Gillham keen to put Brive back on the rugby radar

THERE are plenty of lazy comparisons to draw between Brive and Munster — both former European champions keen to restore former glories, and both call small, rugby-mad provincial centres home — but what’s less obvious is that the French side found inspiration in Limerick not so long ago.

Summer 2008 saw the club from the Limousin region embark on a massive spending spree as they rounded up a massive foreign legion, which included England’s Ben Cohen and Andy Goode, Barry Davies of Wales and Davit Khinchagishvili from Georgia.

Amid much “it’ll never work” gnashing of teeth in the French press, Brive proceeded to lose their first five Top 14 games. But they turned it around to eventually claim Heineken Cup qualification, a pre-season goal set out during a three-day stay in Limerick.