LONG READ ProD2 season preview: New coaches, new ambition in France's second tier

In July, Midi Olympique posed what it said was a provocative question: what if France’s ProD2 was becoming more exciting than the Top 14?

Evidence in favour of the hypothesis came, it said, in the fact that match-day crowds were up – last season’s average of nearly 5,900 fans per game was a record for France’s second tier; in the number of overseas players signing for French second-tier sides; and because French pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus has given the big opening weekend clash between ambitious Brive and relegated Vannes a primetime Saturday slot in its schedules.

In truth, it wasn’t really a question as much as a chance to wax lyrical about the popularity of the ProD2. You can’t blame Midol  for that. And it absolutely is a thoroughly entertaining league to follow.

A more pressing question is how the season will shake out with so many clubs changing key members of their staff. How will Agen fare under returning new manager Mauricio Reggiardo? Will Fabien Cibray work his way out of the shadow of Joe El Abd at Oyonnax? Is Philippe Saint-Andre the manager to finally take Provence into the Top 14? Is Colomiers-style staff evolution the way forward? And can Dax, Mont-de-Marsan and Beziers rediscover coaching peace amid the fallout of turbulent finales to their 2024-25 campaigns?

Here’s a club-by-club look at the state of play heading into the new ProD2 season.

AGEN

In: Craig Willis, Sio Tomkinson, Cyril Deligny, Denis Marchois, Taniela Matakaiongo, Louis Dupichot

Out: Billy Searle, Henry Purdy, Inoke Nalaga, Jean-Marcellin Buttin, Hayam El Bibouji, Vincent Farre, Foto Lokotui, Theo Belan, Thibaud Mazzoleni

Senior staff: Mauricio Reggiardo, Dave Ryan, Remi Vaquin, Guillaume Jan, Jordan Barrin

Opening fixtures: Nevers (a); Mont-de-Marsan (h); Grenoble (h); Carcassonne (a); Beziers (h); Colomiers (a)

The era of ex-France U20 coach Sebastien Calvet at Agen started three days after Les Bleuets lost the World Rugby U20 Championship final in 2024. It ended in mid-May 2025 with a near-unanimous vote of no confidence from ‘his’ players, following a 14th-place finish, one place and two points above Aurillac in the relegation play-off spot, and way off the top-six target Calvet had ambitiously envisaged soon after his arrival.

Another season to very much forget at troubled Agen, then, bookended by staff reshuffles. Calvet has been replaced by Reggiardo – back at the club he managed between 2017 and 2019. Guillaume Jan has come from Nevers to replace Barry Maddocks, bound for Nissa (formerly Stade Niçois) as attack coach.

It seems Reggiardo had been club president Jean-Francois Fonteneau’s preferred coaching choice anyway, following the sudden departure of Bernard Goutta at Christmas 2023. But the Argentine opted to see out his contract at Provence – prompting the ill-fated pivot to Calvet.

Now, though, the players have made their decision, and the president has his head coach. There’s just the matter of making it work. Responsibility and expectation abound. But things have got to be better than last season, right?

The new era hasn’t got off to the best of starts, with bad news on the recruitment front. Paula Walisoliso, who was expected to arrive from Nevers, decided at the end of July he could not join the club for personal reasons. A scramble for cover alighted on Western Force’s Sio Tomkinson, regional newspaper Le Petit Bleu D’Agen reported in mid-August.

AURILLAC

In: Viliami Taulani, Ben O’Donnell, Francois Vergnaud, Aurelien Barreau (loan), Noe Brune, Mirian Burduli

Out: Valentin Welsch, Heath Backhouse, Leopold Dupas, Mikheil Alania, Elijah Niko, Karl Martin, Ugo Seunes

Senior staff: Romeo Gontineac, Walter Olombel, Mathieu Lescure, Jeremy Wanin, Sebastien Delpirou

Opening fixtures: Carcassonne (h); Grenoble (a); Beziers (h); Colomiers (a); Vannes (h); Biarritz (a)

Aurillac, a ‘no money, plenty of ideas’ club that has been in the ProD2 since 2007 – going on a 35-match unbeaten home run between 2014 and 2017, and reaching the second-tier final in 2016 – were one match from losing it all at the end of last season.

But they comfortably beat losing Nationale finalists Chambery 45-15 on 1 June to retain their place in French rugby’s second tier.

“We left with a feeling of accomplishment,” manager Romeo Gontineac said on the club’s return to training at the beginning of July. “We fulfilled the contract. We will start again on a good footing, with more or less the same group as last year. Everyone has been involved and enthusiastic.”

That’s a crucial point. They’ll miss scrum-half Mikheil Alania, who decamped to Vannes in the off-season, but Gontineac is working with much the same cards as he had last season – they’ve only brought in a handful of senior signings, such is the tightness of the purse strings.

