Share this with family and friends. Big spending days over for settled French Top 14 PARIS Reuters - After years of overspending where domestic and European success was bought via cherry-picked foreign superstars, the French Top 14 is stabilising as increased TV revenue has begun to level the playing field for those clubs not backed by a millionaire owner.
French clubs have won eight European Cups with another 13 runners up spots since the competition was created in the season and, able to offer wages unmatched anywhere else, attracted world class players. Arguably the two biggest names in the game over the last decade were tempted in as New Zealand's Dan Carter joined Perpignan in and England's Jonny Wilkinson signed for Toulon in Dozens more foreign internationals followed, with Toulon leading the way.
The likes of Bryan Habana, Drew Mitchell, Leigh Halfpenny and Steffon Armitage became known as the club's galacticos, and repaid the investment as they were European champions three years in a row from Yet those salaries and large squads came at a heavy financial cost and by about a third of the French elite clubs had an operating deficit.
Last year, Paris clubs Stade Francais and Racing 92 planned a merger after Stade president Thomas Savare said he did not have the cash to keep the club afloat, though the project was cancelled after his players went on strike. Carter, now at Racing 92, headed a list published by L'Equipe of the top 10 earners of the Top 14, with a reported , euro , A list published by SA Rugby magazine in early put seven Top 14 players in the top 10 earners in the world.
Yet the vast majority of professional rugby players still earn a fraction of that enjoyed by their soccer counterparts, with only a tiny handful on contracts that might earn them a million euros or more over a two or three year contract. Emmanuel Eschalier, the LNR's French National Rugby League chief executive officer, believes that the finances of France's top clubs are more stable than it might appear.
