The current Top 14 season kicked off on Saturday, September 4, 2022. It will end, for seven teams, on Sunday, May 28, 2023, when all matches on the final round of the campaign kick-off at the same time.
But for the top six sides, and the 13th-placed side in the French top flight, there’s still between one and three matches of post-season rugby to play. The campaign only winds up for the finalists, in Saint-Denis late on Saturday, June 17, when one side will lift the Bouclier de Brennus, and the now-ubiquitous Freed From Desire will play out for the victors and will be the soundtrack of frustrated disappointment for the losers.
Just 63 days later, on Saturday, August 19, the 2023-24 Top 14 campaign gets under way, for those players not involved in the World Cup.
It’s not the shortest period between domestic seasons in France – the 2016-17 campaign, for example, kicked off less than two months after a certain Dan Carter had guided 14-player Racing 92 to the Brennus in Barcelona at the end of the World Cup-affected 201516 season.
But it still doesn’t leave much time for players to rest and recuperate from one arduous campaign before they have to start prepping for another. Remember, in those 63 days, players will have to fit in a holiday, pre-season, and warm-up games.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 09, 2023 من The Rugby Paper.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 09, 2023 من The Rugby Paper.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
England show who's No.1
ENGLAND women’s head coach John Mitchell says his side will take valuable lessons from the 24-12 win over world champions New Zealand as they build towards their WXV1 title defence.
Skivington: We're going to roll dice and go for it
THE Cherry and Whites are the enigmas of the Premiership.
Looking to go one step beyond this time around
NE small step is what it will take for Bath to go one better than last season and secure the Premiership for the first time, but it would be one of the biggest taken by the club in the professional era.
Four-try England make it 17 wins on the spin
ENGLAND women opened the Allianz Stadium era at HQ with a victory over New Zealand to make it 17 wins on the bounce before their WXV title defence.
Time for Borthwick to prove his worth
HONEYMOON periods are not set in stone and in my estimation Steve Borthwick’s ends this summer. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still in good shape.
Barrington ready to power up the Mob
RICHARD Barrington has signed up to the Ampthill “Mob” reassured that he’ll still have a target on his back most weeks.
Skivington keen to build identity
GLOUCESTER won their first trophy for nine years last season and reached the Challenge Cup final, but when George Skivington went on holiday the day after the campaign ended the words in his head were never again.
Roebuck targets England success
WINNING a maiden England Test cap to top the best season of his career will not be enough for Sale winger Tom Roebuck.
Booth: Tough telling players I was leaving
TOBY Booth admits telling his Ospreys players that he would be leaving at the end of the season was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career.
Stephens' debut try sees off old rivals
DORKING had to dig deep in another tight game between two old rivals, with the lead changing hands twice and result in doubt right up to the final whistle.
