A long hard look at the Elite League
Just as the Anglo-French showdown approaches, the FFR is taking a long hard look at where its structures lag behind England’s.
In particular it is placing the Elite 1 league under the microscope.
Since 2018 it was undergone no fewer than four alterations. Currently it consists of twelve clubs divided into two pools. The aim now is to reduce that formula to ten clubs in a single league, starting in 2024-25. To English eyes that looks familiar. The hope is to spread the balance of power and make more games competitive.
Whether they can also even out the presence of test players across the competing clubs remains as doubtful as it is in England.
One central weakness of the French set-up is the time-worn problem of contracts: players in the national squad are contracted (some 32 of them), the others (more than 300) are not. As in England, the trend has been for players to shift to the stronger, better supported clubs, with the inevitable consequence of all too predictable victories.
Over the past two years two clubs, Bayonne and Chilly-Mazarin, have retreated from the competition. Unlike the English process where clubs are removed by the authorities, these were voluntary decisions by the clubs themselves.
Five of the twelve clubs have no contracted player on their strength. That at once creates a disparity that they see as unfair. Jugla and the FFR see that as a justified complaint and are attempting to introduce measures that will make this playing field more level.
The ‘have-nots’ in the league deplore this inequality. As in other countries, the league halts to allow the Six Nations to take place. That benefits the powerful clubs to the detriment of the others. Laura di Muzio, a familar figure in the French TV commentary-box and President of Stade Villeneuvois Lille Métropole, voices the concerns. The Lille club has no money to throw around and suffers badly from injuries in matches against the strongest clubs. That was a central reason for Chilly-Mazarin to opt out: the pressure on the player-pool was proving too great. Personal safety was at risk.
The French league does not have a named sponsor. This is one shortcoming that Brigitte Jugla, in charge of women’s rugby in France, is determined to correct.
We can only wish her and her committee the best of luck. All over the world it is proving hard to establish a well balanced, thriving national league that is fair to all parties.
It is yet another indicator of how difficult it is proving to extend professional terms for players at both test and club level.