Long-term injury half-back absentees Tedo Abzhandadze and David Delarue are training and expected to be available from the start of the season to take some of the pressure off the coaches, while back-row Viliami Taulani has reportedly impressed everyone in pre-season.

But the club has also had to deal with the late departure of talented 24-year-old fly-half Ugo Seunes. He had long attracted covetous eyes from higher up the rugby ladder in France, and Racing – desperately seeking a 10 following the departures of Owen Farrell, Dan Lancaster and Tristan Tedder – paid a reported (and denied) €230,000 to free him from the final year of his contract in late July. It was just rugby business, but it frustrated the Aurillac staff.

The urgent August search for replacement cover at fly-half took Aurillac to Montpellier academy player Aurelien Barreau, 20, according to Rugbyrama, and they have also signed Noe Brune from Perpignan.

Aurillac’s target should come as no surprise: Top six. But president Christian Millette is realistic. “Whether it will happen or not, I don’t know, but we will do everything to achieve it. I remain convinced that we have a quality group, quality young players.”

BEZIERS

In: Jonathan Maiau, Jerome Dufour, Baltazar Amaya, Duran Koevort

Out: Gabin Lorre, Harry Glynn, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Tim Nanai-Williams, Watisoni Votu, Taleta Tupuola, Branden Holder, Hans N’Kinsi, Francisco Fernandes

Senior staff: Rory Teague, Johnny Howard, Marius Tincu, David Irazoqui

Opening fixtures: Biarritz (a); Nevers (h); Aurillac (a); Mont-de-Marsan (h); Agen (a); Carcassonne (h)

In Agen, player power led to the dismissal of a coach. In Beziers, player power could do nothing to prevent it. The squad wrote an open letter in support of Pierre Caillet, after he was ‘invited to leave’ the club after five seasons in charge. It made no difference.

It was the biggest decision so far by the club’s new bosses – celebrated former rugby internationals Andrew Mehrtens and Bob Skinstad, co-presidents of the club. Despite the criticism, they weren’t about to back down.

Skinstad told Midi Olympique: “The main reason lies in a divergence of cultures, behaviour, and ways of working… After several discussions, I was convinced we couldn’t gradually build together. Our ideas were too opposed.

“For me, it’s a long-term project, with the Top 14, the Champions Cup, and winning titles in our sights. People who can’t achieve that don’t come with me.”

No dissembling, there.

Rory Teague was unveiled as head coach in June. The club also announced that director of rugby Johnny Howard would take charge of defence, Marius Tincu the forwards, and David Izaroqui the backs.

Player recruitment, meanwhile, has been sparse (academy arrival Hugo Szarzewski made as big a splash as any other), to the frustration of fans who were expecting more from the deeper pocketed new owners.

But the boardroom stall is set not on names of the present but of the future. For ‘Made in France’, read ‘Made in Beziers’.

Teague, who has a history with the academies at Wasps and Saracens and coached England Under-20s, has been tasked to develop the young, locally grown talent at his disposal. There should be plenty to work with: Beziers’ academy moved up to the top flight of the age-grade pyramid at the end of last season.

The whole set-up at the club is now geared towards building from the youth up. Club captain Clement Doumenc, and recently retired players Kevin Gimeno and Jamie Hagan are involved with the Under-18s, as is ex-senior team backs coach Karne Kaufana. Meanwhile, academy coaches Samuel Nouchi and Jonathan Bousquet – also former players – are now also on the technical staff of the first team, making the progression from the academy to the senior set-up as seamless as possible. This is the Toulouse model, Biterrois-style.

Howard told Midi Olympique: “We needed to shake up the youth ranks because we’ve been promoted to the top flight [of the academy championship]. We hope this will spur on teams in the area because we have an incredible pool of talent that isn’t being fully exploited.”

Beziers, then, are talking the player production line talk. Every academy player has been training with the first team in pre-season. Now they have to walk that walk.

BIARRITZ

In: Yann Lesgourgues, Alban Placines, Heath Backhouse, Remi Bourdeau, Hugo Pirlet, Quentin Samaran, Aston Fortuin, Dorian Laborde (loan), Jules Even

Out: Jonathan Joseph, Charlie Matthews, Levi Douglas, Killian Taofifenua, Nikoloz Narmania, Luteru Tolai, Nafi Ma’afu, Pierre Pages, Ilian Perraux, Francois Vergnaud, Giorgi Dzmanashvili, Nodar Shengelia, Gervais Cordin, Brendan Lebrun, Adrian Motoc, Clement Martinez

Senior staff: Boris Bouhraoua, Remi Bonfils, Sébastien Buada, Jérôme Filitoga-Taofifenua

Opening fixtures: Beziers (h); Colomiers (a); Provence (a); Brive (h); Nevers (a); Aurillac (h)

“Am I happy that we’re [safe] in the ProD2?” Biarritz’s then-sporting director James Coughlan told the Irish Examiner in May, shortly after the club’s campaign ended. “Of course I am. That’s all I wanted at the start of the season.

