All is not well in the reputedly rich Top 14, with club bosses concerned about financial threats from Japan. My latest column for The Rugby Paper. Plus, the usual rapid fire round-up of the first six games of the weekend.
Fears over the future contracts of France’s internationals have raised the spectre of a marquee player system in the Top 14 and ProD2 for a second time, a year after the LNR rejected the idea as counter-productive to their plans to cut costs by reducing the salary cap.
James Harrington: Freelance sports journalist 