Major Turmoil in French Pro D2

A major story is emerging from France where the Pro D2 has made a sudden announcement that established clubs Biarritz, Bourgoin, and Narbonne are to be relegated to Fédérale 1 for financial reasons. The news has broken in the midst of the league’s finals to determine promotion to the Top 14, and on the back of news from earlier this season that Tarbes would be demoted for submitting forged documents.

The official statement comes from the Superior Council of the DNACG, the financial and administrative arm of the national governing body – the FFR. It reads as follows (translated from French):

“Following its meeting on 26 May, the Superior Council of the DNACG decided to pronounce demotion for financial reasons to the Fédérale 1 Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 season: Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque, CS Bourgoin-Jallieu Rugby, and RC Narbonne Méditerranée.

“Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque, CS Bourgoin-Jallieu Rugby, and RC Narbonne Méditerranée have a period of 10 days to appeal the decision to the Commission that specializes in the financial matters of the FFR. This period shall commence from the notification to the clubs of the full decision.”

All three clubs have come under greater financial scrutiny in recent months but the announcement remains a major blow to the French professional division. Each club has a rich history of more than 100 years in the upper echelons of French rugby, with Narbonne past winners of the Bouclier de Brennus and Biarritz even more notably winning the Heineken Cup on two occasions, the second in 2010. The DNACG rarely hands out such penalties without due process so it would appear that the odds are now stacked against the three clubs.

Only two Americas players are immediately affected by the decision. While Takudzwa Ngwenya has already departed from Biarritz, the news will be most unwelcome for Canadian prop Andrew Tiedemann, who has one year remaining on his contract with Bourgoin.

There are wider implications for the league itself. With four clubs now facing automatic relegation, Provence could find itself saved from the drop in order to keep the numbers even. SA Charente and Vannes have already earned promotion to the Pro D2 for next season but the league would still be two teams short of the current 16-team composition. The league could well decide to stick with only 14 teams as an alternative, and one that seems most likely given the extraordinary developments.

A final decision will not be made until the end of the appeal period, and should any or all of the clubs challenge the decision it’s unclear how long it could be until there is a resolution. In the meantime French professional rugby has been shaken and the fate of numerous professional players hangs in the balance.