“I had an idea that, if we finished between 64 and 68 points, we’d be in the top six or seven. But there’s more of a gap between the top six and the bottom eight this year.”

For the record, they had finished ninth, with 64 points.

A week after Coughlan spoke to the Examiner, Biarritz were relegated for financial reasons – a year, give or take, after a consortium led by former player Shaun Hegarty had bought the club for a symbolic €1.

Waiting in the wings, however, was Otium, an investment firm owned by billionaire Pierre-Edouard Sterin. Some boardroom restructuring and a few meetings later, and Biarritz were reinstated into the ProD2 on appeal, but will start on minus three points. A new future on a new financial footing starts here. Again.

Despite the internal cull, there’s a clearly articulated goal. It’s called ‘Brennus 2032’, and sets a target of promotion within four years, Top 14 title challenge in seven

And it appears it will be without Coughlan, who was apparently deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the post-takeover internal reorganisation – “I think we may be overstaffed in the club compared to our limited budget and ambitions: we’re playing in the middle of the table in Pro D2,” new president Cyril Arrosteguy told Ici Pays Basque in early August.

Despite the internal cull, there’s a clearly articulated goal. It’s called ‘Brennus 2032’, and sets a target of promotion within four years, Top 14 title challenge in seven. More immediately, better than last season’s ninth is the prime directive for this season. That may be possible, but a little more stability will be required for anything more ambitious.

BRIVE

In: John Cooney, Henco Venter, Irne Herbst, Jamie Shillcock, Mathis Galthie, Ben Tapuai, Yann Peysson, Hugo Reilhes, Zaccharie Affane (loan), Yanis Charcosset, Alexandre Ricard, Janse Roux, Anthony Coletta, Geoffrey Cros, Eto Bainivalu (loan), Julien Tisseron

Out: Ross Moriarty, Leo Carbonneau, Mathis Ferte, Tom Raffy (loan), Sam Johnson, Guillaume Galletier, Omar Odishvili, Wesley Tapueluelu, Adrien Pelissie, Issam Hamel, Sitaleki Timani, Julien Delannoy, Tevita Ratuva, Renger Ven Eerten, Matthieu Voisin, Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, Matias Moroni, Timilai Rokoduru, Tevita Railevu (loan), Thomas Laranjeira

Senior staff: Pierre-Henry Broncan, David Darricarrere, Arnaud Mela, Goderzi Shvelidze, Said Hireche, Joe Worsley, Julien Rebeyrol-Brimeur

Opening fixtures: Vannes (h); Dax (a); Valence Romans (h); Biarritz (a); Grenoble (h); Oyonnax (h)

There’s no hiding the fact that Brive, like Colomiers before them and Grenoble after them, were strongly forecast to beat Montauban in the ProD2 play-offs. There’s also no hiding from the fact that the scale of their loss at home against the shock champions was far greater than the semi-final’s 13-29 scoreline.

How to take that? “We didn’t talk about the end of last season,” newly promoted manager David Darricarrere, told Midi Olympique in the early days of pre-season, “because we want to start the new season with a new dynamic.

“On the other hand, we will use it to avoid making the same mistakes.”

That should be relatively straightforward. As well as a staffing reorganisation that has seen Pierre-Henry Broncan promoted to sporting director, and former France Under-20 attack coach Darricarrere take charge on the touchline, the playing squad has been extensively overhauled.

The new boss has a thing for fast rugby. As in really fast. It’s why his first appointment was performance head Julien Rebeyrol-Brimeur, who followed a well-trodden route between Castres and the Correze – Broncan, Darricarrere, defence coach Joe Worsley, and back rows Asier Usarraga and Yann Peysson have all made the pilgrimage up the A20 in recent seasons.

“I wanted to work with Julien, with whom I share the same vision of the game,” Darricarrere told Midol. “He is very focused on movement and speed … We often lacked speed last season, in movement, but also in our execution and decision-making.”

His preferred style of rugby is high-risk, high-reward, and the Briviste brass have given him carte blanche to play it. When it works, it can be devastatingly beautiful to watch.

There should be plenty for the fans to feed on this season. But they also thirst for the Top 14. It remains to be seen whether Darricarrere’s brand of bread and circuses can get them there.

CARCASSONNE

In: Killian Taofifenua, Ian Boubila (loan), Sitaleki Timani, Lopeti Timani, Tane Takulua, Joe Wadman, Evrard Dion Oulai,Yan Tabarot, Tevita Railevu (loan), Viliame Tutuvuli, Nicolas Parada Heit

Out: Pierre Aguillon, Raphael Carbou, Gabin Villerouge, Clement Fontaine, Valentin Sese, Clement Egiziano

Senior staff: Bernard Goutta, Mehadji Tidjini, Pierre Aguillon, Didier Sanchez, Pierre Begon, Benoît Bellot, Olivier Rieg, Bruno Gabaldon

Opening fixtures: Aurillac (a); Oyonnax (h); Nevers (a); Agen (h); Mont-de-Marsan (a); Beziers (a)

Carcassonne’s return to the ProD2 after two seasons, via Johnny McPhillips’ 89th-minute conversion to beat Nationale leaders Chambery in the third-tier final, was not quite as surprising as Montauban’s ProD2 title and promotion to the Top 14. But, make no mistake, it was somewhat unexpected.

