O
n my playlist of rugby songs, there are two French numbers that give structure to a rugbyman’s week. As a journalist, Ontuak’s Les Pages du Rugby — an ode to reading rugby results on a Monday morning — is a particular favourite. Another is Le Dimanche à 15h performed by Michel Etcheverry.
Sunday at 3pm (now 3.15pm) remains the staple for rugby in the lower leagues of Fédérale 2 and Fédérale 3. It is part of a French weekend that leaves ample opportunity to play and watch the game: a Thursday night Pro D2 match, with the remaining fixtures on Friday; the Top 14 on Saturday, littered throughout the afternoon and evening; and lastly a 9.05pm kick-off on Sunday, after your amateur run-out at 3.15pm. Nationale, the third tier, is spread across Friday and Saturday, also away from Dimanche à 15h.
This demarcation of leagues is a recent strategy, but this week France is not alone in having a four-day spread of fixtures. The Thursday night game in Super Rygbi Cymru will be accompanied by the Gallagher Prem opener between Sale Sharks and Gloucester, leaving Saturday clear for the Women’s World Cup final. In February, the Six Nations will begin on a Thursday for the first time, to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Agile scheduling — the Pro D2 moved to Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the 2023 World Cup — is to be welcomed.
