Its not ridiculous at all - it is real and is highly visible. At the time of France being awarded hosting rights to Rugby World Cup 2007 it was confirmed that the same 10 venues from Soccer´s WC in 1998 would be used. i.e. St. Denis, Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Lens, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and St. Ettiene. Of these stadiums only two had teams in the Top 14 and only Toulouse regularly had matches at the stadium.
But since that time everything has changed. Montpellier won the Pro d2 in 2003. Racing Metro (Paris) in 2009 and Lyon in 2011. Bordeaux were also promoted for 2011-2012. So, France has gone from two of the city venues to six (Toulouse and Stade Français being the only ones previously) plus having Toulon use Marseilles several times per season.
Biarritz and Bayonne both play games at San Sebasiten, Spain and pack the stadium (32,000). Agen have used Bordeaux in the past but now Bordeaux have a team and so won´t. They´ll feel the loss for sure. Castres and Brive are South-Western sides with no big stadiums and will, in my opinion, be in the Pro d2 in a matter of years.
Look at the teams being relegated every year from the Top 14.... Look at Lyon´s buudget. First year in the Top 14 yet its very close to that of Perpignan and Castres, two Heineken Cup teams last season. Its also better than Brive and Agen - two southwest powerhouses. Teams relegated since 1998 are overwhelminging from the southwest and are from small towns. Look at the Pro d2 for 2011-2012 to see former Top 14 teams like Pau, Auch, Dax, Mont de Marsan, Albi and Narbonne. Or Tarbes who were French Champions in 1988 and Beziers who were in 1984 and are second to Toulouse in overall ***les. The teams being promoted are, increasingly, from bigger cities. Since 2007 we´ve had Racing Metro, Lyon, Toulon, La Rochelle and Bordeaux. Not your traditional French southwest, small town sides.
In 10 years its going to change even more. Big cities are coming to the party. See the thread about Strasbourg for instance. The southwest is the heart but the teams can´t compete financially and are vanishing from the radar.
Bourgoin will be overpowered and stay in the Pro d2, in my opinion. The market is against them. Lyon is in the Top 14 now and Grenoble will be shortly. They alongside La Rochlle should win promotion.
First, go ahead and re-read my previous post, now I'll repeat a bit as I go along here.
Southern and especially southwestern France is rugby mad and indeed is the heart of the sport. I lived there for some time between Biarritz, Pau and Tarbes since my wife was originally from there, so I've seen it for myself. The reality is that clubs are always up and down in Top 14 and Pro D2, something that couldn't be more obvious. What I find interesting is that you point out that southwestern clubs are relegated the most and vanishing, but that makes me understand that you don't follow French rugby much outside of the top flight. Considering that a large number of clubs are from the southwest compared to anywhere else (77 out of 160 from just Pro D2 to Fédérale 2 last season to be exact) of course there is a higher chance of one being relegated.
Let's touch briefly on world cup stadiums since you've brought it up - they're built for soccer teams. Montpellier were already in Top 14 when the world cup took place. Racing Métro had dangled around the Pro D2 for some time narrowly missing out on promotion several times for years even with excellent financial strength. This was also the case for Toulon. Union Bordeaux is also no stranger to the top flight as they've been yo-yo'ing for decades and will likely continue to do so. All three clubs have a history of success in top flight French rugby, so this isn't new. Saint-Etienne have come and gone, Nantes have a club struggling in Fédérale 2 that is partially financed by universities and Lens don't even have a team in top tier amateur rugby.
One bright side could be Marseille. Stade Phocéen is a Vitrolles based club that represents the city of Marseilles and are actually coming up through the lower leagues at a rapid rate. I've been covering the club for some time as you can see in a few threads. Last season they won Fédérale 2 going undefeated to gain promotion. That's quite an incredible feat for any club at that level in France. It will take some time before they reach Top 14, but baring any financial strain as three times before in the past few years, then there is a strong possibility. Here's hoping for the best.
Lyon's budget comes from years of good investment and solid ownership. This isn't unique to them. Other clubs from Pro D2 have also increased their budget this way. Pau for instance has a lot to spend too, but won't until they reach Top 14. This is a good financial idea for a Pro D2 club considering that they believe in developing younger players and filling the rest of the holes when needed. They play in a stadium that holds 13,000 and have proposed to increase in the future. Carcassonne has risen from the depths and have increased their budget as well. Returning to professional rugby from the fifth amateur division within a few years is not to be overlooked. They didn't just return, they reached mid-table security right off the bat. The club currently play in a stadium that holds nearly 11,000 and have plans to increase their current stadium capacity as well.
You do realize that Mont-de-Marsan has a population of under 30,000 people and yet their stadium has a capacity of 22,000. That's more than any other standard stadium in French rugby. Last season they narrowly made it back up to Top 14. One of the country' most successful clubs, Béziers (Stade Français are actually second in overall ***les to Toulouse), is also on track back to the Top 14 after being promoted from Fédérale 1 following some financial hardship a few years ago. Since then the club updated their look and found new owners with financial strength. They currently have the finances to purchase bigger names, as many French clubs do, but probably won't dip into that much this season.
You've also pointed out that a club like Tarbes hasn't won since 1988, they actually lost in the final that year. The last time Tarbes won was in 1973, so what? When was it that Racing Métro last won? 1990. What about Bordeaux? 1991. And Toulon? 1992. Before 2002, when was the last time Biarritz had won? 1939. Anyway, Tarbes has a 17,000 + capacity stadium, financial support, produces plenty of talent and due to the regional sporting program have the right to use Toulouse's Municpal stadium if needed. This also applies to Albi, Auch, etc. Tarbes has also dramatically increased population over the past ten years from around 48,000 to 110,000 as of 2011. It has always been a major sporting spot as it hosts one of the world's most famous junior tennis championships and their five star Le Rex Hôtel is always the place to rest for cyclists during le Tour in the Pryénées. That's just the tip of the iceberg, but you get my drift. Do your research first before you write that none of the smaller southwestern clubs can compete financially and are "vanishing from the radar" because you have no idea what you're writing about. This is why I touched on some, not all, smaller towns developing well.
Big cities have always been a part of the "party," but they also had their ups and downs moving from division to division as other clubs from all parts of the country have for years. I agree that Grenoble moving up will be only a matter of time, but what they do once they're there is an entirely different subject. They could have stability or fall right back down as La Rochelle have been doing for so long. The same applies to Lyon. Due to how competitive the league has become over the past two or three years, there are several clubs that will risk relegation this upcoming season.
Rugby has indeed changed a lot in France, but change is inevitable. We've been seeing that long before the sport turned professional as well and we'll continue to see it happen as long as the sport is being played competitively. Smaller towns with financial strength also don't just come from the southwest. Sure, we won't see a former giant like Lourdes back competing for the Brennus anytime soon, but that's because they're content with where they are. They don't want to spend money in the big leagues. Other clubs are slowly making strides to find their way back, so keep an eye out.
