Raphaël Jucobin

The latest chapter in one of international’s rugby’s great rivalries – Les Bleus out for revenge against the world champions

Ntamack and France aim to rid themselves of ‘trauma’ from World Cup defeat Fly-half was not involved in heartbreaking quarter-final loss two years ago but is optimistic Les Bleus can exact revenge against South Africa – even without Antoine Dupont

Tonight, France take on South Africa for the first time since a heartbreakingly narrow quarter-final defeat in their home World Cup.

Piece on Les Bleus' autumn series preparations, new faces in the team, and overcoming the "trauma” of that defeat:

It might seem like an unassuming mid-table Ligue 1 match, but tonight’s Paris FC v Rennes game is also one of the richest in football - a clash between billionaires and long-time industry rivals in luxury goods

The Arnault family (LVMH) take on the Pinaults (Kering) on the pitch for the first time

Nolann Le Garrec confirms Gaël Fickou will be France’s captain against South Africa:

"He has a lot of experience. He’s seen it all with this team, through the highs and lows."

"It’s great that he has the chance to be captain. He guided a very young team in New Zealand this summer."

Rennes have the money to thrive in Ligue 1 but they require stability Habib Beye’s job is on the line but simply sacking another manager is not the route to success for the Pinault family

Rennes are winless in six and Habib Beye's job is on the line, but the manager isn't the only one at fault — the billionaire-backed Bretons need to commit to a clear direction and a stable hierarchy.

Piece for the Guardian/GFFN:

David Hubert unveiled as Union Saint-Gilloise’s new head coach this afternoon, and immediately taking charge of his first training session

The former Anderlecht and OH Leuven manager was appointed this morning, a day after Sébastien Pocognoli’s departure to Monaco was made official

Lucas Chevalier getting a warm reception here from his former fans ahead of Lille v PSG

Both sides coming off major away wins in Europe, PSG's injury crisis forcing Luis Enrique to name four teenagers in the lineup (including a first senior start for Ndjantou)

The PSG fans’ tifo tonight celebrating Ousmane Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or win

“The prince of the city who became king of the world”

Ousmane Dembélé’s transition from misfiring winger (who was dropped from a matchday squad entirely only 10 months ago) to all-action striker (especially in his off-the-ball work) has been very impressive to witness

A well-deserved Ballon d’Or

Their flight was delayed until this morning due to an air conditioning issue, but Monaco have made it for their Champions League opener here in Bruges - Denis Zakaria misses out due to an adductor injury, while Ansu Fati is called up for the first time since arriving this summer.

PSG kick off their title defence against Atalanta here tonight - surprisingly, it’s Mayulu who starts up front rather than Gonçalo Ramos, in a revamped frontline due to injuries to Doué and Dembélé

Paris Saint-Germain’s first home game since the Treble here tonight - Dembélé and Neves among those returning to the starting lineup after last week’s stuttering win in Nantes

Potentially a last appearance as an Angers player for the Rennes-linked striker Esteban Lepaul

A Coupe de France final where both sides will have one eye on other upcoming games - PSG on the Champions League final, Reims on their relegation play-off

Nevertheless a chance for the Parisians to go one step closer to the Treble and for the Champagne side to end a long trophy drought

🍇 A convincing European campaign by Bordeaux-Bègles to win their first-ever trophy (today’s final was the toughest of their games though) - not bad for a club founded in 2006!

Damian Penaud with another two tries to take his continental record-breaking tally to 14 this year

#ChampionsCup

It’ll be hard to top yesterday’s match - and PSG will be hoping tonight is as uneventful as possible in any case, as they look to qualify for their second Champions League final here tonight

Ousmane Dembélé starts from the bench, Thomas Partey returns for Arsenal

Liam Rosenior: ‘Coaching abroad, nobody has any preconceived idea of who you are’ Englishman has made a big impression since taking over at Strasbourg, who are now aiming to end PSG’s unbeaten run

A contract extension and a win against PSG to climb back into the top four - not a bad week for Liam Rosenior at Strasbourg

I went to Alsace earlier this season to interview the former full-back, who had already made an impression after a few weeks in France:

Paris FC have secured promotion tonight with a draw in Martigues - for the first time in decades, we’ll have a Parisian derby in Ligue 1 next season (at very close quarters)

A crucial first step in the Arnault/Red Bull project:

PLAYER RATINGS | Arsenal 0-1 PSG: Ousmane Dembélé strikes early to give Les Parisiens semi-final lead - Get French Football News Despite sensing a "negative climate" on the part of the media at his pre-match press conference, Luis Enrique remained optimistic ahead of his team's trip to

Six months on from being dropped from the squad travelling to Arsenal, Ousmane Dembélé scored the goal in North London which puts PSG in the Champions League final as it stands

A solid Donnarumma also helped them ride out the hosts' dominant spells

My player ratings from North London:

The travelling PSG fans - 2500 of them - making their presence felt in North London tonight. Just under half an hour to go until kick-off.

Les Bleues come agonisingly close to denying England the Grand Slam - what a run from Joanna Grisez for the last try, to bring it to within a point

In any case scoring 42 points at Twickenham is an encouraging performance 4 months from the World Cup

#SixNations

Luis Enrique reaches a century of matches in charge of PSG tonight - he’s picked Kvaratskhelia, Doué and Dembélé as his front 3 to face Aston Villa, with Barcola starting from the bench

The Asturian takes on Unai Emery for the first time since *that* remontada…

Lille hold on for the win but Antonio was very solid considering the circumstances - did well to recover from a shaky first 20 minutes

Lens only really threatened once Andy Diouf came on and changed the dynamic in midfield - otherwise their forward line barely made an impact

(The tifo would have worked better if it was the right side up)

A high-stakes Derby du Nord tonight - hosts Lille looking to bounce back from defeat in Nantes and draw level with 4th place, Lens looking to stay in the race for Europe

Lens’ 17-year-old defender Kyllian Antonio is thrown into the starting XI for his senior debut following Gradit’s injury

Bordeaux-Bègles have just become the first #Top14 team - on the eve of their top-of-the-table clash against Toulouse, no less - to leave Twitter

France not at the level they showed against Ireland (and Mauvaka perhaps lucky not to see red in the 1st half) but it’s enough to clinch the title!

Moefana with his best performance of a stellar tournament, Lucu also among the standouts again

The #SixNations title (and records for Ramos, Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey) in sight for Les Bleus here tonight

France sticking with the 7-1 bench split for Saturday’s #SixNations decider - Lucu unsurprisingly starts, Le Garrec on the bench, and Fickou comes in for his first match of the tournament (his 95th cap overall) to replace the injured Barassi

The way Lucu stepped up in Dupont’s absence is reassuring for next week too - the kind of commanding performance he has on a weekly basis for Bordeaux

This might even be the most important performance of the Galthié era - Twickenham 2023 was memorable but to beat the double reigning champions in this fashion vindicates many of the decisions he was criticised for

#IREvFRA