2017-2018 PRO D2 Season Preview

The 2017-2018 Pro D2 starts today, Friday August 18. The second division of French rugby is full professional and unlike any other in the world. Both the level of play and the financial power of the competition have helped make it as successful as it is.

With it being a 16-team league it is a competition requiring a huge influx of foreign players. This means opportunities for players from the Americas and the 2017-2018 will be no exception. Below is a look at each team in the competition, the potential placements and players from the Americas.

Aurillac
Central French side, Aurillac has been the home to back-rower Christian Ostberg since 2015. The 6’6″ Texan is a Rugby World Cup 2019 prospect for the USA Eagles. He is expected to play regularly in the upcoming season. In recent years the club has been pushing for promotion but falling short. This season looms as seeing the club again miss out.

Prospects: Upper table likely. A slight possibility for the Semi Finals.

Bayonne
Relegated from the Top 14 last season, the Basque club is looking to rebound back with immediate effect. Doing so is a realistic goal and anything less will likely mean disappointment. The club has a solid roster and this includes two from Argentina and Chile. For the new season Martín Bustos Moyano, Pablo Huete and Ramón Ayarza have been joined by Juan Pablo Orlandi. All are expected to feature heavily for the club.

Prospects: Probable Semi Finalist.

Béziers
This past weekend Midi Olympique announced that Santiago Iglesias Valdes is on his way to Béziers. One of Argentina’s top five hookers, his departure thereby complicated matters for Argentina. While he has not been involved with Los Jaguares or Pumas recently his departure to France further weakens what is a depleted stock. Indeed Facundo Bosch was a significant loss on its own. Iglesias Valdes’ new home is a taste of former French glory. Béziers is third on the list for Top 14 titles. The club has been in the Pro D2 or lower since 2004.

Prospects: Lower table

Biarritz
Former giants of French rugby, Biarritz are seeking a means of returning to the Top 14. The club’s budget is comparable to that of a number of Top 14 sides yet it has been stuck in the Pro D2 since being relegated in 2014. Former Puma Gonzalo Quezada is now Head Coach. He will have San Nicolás prop Leandro Mario Assi on his roster. Assi joined Biarritz in 2016 from Aix-en-provence.

Prospects: Semi Finals or above

Carcassonne
Argentine second-rower Demian Panizzo joined Carcassonne for the 2017-2018 season. The 27-year-old did so from rivals Colomiers. From Buenos Aires club, Belgrano Athletic, Panizzo is uncapped. Uruguayan Felipe Berchesi has departed to join rivals Dax.

Prospects: Lower Table

Charente
2016-2017 was a solid debut season in the Pro D2 for Charente. With the new season looking to be tougher achieving an upper table finish would likely be mission accomplished. The club enters the new season looking like being in the bottom half of the standings. Argentine wingers Facundo Panceyra Garrido and Lucas Caneda are both at the club and could potentially start together. Fellow Argentine, Sebastián Poet has departed for rivals Colomiers while Bruno Mercanti has been released. Joel Sclavi arrives from the Pau espoirs.

Prospects: Lower Table

Colomiers
Another former Top 14 side looking to win promotion, Colomiers has been in both the Pro D2 and Fédérale 1 since being relegated from the Top 14 in 2004. The club will be competitive but is most likely to fall short of the required competition points to play beyond the regular season. 34-year-old Agustin Costa Repetto continues to play well for Colomiers. Now 34-year-old, Costa Repetto won three caps for Argentina in 2005. Sebastian Poet arrives from Charente while Ariel Castellina has retired.

Prospects: Upper Table

Dax
All Uruguayan and Canadian eyes will be on Felipe Berchesi this season. The Teros fly half is central to the Rugby World Cup qualifying picture. The 24-time capped Berchesi joined the club from rivals Carcassonne, this coincides with former Puma Ignacio Mieres departing for Agen. Former Argentina XV forward, Martín Chiappesoni Restano was among the top performers last season for Dax. Both Berchesi and Chiappesoni are expected to be regulars in the new season. The club will need an overwhelmingly strong season to have a  shot at reaching the Semi Finals.

Prospects: Lower Table

Grenoble
An injury-ravaged season in the Top 14 hampered Grenoble in 2016-2017. The club will be able to perform well both and home and on the road. It will almost certainly be among the top teams all season and is likely to be involved in the Semi Finals should it miss out on finishing top of the table. The club has been the home to Americas’ players in the past but it is heading into the new season without any. Pumas fullback Joaquín Tuculet is a former Grenoble player.

Prospects: Finalists

Massy
Massy won promotion from the Fédérale 1 last season. The southern Parisian club is likely to have a tough season. It enters as one of the most likely to be relegated. The club will begin the season without any players from the Americas. In recent seasons players from the Americas at the club have included Juan José Acosta, Felipe Aranguren, Luciano Leibson and Uruguay’s Mario Sagario.

Prospects: Relegation

Mont-de-Marsan
Sagario was arguably the leading Uruguayan forward at Rugby World Cup 2015. The country’s best back was Agustín Ormaechea. The scrum-half has departed Mont-de-Marsan to play instead for Strasbourg in the Fédérale 1. Argentine props Carlos Muzzio and Jeronimo Negrotto both remain at the club. The club’s desire to return to the Top 14 will likely have to wait another season. Mont-De-Marsan’s prospects are to have a solid season but miss out on reaching the Semi Finals.

Prospects: Upper Table

Montauban
In the Top 14 from 2006-2011, Montauban is a club eagerly seeking a return to the top flight. The club was relegated to the Fédérale 1 for financial reasons and subsequently earned promotion to the Pro D2. For the upcoming season former Argentina XV prop Victor Damian Arias will feature for the club.

Prospects: Upper Table.

Narbonne
One of the clubs with the most players from the Americas this season will be Narbonne. The club has recruited heavily with three new arrivals coming from the Western Hemisphere. Argentina XV winger Segundo Tuculet and Guido Volpi arrive from South America. Former San Francisco Rush player Siaosi Mahoni arrives from East Pale Alto, California. He joins his teammate from PRO Rugby, David Tameilau who is to play his second season for the club.

Prospects: Mid-Table

Nevers
The dream of the small-town playing professional rugby has been realized by Nevers. Unlike the norm, the town is not from France’s south-west. Nevers is instead from Central France. The club has added Canadian Conor Trainor, signing him from Vannes. No longer at the club is Emiliano Coria who has been released. Former Pumas Horacio San Martín and Tomás Vallejos Cinalli are to play Pro D2 rugby after helping the club earn promotion from the Fédérale 1. Avoiding relegation is the priority for Nevers this season.

Prospects: Lower Table

Perpignan
The Catalan club ought to have won promotion back to the Top 14 by now. Could the 2017-2018 season be the end of the streak? Based on pre-season matches the club is the pick of all 16 to earn promotion by winning the regular season. Arriving at the club is USA teenager Nafi Ma’afu. He joins Argentina’s Manuel Plaza to give Perpignan two second-rowers from the Americas.

Prospects: Champions

Vannes
In 2016-2017 Vannes had an up-and-down debut season in the Pro D2. The club avoided relegation but was threatened for lengthily periods. This season looms as being tougher. In addition to Canada’s Conor Trainor, three Argentine players have departed Vannes. Ramiro Pacheco will play for Chambéry this season, Martín García Veiga for Barça while Bautista Guemes has been released.Both Javier Lagioiosa and Eric Fry remain for the 2017-2018 season.

Prospects: Lower Table