What France's European dominance has taught everyone else
The European Finals weekend brought with it plenty for French teams to celebrate. Three of the four finalists in the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup showdowns hailed from France and, when La Rochelle turned a distant dream into a reality, total European dominance was confirmed.
Very few gave La Rochelle a chance of beating a Leinster side stacked with international pedigree, but Ronan O’Gara’s band of brothers refused to give their opposition the same credence. They flew quickly up in defence and were expansive in attack, stifling their opposition for the full 80. And yet, thanks to the boot of Johnny Sexton, Leinster remained in front for most of the contest, until replacement scrum half Arthur Retière bundled over in the dying minutes to give La Rochelle their first taste of European glory.
Only a day before, Lyon soared to new heights when they dominated Toulon 30-12 in the Challenge Cup final. In front of a rapturous Stade de Marseille crowd, another scrum-half in the form of Baptiste Couilloud crossed for the opening try and from then on Lyon proved insurmountable.
Notably, this too was their first European title. The breakthrough success of La Rochelle and Lyon in international club rugby is not simply a story of underdog success, it signposts the fundamental value of relegation and promotion in club competition.
In the 2013-2014 season, both cup winners were playing in the Pro D2. Lyon were crowned champions come the end of that season and earnt promotion to the Top 14. They were joined by La Rochelle, who beat Agen 31-22 in the play-off final, having spent the last three years in the French second division.
Promotion suited La Rochelle better than Lyon, as the Stade de Gerland outfit were instantly relegated a season after. However, they made it back to the top tier in 2016 and have stayed there ever since.
It is no secret that financial investment goes hand in hand with a promotion bid. La Rochelle increased their stadium capacity to 15,000 and had a budget injection of 16.5 million euros to help their bid while Lyon had strong financial reserves between 2011 and 2016 when they were considered a proverbial yo-yo team. A couple of years on and both are now European title winners, all because they were given time to grow, both on and off the field.
The Gallagher Premiership could truly benefit from adopting a similar system. Ealing Trailfinders topped the Championship table this season but were denied promotion on the grounds that the club’s facilities did not meet a minimum standards criteria. The London team have been on the fringes of the Premiership for some time now and can feel hard done by at the ruling.
Without the incentive of promotion, investment in Championship clubs will become harder to come by and fan involvement will soon reach a ceiling.
Compare this with the reaction to La Rochelle’s European triumph. The city only has a population of around 75,000 but its port was flooded with jubilant supporters, immensely proud of what their club achieved.
Plenty of teams in the English second division will have watched that enviously, foreseeing what could be possible if promotion became genuine.
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Le Port de La Rochelle en fusion après le retour des Héros ! 😍😱💛🖤 @staderochelais pic.twitter.com/S2j3dCGDBv
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And it wasn’t long ago that an English team benefitted from promotion. The Exeter Chiefs first broke into the Premiership back in 2010 and have since become a perennial title contender. They won the league twice in 2017 and 2020, and lifted the Champions Cup in 2020 after beating Racing 92 in the grand finale.
Admittedly, not all promotions are successful. You need look no further than the case of London Welsh, who fell into administration after a season spent in the Premiership. But if anything, this demonstrated how England’s top league is increasingly becoming a closed shop.
In stark contrast, the French system shows the value of having a competitive second division that filters into the top flight. And the European winners over the weekend are markers of this.
Since earning promotion, both Lyon and La Rochelle have edged their way into the Top 14 playoffs. La Rochelle have now appeared in two consecutive Champions Cup finals and Lyon have claimed their first major honour since 1933.
Financial investment has no doubt helped each team’s ascent, but neither would be where they are today if promotion was not in place.
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments