Remember the Racing 92-Stade Francais merger bomb? As the fallout from the shock news that two of France’s oldest clubs are set to merge settled, I pulled all the strands together
“We are aware that we have dropped a bombshell,” Stade Francais president Thomas Savare told reporters at a press conference following the shock announcement that the club was to merge with Paris rivals Racing 92.
It’s one of those phrases that should immediately enter the pantheon of sporting understatements, just below ‘That man is fast’ to describe Usain Bolt in full record-breaking flight. It’s fair to say the merger news has caused seismic ripples in the rugby world.
James Harrington: Freelance sports journalist 