What is wrong with French Rugby?

[Prestwick]

No, I ask not of selection politics at the top, nor of the buying policies of the various French club owners. What I speak of is the high level of rampaging brawls that seem to go on in the Top 14 and the Pro D2. Not only that but the amateur referees especially in the Pro D2 seem to have absolutely no control over the gameas it descends into chaos. Even Nigel Owens is of a better standard than these guys and thats saying something. When a referee gives Coach Tana Umanga a red card for merely trying to calm his team down, you know something is seriously wrong.

Its so prevaliant that some Rugby Forums are now considering having either threads or entire sections dedicated to French Rugby Fighting. How the hell do they get away with it and why hasn't the FFR or the iRB decided to clamp down on it as it could scupper France's international chances in the years to come...

 

[goranski]

French rugby unfortunately has a history of violence - there's alot of passion and rowdiness at matches, especially when it involves neighboring towns or rival cities - the whole community gets behind the team and the french passion seems to boil over...

I think the French just view the game more seriously in some ways, as if it is a battle - you can just hear sitting in front of the television screen - the boos, howls and whistles are nonstop whenever the opposition has the ball.

as for the players there seems to be alot of machismo involved - especially with the pack versus pack - it's almost like an arm wrestle in a pub that breaks out into a fight with accusations of skullduggery by both sides...

there are so much video of french rugby brawling online as well...just check out and search for 'bagarre' something like that...

the latin countries are probably the toughest to play rugby in - I'd say Argentina is pretty hostile, and Italy probably as well...might just be the temperement of these cultures.

all in all though i'd say world rugby is much richer with these nations though, despite the violence.

anyway that's my take on the sitch.

 

[erwanseb]

Hard facts required,

there was one single big brawl in the pro D2 this season (Toulon Pau), and the discipline committee handed very heavy sanctions indeed (up to three months).

I have not heard of any others brawl involving more than 2 players so far this season, Swazerski punched an opponent a few weeks ago but nothing like a brawl.

 

[shtove]

The French parliament considered banning rugby in the 1920s because derbys between neighbouring towns ended up with deaths on the pitch. Now that's commitment.

 

[Prestwick]

Hard facts required,

there was one single big brawl in the pro D2 this season (Toulon Pau), and the discipline committee handed very heavy sanctions indeed (up to three months).

I have not heard of any others brawl involving more than 2 players so far this season, Swazerski punched an opponent a few weeks ago but nothing like a brawl.

[/b]

Don't forget Agen vs Mont de Marsan in a seperate game this year. Another huge brawl, another amateur ref losing control, one player having to go off with a damaged eye and fans having to come on to seperate the two sides.

These are hard facts, as the others said, just look for it on sites like Rugby Dump where they usually report any major brawls that they see.

It must be of vital importance to add that the fans don't really get "into the spirit of things" off the pitch and if anything (like in the Agen vs Mont de Marsan game), they get involved to split the parties up. It seems that as far as the fans are concerned, if they had wanted to see Ultimate Fighting, they would have gone to Paris to watch WWE RAW live...

 

[Stillknox]

It happens especially in ProD2. Some former great teams located in region where rugby is a religion (Toulon, Agen...) are clearly warm blooded, sometimes you have the impression that they're still in the 70's when rugby games were really messy between rivals teams.

The FFR must do something about that, yes. But in Top 14 except at few occasions (most of the time with Paris who seems to be especially hated in the country town - but the likes of Swarzeski, Roncero and Blin are not innocents) the game is clean.

 

[langostino]

i dont know what is wrong but they should be punished the one that starts fights... apart from the fights i really like top 14