Montpellier have withdrawn from the Championnat. The 88-0 drubbing at Carcassonne last week seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back. It just hasn't worked for them.
So it's back to a nine-team league. How they deal with it is another matter. The usual thing is to expunge their record, so it's as if they were never there, but we've already had a Magic weekend - an extra set of fixtures. To restore equanimity to the calendar, that whole weekend will have to be scrubbed out and the second Magic weekend at the end of the season is a non-starter.

While it's clearly a blow to the league and to the game in France, I don't see it as a sign of a wider malaise, incidentally.

very sad to hear

Not so much that they withdrew but that they were forced out!
Basically they were in a grave financial position and the bank no longer supported them. The FFR offered 50 000€ and the President of the town council also offered his support but the bank was not happy with this and withdrew their loan facility.

Jean Luc Simon, the former manager, said that the club had spent more than it could afford. The annual budget was 160 000€ but the club had recruited an Australian coach at a cost of 50 000€ as well as paying the salaries of nine other foreign players. Even the services of the voluntary helpers who used to look after the after match catering were dispensed with and an expensive caterer was signed up!

Private message for John: We'll be across for the match at Hull on 3rd November!

terrible news, a big city club down the drain, it seemed like they were going well a year ago too.

Well there's a sensible recipe for a sustainable business.

Massively close in the derby wasn't it?

Journée 5 - 27/28 octobre 2012

PIA / SAINT ESTEVE-XIII CATALAN 12-10

VILLENEUVE-SUR-LOT / CARCASSONNE 18-16

TOULOUSE / LESCURE 18-16

LIMOUX / AVIGNON 20-40

Exempt : LEZIGNAN

Good to see competitive hard-fought games.

Limoux seem to have gone backwards the last year or so. But its made it more competitive.