The Aude side changed coaches in November – Jean Marc Aué and Eric Escribano ‘thanked’ after a mixed start to the campaign. They were fifth at the time, but the internal impression was that the season was running out of steam before it had got going.

Bringing in young Toulouse hooker Ian Boubila and Brive’s Fijian winger Tevita Railevu on loan is a strong statement of ambition

Enter Bernard Goutta, out of work since walking out on Agen nearly a year previously, who guided them to a third-place finish, then through the play-offs to final glory. In May, he signed a new deal to stick around at Stade Albert Domec until 2028, and took veteran centre Pierre Aguillon off the pitch and on to the touchline as a coach.

His mission, one he and his staff have chosen to accept, is to ensure Carcassonne are out of relegation danger at the end of the campaign. Easier typed, and read, than done.

But bringing in young Toulouse hooker Ian Boubila and Brive’s Fijian winger Tevita Railevu on loan, is a strong statement of ambition, while Tane Takulua and the Timani brothers bring hatfuls of experience.

Viliame Tutuvuli is another promising signing – while local fans will know all about Ivorian international second-row Evrard Dion Oulai, who pounded the pitch at Domec a decade ago.

COLOMIERS

In: Myles Edwards, Nicolas Martins, Jules Danglot, Valentin Delpy (loan), Phil Kite, Atonio Ulutuipalelei, Jules Bousquet, Frederico Lavanini, Luka Plataret, Alexandre Borie, Theo Giral

Out: Mathis Galthie, Brett Herron, Ugo Pacome, Joaquin de la Vega, Jack Whetton, Marco Fepulea’i, Hugo Pirlet, Toma Tahiviki, Janse Roux, Louis Descoux, Anthony Coletta, Aldric Lescure, Martin Devergie, Sadek Deghmache, Dorian Laborde (loan)

Senior staff: Florian Nicot, Aurelien Beco, Yann Kergourlay, Juan-Pablo Orlandi, Fabrice Culinat, Will Morgan, Laurent Delahaye

Opening fixtures: Mont-de-Marsan (a); Biarritz (h); Oyonnax (a); Aurillac (h) Soyaux-Angouleme (a); Agen (h)

Julien Sarraute’s final season as head coach at Colomiers ended in a shock home defeat against Montauban in the post-season play-offs. He had announced in December that he was leaving for a new challenge (at Pau, it turned out) at the end of the season.

It would be unfair to hint at a correlation between the announcement and an improvement in fortunes that ended in a play-off run, because in Sarraute’s eight seasons in charge, the club in the suburban shadows of Toulouse reached four post-season play-offs – not a bad return on a budget that’s at the lower end of the ProD2 reckoning.

The new-look staff understands Sarraute’s legacy. They should. Head-and-backs coach Florian Nicot earned his management stripes under Sarraute. Forwards coach Aurelien Beco was club captain until 2021 before he moved into coaching with the academy. The model they’re following is his.

So, it’s evolution rather than revolution at Colomiers. In more ways than one. “This squad was built on this accomplished season,” Beco said recently. “We’re aware that everything is reset, but the idea is to use this experience to help us evolve.”

Boot-room promotions can work very well. Colomiers fans will hope that this theory holds in this case – and early pre-season indications appear promising. But, to mangle a phrase, everyone has a great game-plan until they get flattened by an opposition back-row…

DAX

In: Charlie Matthews, Thomas Cretu

Out: Noah Nene, Alexandre Pilati, Viliame Tutuvuli, Louis Mary, Kito Falatea, Mattieu Bidau, Jean Despiau, Theo Tremeau, Simon Garrouteigt, Guillaume Bouche

Senior staff: Vincent Etcheto, Felix Le Bourhis, Thomas Synaeghel, Tim Jaubert, Olivier August

Opening fixtures: Valence Romans (a); Brive (h); Soyaux Angoulême (a); Oyonnax (h); Provence (a); Vannes (h)

Vincent Etcheto and a new coaching set-up shipped up at Stade Maurice Boyau at the start of pre-season, with last season’s staff Jeff Dubois and most of his team sidelined amid a split with the board over staffing.

Dubois, who is taking the club to tribunal over his eventual official sacking, had guided Dax back into the ProD2, well ahead of an internally set 2027 target, then into the play-offs at the first attempt in 2023-24.

The almost entirely predictable difficult second season duly followed the promotion-to-play-off campaign – Dax struggled in the second half of last season, ending up 11th, after being in the play-off places at the halfway point.

