sport news Why is an English billionaire buying into French rugby? Brive secure major ... trends now

sport news Why is an English billionaire buying into French rugby? Brive secure major ... trends now
sport news Why is an English billionaire buying into French rugby? Brive secure major ... trends now

sport news Why is an English billionaire buying into French rugby? Brive secure major ... trends now

As news of Worcester’s administration broke on Monday evening, the great and the good of French rugby were gathering in Paris for a glamorous red-carpet awards night. 

They booked out the iconic Olympia theatre, which has hosted The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and the cameras rolled to broadcast the event on free-to-air TV. 

For the afterparty, they moved on to a converted bank, where there were celebrity chefs, caviar stations and Champagne bars. 

Top 14 Brive recently secured major investment from English billionaire Ian Osborne

No expense was spared. The contrast with the image of the Sixways gates being bolted up was stark.

‘French rugby is in a very healthy situation,’ said Brive’s English president Simon Gillham. The man from Letchworth Garden City recently secured major investment from English billionaire Ian Osborne, as club rugby across The Channel continues to steal a march on its rivals.

‘Ian Osborne’s thinking was that he wanted to invest in French rugby and not English rugby because he found it’s a much healthier place to be,’ said Gillham. 

‘He’s investing a lot in France at the moment. It was July 2021 when he started showing an interest and it took us a year to get the deal through. He looked at French rugby and thought, “Wow, this is very solid”. He went to St Paul’s and London School of Economics, so he could easily have gone to an English club.’

At the awards ceremony, where England’s Zach Mercer was named player of the season, the French club owners sat side by side sharing ideas. There are 30 clubs united under the Ligue National de Rugby banner. They are spread across the Top 14 and ProD2 competitions, with promotion and relegation between the two, while Premiership Rugby is made up of a 12-club closed shop. 

French rugby is thriving while Premiership club Worcester have gone into administration

French rugby is thriving while Premiership club Worcester have gone into administration 

‘The 30 clubs work as a unit,’ said Gillham. ‘Sometimes the decision making is heavy and takes a lot of time, but it’s voted as a 30. That’s one of the big reasons French club rugby is successful. We love sitting around the table and

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