r/rugbyunion • u/DiskaZz • 4h ago

Pro D2 teams for the 2025/2026 season (Source: @rugbyprod2)

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46 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

25

u/BigBongo84 Wales 4h ago

I don’t know why, but I find it fascinating how far south the majority of club sides (both Top 14, and Pro D2) are in France.

18

u/Koalasaur11 Reds 3h ago

France seems to have its own Barassi line.

6

u/Stadoceste Stade Toulousain 3h ago

Pierre-Louis?

3

u/MrQeu Loving Joel Merkler as a way of life 3h ago

Pierre-Louis ? A northerner himself.

8

u/treacletart284 Newcastle Falcons 3h ago

It's really interesting looking at a side by side map of clubs in Ligue 1 and clubs in the Top 14, there's a very clear geographical divide between where football is king and where rugby is king in France. No idea why that divides there, but its really interesting to look at

5

u/BigBongo84 Wales 3h ago

I saw that as well! There are only four teams (Nice, Toulouse, Marseille, and Monaco) in this seasons Ligue 1 which I’d consider to be in the south of the country. Whereas, I think the Top 14 only goes as far north as Paris.

3

u/Connell95 🏆 “Biggest Hack, Anti-SH Chip-on-Shoulder Poster” 3h ago edited 3h ago

It’s just one of these cases where country is genuinely divided in what their biggest sports are. Football is just less popular than football in most of the south. You’ll notice that the teams in the south which do manage to maintain a decent football side are big cities (excepting Monaco which is an outlier for lots of reasons!)

5

u/Connell95 🏆 “Biggest Hack, Anti-SH Chip-on-Shoulder Poster” 3h ago

Basically to do with the way rugby initially spread in France from port cities where there were lots of British people (the first rugby club in France was a group of British expats). That meant it took off mainly round the coast, and the most populous coastal areas are in the West and South, and so these became its heartland as it crept inland.

6

u/rustyb42 Ulster 3h ago

John Cooneys Brive

5

u/Putrid-Impact8999 3h ago

Vannes looking a little lonely.

•

u/2BEN-2C93 England Cornish Pirates 1h ago

Reminds me of Pirates' situation in the champ. We are the furthest journey for every single other team.

2

u/Rapunzel92140 Portugal 3h ago

It’s still a regional sport in France

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u/Mission-Salamander Argentina 1h ago

There is a lot of rugby in the north too, just less high level. In third division for instance

•

u/thrashaholic123 Leinster 36m ago

Probably be a swiss team in pro D2 before an actual northern french side.