Etcheto has a similar attacking mindset to Dubois, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be as successful…while the departure of his predecessor hangs over the club like the spectre at the feast.

Meanwhile, pre-season was disrupted in August by reports that the league’s financial watchdog had put a hold on the registering of certain new players because certain guarantees weren’t in place – after earlier imposing a five-point deduction plus another four that were suspended for “non-compliance with regulatory provisions”.

The club appealed against the points deduction and, at a squad presentation on 8 August, president Benjamin Gufflet insisted the club’s finances are healthy and told fans that “all necessary guarantees” are in place.

Hardly a serene situation at a club that is now Etcheto’s to guide into the new season. He has a similar attacking mindset to Dubois, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be as successful. He has to do this while the departure of his predecessor hangs over the club like the spectre at the feast.

GRENOBLE

In: Raffaele Costa Storti, Josh Thompson, Romain Ruffenach, Arelien Callandret, Tristan Labouteley (loan)

Out: Pierce Phillips, Wilfried Hulleu, Thomas Lainault, Mathis Sarragallet, Pio Muarua, Bautista Ezcurra, Geoffrey Cros, Ryno Pieterse

Senior staff: Aubin Hueber, Nicolas Nadau, Patrick Pezery, Tom Palmer, Romain Guérin, Lionel Ringeval, Jean-Noël Perrin, Viktor Maquaire

Block one: Oyonnax (a); Aurillac (h); Agen (a); Nevers (h); Brive (a); Provence (h)

How did Grenoble respond to a third ProD2 final defeat in as many seasons, followed – a week later – by a third successive promotion-relegation play-off loss?

By reinstating sporting director Aubin Hueber as manager, less than 18 months after a player revolt forced him to step back from day-to-day coaching.

“[Nadau and Pezery] will retain their prerogatives regarding the game plan and the running of the sports season,” club president Patrick Goffi said in a statement explaining the decision-making reshuffle, “but as far as team composition is concerned, there will be five decision-makers: Aubin [Hueber], the two coaches, but also the defence coach and the physical trainer.

“It is the manager who will have the final say.”

Change was clearly needed, but Hueber’s return was surprising. On paper, his role remains one step removed, with – as Goffi explained – Nadau and Pezery retaining day-to-day coaching and game-plan responsibilities. But how welcome his closer involvement is, and how effective it will be, remains to be seen. And there’s always the risk of mission creep. The potential for friction seems dangerously evident.

On the playing side, signing Portugal’s Raffaele Costa Storti from Stade Francais, to replace Racing 92-bound Wilfried Hulleu, looks a good move. The winger will have plenty to prove after a season of frustrating inactivity at the struggling Paris side.

But the club’s ultimately failed bid to bring second-row James Fender to Stade des Alpes in response to the departure of Thomas Lainault, also to Racing, won’t have helped preparation. After scrambling about, they signed Tristan Labouteley on loan from Perpignan.

The biggest issue, however, is – hopefully – shorter term. How Grenoble will handle the early weeks of the season without fly-half Sam Davies could have a big say in their championship ambitions. The ex-Wales international had surgery in July on a shoulder injury picked up four minutes into the ProD2 final. Word is, he needed three or four months to recover. By anyone’s maths that’s October or November.

MONT-DE-MARSAN

In: Sam Tuifua, Joris Dupont, Thibault Berthaud, Lado Chachanidze, Jay Tuivaiti, Lisati Milo-Harris, Bautista Ezcurra, Tomasi Seru (loan)

Out: Myles Edwards, Semi Lagivala, Patricio Fernandez, Aston Fortuin, Jean-Luc Innocente, Matteo Lalanne, Harison Mataele, Yann Brethous, Michael Faleafa, Jules Even, Eroni Sau, Yoann Laousse Azpiazu

Senior staff: Romain Mareuil, Clement Briscadieu, Roger Ripol, Gregory Marquet, Julien Cabannes

Block one: Colomiers (h); Agen (a); Vannes (h); Beziers (a); Carcassonne (h); Valence Romans (a)

“We are frustrated with the end of the season, we have to rebuild and move forward. You will see that with this team, there is desire.” That’s what club president Jean-Robert Cazeaux told fans after Mont-de-Marsan finished eighth in the 2023/24 campaign, and failed to reach the play-offs for the first time in three seasons.

Which puts the 13th-place finish they just about mustered last time out into unwanted perspective – 23/24 was a season to forget; 24/25 was one to frighten recalcitrant fans into doing what they’re told.

Manager Patrick Milhet and attack coach Stephane Prosper were relieved of their day-to-day duties, with Romain Mareuil and Clement Briscadieu taking charge for a six-match survival special.

No-one should expect an instant return to the play-offs. But a much-improved season is on the cards.

