LONG READ Ten of the best players to recruit from France’s ‘perfect’ ProD2

Over the last few years, I’ve taken a close interest in France’s second division, ProD2. It’s not just because it’s a competition where a trip to the match often comes with great food and an entire bottle of wine, which doesn’t hurt.

ProD2 is, in my view, the perfect competition. It is ultra-competitive. With two games of the regular season left, there were still seven teams who could have finished in the top two and six who could have finished in the bottom two. Bottom-placed Stade Niçois (that’s Nice, to you or I) managed more wins – seven – in their 30 matches than Exeter and Newcastle have combined in their 34 so far.

My love of the ProD2 seems to be spreading much more widely, especially now that budget constraints force Premiership and URC teams to do more lateral thinking when it comes to recruitment. Below I will share who I feel would be the 10 best players to recruit. But first some FAQs…

Q: What’s the level of the ProD2 relative to the Premiership or URC?

A: It’s hard to answer exactly. In my opinion, the best ProD2 teams (Grenoble, Provence, Brive) would be a match for most teams in the Premiership and URC bar the likes of Bath, Leinster and Glasgow, though I would expect them to push those sides relatively close.

The mid-tier ProD2 sides would certainly give the mid/lower-level sides in the other leagues a competitive outing and the ProD2 relegation candidates would probably struggle against the majority of Premiership and URC sides.

We have something of a case study with Vannes, who were promoted last season to the Top 14 and are currently poised to come back down to ProD2 for next season. In the Challenge Cup they beat Gloucester heavily and narrowly lost to Edinburgh, while also losing to Georgian side Black Lion. They didn’t start their strongest sides in all of those matches, which makes comparison harder, but it does prove that good ProD2 level sides are a match.

Q: Are these ‘Moneyball’ hires then?

A: Not really. French rugby is in a very healthy place financially at the moment. I am aware of a player who transferred into French rugby from England to a level below that of ProD2 and got paid more than he was getting in England, plus a house and a car.

ProD2 clubs are able to outbid Premiership clubs for many players, especially if they are no longer involved in England selection. Courtney Lawes, for example, was offered an increased salary by Saints but Brive could significantly trump that.

There’s also the difference in quality of life. Not only are most ProD2 clubs located in sunny parts of France, but matches are on Thursday and Friday nights, leaving the weekend free, and you have three weeks on and one off with no European matches squeezed in.

Q: Where is the marginal gain then?

A: There are two areas where smart teams can gain an advantage. The JIFF laws in French rugby mean that it is advantageous for clubs to select France-qualified players. They don’t need to be born in France but they do need to have come up through the French club system.

That means that high-quality JIFF players will be beyond the reach of virtually all URC and Premiership sides. Younger JIFF-qualified players are available though as they won’t lose their JIFF qualification and can simply return after a few years with experience in a different league under their belts.

Non-French players can be found at a discount, especially if they want to get back to Britain if they took a ProD2 contract when teams were folding for example. Finally, if you want a marquee player, you can find one slightly cheaper than if you were picking them up from the Top 14.

With that in mind, who are 10 to keep an eye on?

1 Sam Davies (Grenoble), Fly-Half, 31, Welsh

The form player in the ProD2. Led Grenoble to an unexpected trip to the play-offs last season, even after an eight-point reduction for financial irregularities. Davies missed some time at the back end of last year but returned to take his side to the top of ProD2 before this year’s play-offs begin. Lost to Vannes and Montpellier in two win-and-get-in promotion battles, but will be hoping to go further this season. Davies reportedly turned down a return to the UK with Leicester Tigers seeking his signature.

2 Ioane Iashagashvili (Mont-de-Marsan), No 8, 25, Georgian

An enormous number eight who has terrified French defences of all levels since 2019. He’s played 50 times in the last two seasons for current club Mont-de-Marsan and Valence Romans (he won promotion with them from the third tier). This is something French rugby does so well. Players get boatloads of experience if they’re good enough at a young age. Compare Iashagashvili with Taine Basham of the Dragons, who would  need to go back almost four full seasons to match the Georgian’s experience and that’s including Welsh matches. JIFF qualified, so expect to pay a bit.

