racing francais

[josskaman]

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/racing-92-and-stade-francais-to-merge/

might be a few spare players kicking about without a contract in france.

totally mad, feel for the fans, i remember a few years ago bayonee and biarritz were going to try and do the same

[King Prawn Bhuna]

Aren't Racing 92 themselves the result of a merger a few years back....I presume to create a super rich club? and drive another nail in the sport and the French national team.

[Nuts]

Quite a shock if true.

But pro rugby is a business, and this is what companies do to survive/thrive....

[stevieb]

Wow, that's some superclub!

[GlawsyD]

In my mind, it beggers the question as to whether the 'new' club should be able to stay in the Top 14 (13). With the 'loss' of 2 clubs surely others from the league below should be promoted first and this new club should start lower down and earn the right.

[MattChelt]

In my mind, it beggers the question as to whether the 'new' club should be able to stay in the Top 14 (13). With the 'loss' of 2 clubs surely others from the league below should be promoted first and this new club should start lower down and earn the right.

Arguably yes - this will be a new club, with zero history of it's own. Is it any different to an existing club going bust, and then being re-born and having to start again way down the league structure (like Chester City FC, and Hereford United FC)?

However - on the assumption that the playing (and coaching) squad at the new club will be cherry-picked from the available resources provided by the two existing clubs, then they could well be a potent force, in which case what would be the benefit of them (potentially) steaming through a season (or more) in the lower leagues, before gaining promotion back to the Top 14?

Alternatively, it could give an opportunity to a couple of clubs from outside the current Top 14 to be given a place at the top table, for a season at least - those two clubs may well then be able to pick up the players not given a slot in the new "Racing Francais" set-up.

Also, how do existing employment contracts with the two current clubs stack up? There will be players coming to the end of their contracts this summer, so they may well be the first ones jettisoned, but there will be plenty of others with longer contracts - is there room for all of them in the new set-up? Or will all existing contracts become null & void, if the two existing clubs cease to exist once the merger happens (i.e. clean sheet of paper, everything re-set)?

All questions for the authorities to ponder, I guess.

[Fat Taff]

This is a nonsense. Although not the hotbed of rugby that other parts of France are, it's insane to suggest that a capital city with a population of over 2m cannot sustain two professional rugby clubs.

The clubs, the supporters and the players have been shamefully shafted by Lorenzetti and Savare.

[Original Tetley]

+1

[Big Red]

+2!

[Jono026]

So how do 70+ squad players fit into one squad...?

Are contracts still binding?
Is that why Goosen IS heading back to Paris? New deal?