Sportsblog: Detecting a vibrant rugby heartbeat in northern France

The emergence of Vannes – a club founded less than a lifetime ago, in 1950 – as a rising rugby force has been so rapid that a new high historical water mark could be made early on Saturday

NORTHERN LIGHTS: The Vannes rugby faithful celebrate. Pic: Vannes Rugby

Think French rugby, and the mind’s eye focuses on the south of the country. You imagine current and former powerhouses Toulouse and Toulon; Perpignan and Narbonne; Bordeaux and Beziers, or Ronan O’Gara’s upstart high-achieving newcomers at La Rochelle.

It’s no secret that rugby’s French heart beats strongest in the south. Of the 30 clubs in the Top 14 and ProD2 in the 2023/24 season, just five – Racing 92, Stade Francais, Nevers, Rouen and Vannes – are north of a line between La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast and Oyonnax, near the Swiss border.