ProD2 rugby secured, the duo are staying on as co-managers. They have added Roger Ripol, former forwards coach of Biarritz Olympique, as scrum and contact coach; Grégory Marquet as performance director, and ex-Mont-de-Marsan winger Julien Cabannes, as ‘sporting coordinator’ – a wide-ranging role that looks a lot like sporting director without the salary.

Looks like they’ve made some pretty canny player signings too. Notable, but not included here was a new deal for veteran scrum-half Christophe Loustalot, who had been honoured as a departee at the end of the season but – after being linked at one time or other with retirement, Soyaux-Angouleme and Agen – finally accepted a deal to remain at the club he joined in 2016. Young centre Joris Dupont was a sharp pick-up, too, from Castres.

No-one should expect an instant return to the play-offs. But a much-improved season is on the cards.

NEVERS

In: Liam Turner, Keynan Knox, David Mchedlidze (loan), Luka Petriashvili, Oskar Rixen, Varian Pasquet, Mathys Belaubre (loan)

Out: Arthur Mathiron, Cleopas Kundiona, Paula Walisoliso, Jordan Seneca, Luka Plataret, Farai Mudariki, Tornike Mataradze, Hugo N’Diaye, Jonathan Maiau, Senio Toleafoa, Maka Polutele, Lasha Jaiani, Josateki Tuituba, Alivereti Loaloa

Senior staff: Coenie Basson, Manu Cabanes, Phillip Van Schalkwyk, Benjamin Thiery, Léo Morelet, Yannick Osmond

Block one: Agen (h); Beziers (a); Carcassonne (h); Grenoble (a); Biarritz (h); Soyaux Angouleme (h)

In 2016, Xavier Pemeja won promotion from Federale 1 to the ProD2 in his first season as manager of Nevers. He has tried valiantly to take the next step ever since. He’s got close, too, losing in the barrages twice, and once getting as far as the semi-finals. Never quite made it.

Last season, they limped to a 10th-place finish, well below targets, following a 23/24 campaign in which they were as close as it’s possible to get to the post-season play-offs without actually managing it. We’re talking seconds from the final whistles of the season – and a try five hours’ travel away.

It was confirmed in May the club and manager had agreed the campaign would be his last, five months after the former had turned down the latter’s resignation.

Pemeja briefly accepted a new challenge in the Nationale as GM with Albi, but stepped back from that role entirely at the end of July citing personal reasons. “I no longer have the necessary energy,” he wrote in a heartfelt statement published by Albi in July. Then, in August, Rugbyrama reported he had accepted a variation on a sporting director job theme… at Nevers.

In his place for the day-to-day comes former Nevers hero Coenie Basson as manager, after two seasons as defence coach at Lyon. His new coaching band includes skills and kicking coach Yannick Osmond, who followed him from Stade Gerland.

Basson wasted no time marking his territory, bringing players back early to make it clear what’s expected of them. “I want to show the players that every day, we must validate our objectives to be ready for the opening of the championship,” he told regional newspaper Le Journal du Centre in July.

Pre-season indications appear impressive: the new boss isn’t that much like the old boss, and word is the atmosphere has lightened. Which bodes well – because there’s a lot going on at Pré-Fleuri. The pitch is being replaced with a new synthetic surface, while renovation work on the training centre is due to begin in November, and construction of a long-awaited fourth-stand, taking capacity from 7,500 to 10,000, is due to start in early 2026.

All of which needs money. And strong performances bring fans through the turnstiles. Sensibly, however, and in line with the philosophy that brought Basson back from Lyon, Nevers are ready to go softly into the future. “Being in the top eight [at the end of the season] would be very good. Top six would be fantastic,” president Régis Dumange said recently.

That reads a lot like he’s going to give Basson and his staff as much time as he can. Which is the right approach.

OYONNAX

In: Uzair Cassiem, Luka Matkava, Enzo Reybier (loan), Mayco Vivas, Vano Karkadze, Leone Rotuisolia, Alban Roussel, Pierre-Samuel Pacheco, Jules Solinas, Danny Toala, Paul Auradou

Out: Oli Kebble, Ewan Johnson, Cameron Wright, Chris Smith, Teddy Durand, Veresa Ramototabua, Afusipa Taumoepeau, Thibault Berthaud, Remi Di Pietro, Benjamin Geledan, Hugo Fabregue, Kevin Kornath

Senior staff: Fabien Cibray, Mariano Taverna, Johann Authier, Vincent Debaty, Alexis Lalarme, Valentin Ursache, Benoit Branche

Block one: Grenoble (h); Carcassonne (a); Colomiers (h); Dax (a); Valence Romans (h); Brive (a)

According to Midi Olympique’s annual poll of coaches shortly before the start of last season, Oyonnax were expected to bounce straight back up to the Top 14. They had, it seemed, recruited and retained well enough to mix it in the upper echelons of the ProD2. No-one really argued with the sentiment at the time.

