play-offs are out of reach and relegation is no threat but fly-half Juliette Fregier insists Bobigny’s season is far from over. The club in the sprawling Parisian suburbs have targeted a fifth-place finish, one higher than they managed last season.

Defensively, Bobigny have improved markedly as the season has gone on — only the top four have really hurt them points wise in their 15 matches to date — but their ongoing inability to turn pressure into points remains a season-defining issue.

It was evident again in a recent low-scoring match against Lyon, when they had the try-scoring bonus five minutes from time, only to lose it and then almost give it all away.

There’s no play-off place for finishing fifth. But it’s progress from last season. There’s only one problem — trips to the top two sides in their next two outings.

Grenoble (24 points)

Remaining matches: Lille (h); Stade Bordelais (a); Blagnac (h)

Last pre-season, Grenoble set themselves a target of matching their fifth-place finish of 2024/25. Perhaps the goal was ambitious, given their situation at the time, as they exited a period of painful uncertainty about their very existence with a new president and a new board of directors talking a big game.

But, even though they have only won twice in eight attempts since the turn of the year — they’re not likely to miss their target by much which, taking all the above into account, should mean this becomes a season to build on.

Injuries and international absences have hurt Grenoble’s season. By the end of February, France captain Manae Feleu had played just 20 minutes of club rugby, according to coach Léo Brissaud. But confidence has hurt them more. They’ll target two home wins from their last three outings to end a recovery season on a positive note, and ensure the reconstruction of Grenoble has strong foundations.

Lyon (19 points)

Remaining matches: Stade Bordelais (h); Blagnac (a); Montpellier (h)

Lyon’s self-stated target is an AXA Elite 1 title by 2028. Their squad this season includes 10 capped internationals, including Italy’s Aura Muzzo and Alissa Ranuccini, who arrived at the start of the campaign.

While three wins and a draw heading into the last short sprint of a final block of games may be disappointing, it’s far from the end of the world. Though the maths still says otherwise, and despite their difficult run-in featuring matches against a trio of top five teams, Lyon are effectively safe, allowing their young squad — which has an average age of 23 — to look to the future with increasing confidence.

They have a squad for the future. Two seasons in the future, if everything goes to plan.

Toulon (14 points)

Remaining matches: Romagnat (h); Lille (a); Stade Bordelais (h)

The Women’s Six Nations break came at just the wrong time of the season for promoted Toulon. Two of their three wins in 15 outings to date have come in their last five matches at home against Montpellier and Grenoble. Their first win of the season? At home to Lyon in early November.

Chances are they’re not going to add to their win tally against top three sides Romagnat or Stade Bordelais in their remaining home matches, which piles the importance and the pressure on to their 1,000km-plus trip to bottom club Lille on May 31.

Avoid a five-point defeat there, and Toulon’s place in the French top flight will be secured. No other match in the penultimate round of the season will have as much riding on it.

Lille (9 points)

Remaining matches: Grenoble (a); Toulon (h); Bobigny (a)

Having survived last season by the skin of a losing bonus point won late on the last game of the campaign, Lille find themselves at the foot of the table again, with just two wins in their 15 games so far.

Their most recent victory was in January, at second-from-bottom Toulon. They have a chance to do the double over the Var side before the end of the campaign. But it’s hard to see the side with the worst attack and defence in the AXA Elite 1 picking up wins at either Grenoble or Bobigny.

That means they’ll need to win with a try-scoring bonus against Toulon — the side with the second worst attack and defence — to leapfrog them in the table.

Unfortunately, Lille haven’t managed to pick up one of those at all this season, scoring only 134 points — including 13 tries — in 15 games, with a single-match season high of just 17 points, scored in a 17-45 loss at home to Toulouse. The odds lean heavily in favour of Lille dropping to the Elite 2, replaced most probably by La Rochelle.