Ex-double French champs pull out of match as club collapse looms

The two-time Champion de France winners Stado Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby could file for bankruptcy in the coming days due to serious financial problems that have plagued the Nationale club in recent years.

An announcement is still pending, but several reports indicate that players have not been paid for the past two months. Tarbes are currently fighting to avoid relegation, sitting bottom of France’s third tier.

This weekend’s fixture against RC Massy Essonne will not go ahead, with the suburban Paris club already notified that Tarbes will not make the journey.

The club has been in steady decline since the 1990s, dropping to Fédérale 1/Nationale in 2017, a long drop down the rankings from its former glory days.

Several Test match internationals ply their trade in Tarbes, including Samoa’s Senio Tolefoa, Portugal’s Abel da Cunha, Spain’s Ximun Bessonart and the Netherlands’ Spike Salman. Former Scarlets and Dragons fly-half Jacob Botica and Western Force prop Filipe Manu will also be seeking new clubs if Tarbes fold.

The club’s board is considering several options as it seeks to maintain its affiliation with the Fédération Française de Rugby and avoid relegation to Nationale 2.

While the company that controls Tarbes’ rights could file for bankruptcy, if the club retains its affiliation and finds a new investor, it may avoid the worst-case scenario.

After Blagnac closed its doors in 2024 due to bankruptcy, Tarbes would become the second Nationale club in the last five years to suffer the same fate. US Bourg-en-Bresse are also reported to be in financial difficulty.

The French Rugby Union has informed the current eighth-placed side that they will play in Nationale 2 next season after its financial commission ruled that their debts and financial issues had not been resolved.

The club has seven days to appeal if it wishes to retain its Nationale status.

An official announcement from the beleaguered club is expected in the coming days.