But then Joe El Abd was recruited as Steve Borthwick’s defence coach. An agreement was reached in late September that he would combine national and club roles through to the end of the ProD2 campaign. In retrospect that plan – well-intentioned though it was – may have been a mistake.

Attack coach Fabien Cibray was promoted to co-manager, to work alongside El Abd and ensure a seamless transition. A nice idea in theory, but confusion reigned in practice. At one point in the deep midwinter Cibray tried to hand in his resignation, but it was rejected. And Oyonnax finished 12th, far from where they expected to be.

Now Cibray heads a revamped coaching team, and a noticeably different playing squad – the return of local hero Enzo Reybier on loan from Bordeaux should be particularly welcomed, while Georgian fly-half Luka Matkava adds long-range boot firepower.

Veteran back-row Uzair Cassiem, who signed a one-year contract, is intended to be the voice of experience in a squad in which the average age has moved down apace. With no more management confusion, fans at Stade Charles Mathon will expect a marked improvement this season.

PROVENCE

In: Caleb Muntz, Albert Tuisue, Setareki Bituniyata, Sebastien Taofifenua, Guillaume Galletier, Malachi Hawkes (loan), Hugo N’Diaye, Romain Latterrade, Renger Van Eerten, Raphael Portat (loan), Matthieu Voisin, Sadek Deghmache, Pierre Lucas

Out: Jimmy Gopperth, Paul Mallez, Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Josh Tyrell, Enrique Pieretto Heiland, Quentin Samaran, Ian Boubila, Jerome Dufour, Kevin Viallard, Atila Septar, Loick Jammes, Bilel Taieb, Eto Bainivalu

Senior staff: Philippe Saint-Andre, Sebastien Fouassier, Remy Ladauge, Julien Dupuy, Alex Marco

Block one: Soyaux Angouleme (a); Valence Romans (h); Biarritz (h); Vannes (a); Dax (h); Grenoble (a)

Provence ran out of steam at the end of last season, according to new boss Philippe Saint-Andre, who replaced Mauricio Reggiardo in the summer. This, he insists, explains why they slipped from second to fourth in the closing rounds of the campaign – missing out on a bye to a home semi-final, and instead hosting Soyaux-Angouleme in a play-off they could, and should, have avoided before travelling to Grenoble.

His primary solution? Ask ex-Toulouse, Stade Francais, Toulon and Italy S&C coach Alex Marco to drag the players – Caleb Muntz apart, as he’s not expected until October, while Malachi Hawkes, Raphael Portat, Setareki Bituniyata and Romain Latterrade joined later in pre-season – to ferocious fitness levels.

New forwards coach Sebastien Fouassier, meanwhile, has been brought in specifically to beef up the set-piece. So expect Provence to be bigger, stronger, and more direct this season.

Saint-Andre has relatively recent title-winning form with Montpellier. What the board and fans will want is a repeat performance from the new manager.

Early signs are that Saint-Andre is practising his preaching – players ate twice a day at the club in pre-season to ensure everything could be monitored. “The days are tough and intense, but sometimes shorter than what the players have experienced,” he said at one early press conference. “If we train like this, and if we manage our nutrition, it’s also to be sharper and have fewer injuries.

“We’re building up our strength to be able to continue. The very highest level is the combination of small details.”

He has also promised not to strip the club of its attacking DNA at home and away. Which suggests watching Provence this season could be a whole lot of fun.

But will they be more clinical, and less likely to implode at the wrong time? We’ll have to wait and see. Saint-Andre, at least, has relatively recent title-winning form with Montpellier. What the board and fans will want is a repeat performance from the new manager.

SOYAUX-ANGOULEME

In: Richie Arnold, Jean-Maurice Decubber

Out: Rayne Barka, Alex Masibaka, Massimo Ortolan

Senior staff: Alexandre Ruiz, Tanguy Kerdrain, Guillaume Laforgue, Laurent Cardona

Block one: Provence (h); Vannes (a); Dax (h); Valence Romans (a); Colomiers (h); Nevers (a)

Alexandre Ruiz has gone from decent if fussy referee to one of the smartest young coaches in the game.

On his days off this summer, he helped France’s women’s squad prepare for Rugby World Cup 2025 in England, focusing on contact attitude and the breakdown – reprising his first role as a professional coach with Montpellier, at the start of the 2021-22 season. That campaign ended, under Saint-Andre, with a first-ever Brennus.

He then replaced Vincent Etcheto in the hotseat at Soyaux-Angouleme, who had just avoided a relegation play-off by the width of their head-to-head results against Carcassonne. His ambition was evident. His ability, then, not so much. It is now.

A solid if uninspiring 12th-place finish in his first season in charge improved dramatically to fifth in his second – and a first-ever barrage appearance for the Charente club.

Losing all-action back-row Alex Masibaka – who has been recalled from loan by Montpellier – will hurt, but ambitious Ruiz, with a squad that is now starting to resemble his image, will expect further improvements this season.

