René Bouscatel: "Strengthen the place of rugby in French sport"

LE FIGARO.- How is French professional rugby doing at the end of two years marked by the pandemic?

His financial health was precarious.

Some clubs, especially the bigger ones, have been weakened.

There are still some tense situations but the DNACG has not identified any catastrophic situations, thanks to state aid.

The revival seems to be off to a good start.

Spectators return to the stadiums, an attendance record was even broken during the day dedicated to the derbies with more than 160,000 supporters in the Top 14 and Pro D2.

TV audiences are also on the rise.

We are on the right track.

As indicated by our signing of five new partners since March 2021.

To discover

• Calendar and results Pro D2

Can this period have repercussions on the amount of the salary cap?

No.

It will still be revised a little downwards, but as expected (

).

The decisions to steer the Salary Cap downwards were taken at the start of last season, after the first confinement, and this course has been kept.

It has proven itself for the fairness and attractiveness of our championships.

There are now eight to ten clubs that can claim to be champions of France.

Do you sometimes doubt his respect?

Some clubs may be tempted.

But we carry out independent and in-depth checks, thorough investigations.

We have already righted some wrongs.

When we set rules, it is possible that there will be attempts to circumvent them, but they are very limited.

“Personally, I am not in favor of the commodification of players.

»

Some presidents are pushing for transfer reform.

Can they become a new source of funding?

We have been debating for some time with the thirty club presidents on the subject of transfer compensation.

There are two schools.

Those who campaign for free transfers at free amounts, so that it becomes a method of financing clubs like in football.

Personally, I am not in favor of this commodification of players.

At the other extreme, there are those who wish to ban them altogether.

Which is unrealistic, and probably illegal.

We are therefore in the process of developing an intermediate position: a regulation of the amount of transfer compensation.

The part corresponding to the salaries remaining due would not enter the salary cap, unlike what would exceed, and which is speculation.

Read alsoRené Bouscatel: player, captain, lawyer, president… An oval passion

Another subject that is debated: the increase in the number of duplicates, these days of Top 14 disputed without the internationals requisitioned by the France team.

There are negative effects, as well as positive ones, to duplicates.

The negative concerns especially the two or three clubs which have many internationals.

They are going through difficult times.

They often end up getting out of it because the final phase, which is played in the form of a cup, makes it possible to rebalance the forces.

By the way, I am grateful for the sacrifices made by the clubs for the benefit of the France team.

On the positive side, it allows young players to hatch.

Each president must try to forget the particular interest of his club, which is circumstantial, for the collective interest.

We must not forget that this greater availability of internationals has a goal that brings everyone together: that the French team is in a position to win the World Cup.

“Changing the format of the Top 14?

There is no sacred number for me.

Can we imagine, to reduce these duplicates, modifying the format of the Top 14 from the 2023-2024 season?

For example by reducing it to 12 teams or by passing it to two pools of 8 teams.

There are a set number of weekends available each season.

You have to fit in the championship, the European Cup and international matches.

We also have a well-advanced project to create a Club World Cup every four years.

All this will require reflection on the formats of the competitions.

There is no sacred number for me.

But the establishment of the single hen contributes to the sporting and economic success of our championship.

The Top 14 format has proven itself.

It is therefore necessary to be very careful before considering changing what is working well.

When the sporting performance of the clubs is there, all of French rugby is a winner.

See the Grand Slam achieved by the Blues.

The clubs are the present and the future of the XV of France.

What are the NRL's main projects for the coming years?

With the World Cup, it's time to be ambitious for French rugby, to conquer new audiences.

This is why I created the “Economic Development and Innovation” Commission to respond to changes in society and our audiences.

We are also going to confirm our ambitions for rugby 7, with the development of In extenso Supersevens (

).

Then, beyond sports training, I would like rugby to be a school of education for living together, carrying high our commitments on social issues such as the environment, diversity, solidarity.

Rugby must contribute to moving the lines and be inspiring.

I want to expand its influence to strengthen its place in French sport and promote its values ​​in society.

For René Bouscatel, “we can push a geographical development of professional rugby in a measured and above all not artificial way”.

François Bouchon / Le Figaro

How to remedy the difficulties encountered by the rising clubs of Pro D2 to sustain their presence in the Top 14?

The Pro D2 is an increasingly attractive and challenging competition.

The gap is narrowing, although there is still progress to be made.

Perhaps by helping the rising clubs a little more.

The 2nd division cannot be equal to the 1st but solidarity must be exercised.

This is why in the redistribution of income from the League, 60% goes to the Top 14 clubs and 40% to those of the Pro D2.

Some are campaigning for direct access to the first of the regular season, and no longer a passage through random dams…

This is a discussion that will begin.

Although I think this final phase is one of the attractions of the Pro D2…

“Rugby should not be mistaken for football.

The financial means will never be the same.”

Can the LNR facilitate a better geographical distribution of professional clubs, help them to establish themselves in the North, in Brittany, in the Grand Est?

These aids are very theoretical.

First, they should be oversized.

Then, do not graft artificially.

It must come from the raw, be rooted… Rugby, for me, is a cultural sport.

There is a tradition in the Southwest of steeple against steeple.

We can push geographical development in a measured and above all not artificial way, because that would not work.

Rugby should not be mistaken for football.

The financial means will never be the same.

Regarding the Top 14, is it possible that the final will no longer be played systematically at the Stade de France, but alternately with a stadium in the provinces?

We have a contractual commitment to play the final there until 2025. However, the question arises for 2024, the year of the Olympic Games.

The Stade de France will not be available, the final will therefore be relocated.

After 2025?

Why not…

“We are going to try to give a new impetus to the European cups, to establish a new mode of operation.

»

What relationship does the LNR have with World Rugby, the International Federation?

As soon as I was elected, I wanted a new dynamic, I worked to set up a more fluid relationship with the FFR, World Rugby and France 2023, in the interest of all French rugby.

It first calmed down with the French Federation.

As in a big family, there can be blowouts from time to time but the tensions had to be ended on both sides.

It's about being positive and constructive so that everyone benefits.

If French rugby has a good World Cup, everyone will benefit, including professional clubs... With World Rugby

there are now regular and very positive exchanges.

This is what guides my governance: to be more open, participatory and transparent.

When I was a lawyer, I always said ''if you don't want a deal done, you do it over the phone;

if you want it to happen, you meet''.

When we talk to each other, we realize that there are a lot of bad interpretations, misunderstandings.

So everything has become much more fluid.

Afterwards, we must not dream, remain vigilant.

But without being paranoid either.

And with the EPCR, which manages the European Cups.

We remember, at the beginning of the year, your release very critical of him on the management of covid cases…

I was very upset.

And I still am.

There have been governance and organizational problems at EPCR.

In one year, I have never been invited to the headquarters in Switzerland, it's incredible, isn't it?

But I think that will change.

We are going to try to give a new impetus to the European cups, to establish a new mode of operation.