Nick Verdier analyses the summer movers and shakers in France
Nick Verdier runs an analytical eye over the ins and outs of the new Top 14 season
Another year, another war of attrition for rugby’s richest league with more of the world’s best players making their way to the Top 14. It is hard to top the arrival of World Cup hero Dan Carter last season, but Racing 92 have given it a go with the signing of one of the planet’s best second rows, Leone Nakarawa from Glasgow Warriors.
There have been wholesale changes at beaten finalists Toulon, with the Armitage brothers both departing for pastures new in the Top 14, and French fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc coming on board to steer the ship. La Rochelle and Pau could be the surprise packages of the new season – Pau’s swoop for Steffon Armitage among the finest bits of business. Bayonne will return to rugby’s richest league after only one season in the ProD2. Having to go through the playoffs to book the second promotion spot alongside Lyon meant they were late to move in the transfer market but they have managed to secure some good signings none the less.
Joining from Castres is Scotland No.8 Johnnie Beattie while former All Blacks Tom Donnelly and Taneru Latimer, and Wasps’ Italian hooker Lorenzo Cittadini, also bolster the pack. In the backs, the retirement of fly-half Blair Stewart will leave a big gap but they have brought in Raphaël Lagarde from Albi.
Bordeaux-Begles lost their way towards the end of last season but the capture of Ian Madigan should help them return to the running rugby that made them so successful two years ago.
He takes over from Pierre Barnard, who joined Toulon, while Sofiane Guitoune and Julien Ledevedec are also off to Toulouse and Brive respectively.
Stalwarts Heini Adams and Matt Clarkin have both retired but the arrivals of Aussie lock Luke Jones and Sale’s Moldovan prop Vladim Cobilas have bolstered their options up front.
Brive will kick off the season with a very settled squad which has seen only a handful of arrivals and departures over the summer. Leading the list of signings are Julien Le Devedec, who returns to the club after two seasons in Bordeaux, and two maiden France caps in Argentina in June, and Benjamin Lapeyre who plays at full-back and joins from La Rochelle having previously turned out for Toulon and Racing 92.
The midfield has been bulked up by the arrival of former Fiji Sevens star Seremaia Burotu from Biarritz.
Castres enjoyed a better season than in 2015 where they just avoided relegation – but they will have to cope with the departure of Richie Gray, Piula Fa’asalele, Remi Lamerat, Ibrahim Diarra, Karena Wihongi and Johnnie Beattie.To make matters worse for the 2013 champions, Mathieu Bonello,Yannick Forestier, Romain Cabannes and Sitiveni Sivivatu have all retired.
They have made some good signings to make up for it with Loic Jacquet and Daniel Kotze joining from Clermont, star hooker Jody Jenneker moving from Oyonnax, and former Premiership favourites Steve Mafi and Horacio Agulla arriving from Western Force and Bath.
Clermont have made only four signings on the back of a disappointing season, but all of high quality. The bruising Sitaleki Timani joins the boiler room from Montpellier to take over from Jamie Cudmore, who is off to Oyonnax.
With Jonathan Davies returning to Wales, Remi Lamerat will look to form an all-French midfield alongside Wesley Fofana, while former All Black Isaia Toeava, who impressed as Nick Abendanon’s medical joker, has been offered a permanent deal.
The last signing comes in the front row with Osprey Aaron Jarvis filling the void left by Daniel Kotze who, like Loic Jacquet, linked up with Castres.
Bernard Jackman has been promoted to director of rugby at Grenoble and he has brought in fellow Irishman Aly Muldowney, who was instrumental in Connacht’s winning Pro12 campaign.
The Challenge Cup semi-finalists made only two other signings with former Leicester Tiger No.9 David Mele joining from Toulouse to cover Racing 92-bound James Hart, and Rugby League flier Sisa Waqa from Canberra Raiders. Centre Jackson Willison has left to join Worcester.
La Rochelle had a good 2015-16 season but it could have been so much better had they claimed just a single win on the road. They have opted for more experience in Clermont’s points machine Brock James and All Black back rower Victor Vito, who will join from the Hurricanes. Another meaningful signing is Springbok centre Paul Jordaan from the Sharks.
Benjamin Lapeyre switching to Brive will leave a hole, while playmaker JeanPascal Barraque will try his luck on the Sevens circuit.
Lyon were the runaway ProD2 champions and, given they are coached by former Clermont and Toulon scrum-half Pierre Mignoni, they have raided the latter with no fewer than five players making the short trip North. Heading
the list are Delon Armitage and Frederic Michalak while former Toulon players Rudi Wulf and Mickaël Ivaldi join from Castres and Montpellier.
Francisco Gomez Kodela (Bordeaux-Begles) and Karena Wihongi (Castres) will add bulk to the front row.
Montpellier have handed France international Alexandre Dumoulin the difficult task of replacing the influential Anthony Tuitavake in midfield. Other Frenchmen joining include Antoine Guillamon, Vincent Martin and Joffrey Michel, but once again Jake White has gone south to bolster his already impressive squad.
Fijian monster Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders) and Aussie flier Joe Tomane (Brumbies) will vie for a wing spot while South Africa hooker Tiaan Liebenberg and Kiwi fly-half Ben Botica come on board from the Cheetahs and Harlequins.
Pau surprised everyone last season and Conrad Smith and Colin Slade have been joined by some very handy signings this summer.The pick of the bunch is Steffon Armitage, who has waved goodbye to his Test ambitions by staying in France. Ben Mowen, Ibrahim Diarra and Pierrick Gunther have also bolstered the back row while Julien Tomas and Tom Taylor will bring more options to a back line that will miss former France star Damien Traille who has retired.
Racing 92 faced the difficult task of improving an already star-studded squad but the champions have managed just that with the capture of Glasgow’s Leone Nakarawa to replace Luke Charteris who is off to Bath.
The second row is where there has been the most movements with Juandre Kruger opting to join Toulon instead of Sale.The Parisians signed Gerbrandt Grobler as a replacement but he is still serving a drug-ban so Ali Williams has come out of retirement and will play until Grobler is available in October.
There has been a straight swap in midfield with Montpellier centre Anthony Tuitavake taking over from Alexandre Dumoulin, who has gone the other way.
Stade Francais had a quiet season after their stunning triumph in 2015 and it translated into a quiet summer too.
Only one signing in centre Alipate Ratini from La Rochelle while prop Dany Priso and scrum-half Julien Tomas are the only two departures after agreeing terms with La Rochelle and Pau.
All the talk in Toulon might be about the row between Diego Dominguez, who took over from Bernard Laporte as director of rugby, and owner Mourad Boudjellal over the coaching set up, but it hasn’t stopped the colourful comic book mogul from signing a raft of players.
Aussie Liam Gill and Japanese icon Ayumu Goromaru join from the Reds, while South Africans Marcel van der Merwe and Juandre Kruger will add some power to the front five. Mercurial fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc has joined from Montpellier while Toulouse idol Vincent Clerc will be after one last trophy before retiring.The Armitages have moved on, as have No.10s Frederic Michalak and Tom Taylor.
Ugo Mola inherited Guy Noves’ squad in Toulouse when he took over last season and it didn’t work out well. With more time to set things up, he has been able to mould the team to his liking and the arrival of Scotland lock Richie Gray from Castres, and France wing Sofiane Guitoune from Bordeaux will boost their chances of claiming their first trophy since 2012.Veterans Clémont Poitrenaud, Romain MilloChluski and Vincent Clerc have been released, and Louis Picamoles’ switch to Northampton will leave a huge hole for les Rouges et Noirs.