And the direction of travel for squad development is evident. Just two experienced arrivals and a whole host of young players in action for a pre-season friendly defeat against Nissa Rugby hints strongly the club is putting its future faith in its academy.

VALENCE-ROMANS

In: Izaiha Moore-Aiono, Calum Randle, Osea Waqaninavatu, Tom Ross, Issam Hamel, Sacha Idoumi, Louis Suaud, Hugo Fabregue, Louis Chanet (loan)

Out: Darren O’Shea, George Worth, Adam Vargas, Julien Royer, Cyril Deligny, Brice Humbert, Yassine Maamry, Eloi Massot, Otar Giorgadze, Sven Girlando, Tim Menzel, Gauthier Minguillon, Charles Bouldoire

Senior staff: Fabien Fortassin, Scott Newlands, Nicolas Bouillet, Romain Terrain, Kylian Bernard, Jonathan Wisniewski, Yvan Jourdan

Block one: Dax (h); Provence (a); Brive (a); Soyaux Angouleme (h); Oyonnax (a); Mont-de-Marsan (h)

Last season started slowly for Valence-Romans. It ended historically with their highest-ever finish in the ProD2.

That eighth place – ahead of Biarritz, Oyonnax, Mont-de-Marsan and Agen – has manager Fabien Fortassin yearning for even greater highs. “Last season, we saved ourselves to finish better,” he told France Bleu. “This season, we want to dream. If we have to have a goal, we will say it is to look upwards for as long as possible.”

Building on momentum broken by season’s end is a big, and difficult, ambition. But that’s the goal: take the spring form which got Valence-Romans to their record finish, and use it to get out of the blocks quickly this autumn, and set out their stall even further up the table.

They’ve kept pre-season relatively simple: no training camp, but a range of team-building and cohesion sessions it was hoped would have much the same effect as the squad integrated several new players – as well as new staff: Romain Terrain has joined the forwards coaches, while ex-Lyon and Racing fly-half Jonathan Wisniewski becomes the club’s first-ever sporting director.

But there was some bad news early on in pre-season. Algerian hooker Issam Hamel, who signed from Brive, picked up an injury during the Rugby Africa Men’s Cup, leaving club recruiters scouring the available players list for a possible medical joker.

VANNES

In: Ben Stevenson, Dave Cherry, Anthony Bouthier, Nick Schonert, Thomas Duchene, Edoardo Iachizzi, Thomas Geffre, Mikheil Alania, Eliott Roudil, Wayan de Benedittis

Out: Stephen Varney, Tani Vili, Salesi Rayasi, Christiaan van der Merwe, John Porch, Pat Leafa, Phil Kite, Thomas Moukoro, Anton Bresler, Jesse Parete, Matthieu Uhila, Karl Chateau, Jean-Maurice Decubber, Alexandre Gouaux, Theo Costosseque, Theo Bastardie

Senior staff: Jean-Noel Spitzer, Yoann Boulanger, Jeremy Davidson, Goulven Le Garrec, Johannes de Bruin, Mikaele Tuugahala, Simon Boisbluche

Block one: Brive (a); Soyaux Angouleme (h); Mont-de-Marsan (a); Provence (h); Aurillac (a); Dax (a)

Defeat from the jaws of victory against Bordeaux; the late draw with Perpignan; an 81st-minute Antoine Hastoy drop goal consigning them to a home loss to La Rochelle; six points in it, closer than many other teams got, at Bayonne; a three-point margin at Stade Francais; three at home against Racing 92; two at Montpellier; a single-point loss to Clermont at Stade de la Rabine. On such near misses, a not-quite-close-enough first-ever season in the Top 14 for Breton club Vannes ended in heartbreak.

Vannes finished eight points adrift of Perpignan to drop straight down to the ProD2 after just one season in the French top flight. With a little more nous, a bit extra in the tank, they might have pulled off survival. They didn’t have quite enough, but they won many a heart and more minds along the way.

It’s what happens now, though, that matters, as Vannes look to avoid an Oyonnax-style relegation hangover. It seems unlikely.

Despite relegation, they extended the stays of numerous senior players, including Michael Ruru, Francis Saili, Pierre Boudehent, Maxime Lafage and Robin Taccola. And they recruited well, bringing in Scotland hooker Dave Cherry, and France full-back and former Rabine favourite Anthony Bouthier. Those aren’t the signings of a club whose ambitions rest in the second tier.

More importantly, perhaps, in ex-Castres and Brive boss Jeremy Davidson, who takes over as forwards coach from Perpignan-bound Mathieu Cidre, they’ve added some much-needed promote-and-survive nous at the brain end of things, to support the canny head coach Jean-Noel Spitzer – once, reportedly, a target to replace Davidson at Castres.

Vannes are far from the only side with promotion ambitions, and it seems they’ll rely on their academy to cover positions where their squad looks light on paper. Expect them to be in the play-off running at the far end of the campaign.