3 Pierre Courtaud (Beziers), Winger, 26, French

Lit the touchpaper in November last year and went on a streak of scoring a try in seven straight games, the longest run in any major European league this season. This year has been a revelation after just three tries in his previous 15 matches. Courtaud isn’t just a natural finisher though, he’s more than a match over the ball as well with a healthy chunk of turnovers won this season. Beziers are in the play-off picture so he might end up in the Top 14 next season.

4 Eoghan Barrett (Soyaux-Angouleme), Winger, 25, Irish

A nasty knee injury interrupted the Irishman’s season but he’s returned from four months out with a bang, bagging three tries in four matches since, plus an audacious drop-goal. A crucial part of Soyaux-Angouleme’s inexplicable rise from relegation candidates to the play-offs. Barrett came up through the French system with Pau, so there is less incentive for him to return to the UK as he is JIFF qualified. But the Irish regions in particular should have him on their radar.

5 Pablo Dimcheff (Colomiers), Hooker, 25, Argentine

The Argentine is the definition of a modern hooker with 10 tries and a turnover rate which would make an openside blush. Another JIFF player who was captured young after an impressive showing in the 2019 U20 World Championship. That team featured now team-mate Joaquin de la Vega at fly-half, who is also well worth a watch in a Colomiers side which have found themselves in a lofty third position after their attack really started firing.

6 Lucas Oudard (Aurillac), Back-row/Winger, 23, French

Aurillac have really struggled this season and find themselves in 14th spot and looking down the barrel of a relegation play-off with the runners-up from the promotion play-off of the third division, Nationale. Following so far? A real bright spark has been Oudard, who played the first half of the season as a winger due to injuries in the ranks before reverting to back-row for the second half. Excellent in both roles and carries like either a super quick back-row or an extremely powerful winger.

7 Kevin Lebreton (Oyonnax), Back-row, 30, French

The French back-rower has been a standout performer for Oyonnax during the good times (when they won promotion to the Top14 during the 2022-2023 season) and the bad times (when they came back down last season and have had a dreadful time this year). He’s a limpet over the ball, a tireless tackler, a powerful carrier, and gets around the pitch to hit limitless rucks. In short, he’s probably the most complete player in the ProD2.

8 Retief Marais (Brive), Lock/Back-row, 29, South African

Courtney Lawes has been a wonderful addition for Brive, but you could argue that his greatness has been helped by Marais. The South African has an engine that needs to be studied in a lab. He hits every ruck and makes every tackle. He’s a canny operator at the lineout and scrum and does plenty of the unseen work that allows his team-mates to flourish. He’s the kind of guy that Exeter Chiefs fans would immediately fall in love with.

9 Christian Judge (Beziers), Tighthead prop, 32, English

Being a tighthead prop in the French ProD2 is a job only the brave should apply for. The game is different there, with less ball in play time and more scrums meaning teams can employ huge props and limit their involvements in open play. Judge doesn’t have that opportunity because Beziers like to keep the pace high which means he has to get around and operate as a link man. The former Saracen has done a sterling job in his first year in France and looks to have come on even more as a scrummager.

10 Iban Etcheverry (Agen), Winger, 26, French

It’s not been a good season overall for Agen, but Etcheverry has emerged as a player reborn. He was a solid, if unspectacular, attacker in his previous six seasons in the ProD2, scoring 22 tries in 103 appearances. This season he turned on the afterburners to score 13 in 23 and establish himself as one of the best prospects on the wing in the league. Part of that change has come from a patience to let the ball come to him and another has been a desire to get as many touches in one play as he can. Two of his most recent tries have come from creating a break then staying alive to finish it off – he’s one to watch if you’re a young winger.