THE NEW PRO D2 season kicks off tomorrow evening as Biarritz host Oyonnax in a huge clash featuring the two sides viewed as the strongest contenders to be promoted.
With seven more games to come on Friday evening, the 16-team championship is all set to launch into what should be an absorbing 2022/23 season.
France’s second tier is a ferociously competitive league played out in front of big, passionate crowds. The Pro D2 has increasingly become a destination for Irishmen, with a steady flow of players from these shores ending up in the league.
As the new campaign gets underway, several Irishmen are set to play key roles.
Darren Sweetnam [Oyonnax]
The three-times capped Ireland international would have hoped to jump straight into the Top 14 with Oyonnax last season but they were beaten by champions Perpignan in the semi-finals.
Former Munster wing Sweetnam featured prominently in his first season with les Oyomen, scoring six tries in the Pro D2 as he added valuable experience to their backline, as well as showing off his aerial skills and pacy running game.
29-year-old Sweetnam has competition out wide from the likes of New Zealand 7s international Joe Ravouvou, Canada international Taylor Paris, and new Kiwi signing Gavin Stark, but his class should be important again for Oyonnax, who are the outright favourites for promotion in many quarters.
Dave O’Callaghan [Biarritz]
As Biarritz bid to bounce straight back up to the Top 14, former Munster flanker O’Callaghan will be a crucial player once again.
The Youghal man has been superb for the Basque club since joining from his native province in 2019, featuring at openside or blindside whenever available and even covering the second row occasionally.
The 32-year-old has added lineout calling to his repertoire in France and still possesses all the dogged qualities and mobility that saw him play for Munster 85 times across his eight seasons with the senior team. O’Callaghan starts in the number six shirt against Oyonnax tomorrow.
Biarritz’s squad also includes Irish-qualified out-half Brett Herron, who previously had a two-year stint with Ulster. Among the club’s coaching staff is kicking consultant Alan Kingsley, the former Young Munster and Garryowen man.
Eoghan Masterson [Aurillac]
A new addition to the Irish Abroad, 29-year-old back row Masterson signed for Aurillac after being released by his native Connacht at the end of last season. He has penned a two-year deal, with the option of a third year.
Having been such a consistent performer for the westerners, the departure of Masterson came as a surprise to some Connacht fans. He now takes on a new adventure in the Pro D2, where his combativeness and set-piece qualities are likely to be appreciated.
Aurillac have been long-time overachievers in the French second tier, including during Jeremy Davidson’s impressive spell as the club’s head coach, with their performances regularly belying their small budget.
Ronan Loughnane [Aurillac]
21-year-old hooker Loughnane moved to Aurillac last summer and enjoyed a positive first campaign as he helped the club’s espoirs [U23] side to national success and also earned his first couple of Pro D2 caps off the bench.
The Birr RFC man, who came through Cistercian College Roscrea, will be aiming for much greater involvement with Aurillac’s senior team this season as he heads into the second year of a three-year contract.
Loughnane played with Leinster’s underage sides before representing the Ireland U20s last year, starting four games in the Six Nations. He was understood to be very close to joining Munster’s academy last year but instead confirmed a move to France. We may be hearing lots more about the talented hooker in the future.
Robin Copeland [Soyaux Angoulême]
The former Munster and Connacht number eight is back in the Pro D2 after Soyaux Angoulême earned promotion from the Nationale – France’s third tier – last season. There were rumours of Copeland retiring but he is playing on as they bid to stay up this time around.
Copeland has been a pivotal presence in the number eight shirt since joining from Connacht in 2020 when he admitted to being close to retirement until a call from France came out of the blue.
He remains in excellent physical condition and will relish the battle of the Pro D2 as Soyaux Angoulême attempt to prove predictions of another relegation wrong.
Peter Lydon [Rouen]
The 29-year-old Kilkenny man is heading into his third season with Rouen, who will be hoping for a more enjoyable campaign after they narrowly avoided relegation last time around.
Lydon was a vital influence in the club remaining in the Pro D2 as he starred at fullback and also played several games at out-half.
The former Stade Français and Ealing man has a cannon of a left boot and is one of the finest kickers in the Pro D2, while his attacking and defensive qualities have continued to improve in recent years.
Team-mates have wondered how Lydon isn’t playing for a bigger club, perhaps even back in Ireland, but he will continue to be pivotal for Rouen.
Darren O’Shea [Vannes]
The towering 6ft 9ins second row has been with Vannes for the past two seasons, joining from his native Munster in 2020 after making 44 senior appearances for the southern province.
The Crosshaven RFC product first played pro rugby with Worcester before returning home to Munster in 2016. He left again in a bid to play more first-team rugby and has been a regular starter for Vannes since first moving to France.
The Brittany-based club had an 11th-place finish last season so 29-year-old lineout specialist O’Shea will be hoping to inspire better performances this time around as Vannes aim to compete for a play-off spot.
Johnny McPhillips [Provence Rugby]
The 25-year-old former Ulster and Ireland U20s out-half was on the move this summer as he left Carcassonne for Provence ahead of the new campaign.
McPhillips first moved to France last year after a couple of seasons with Leicester. His time with Carcassonne was disrupted by injury but he came back for the closing months of last season in impressive fashion.
McPhillips was excellent in the number 10 shirt as he helped to drive Carcassonne into the play-offs and he will be aiming to do the same with Provence, who were only two points off the barrages places last season.
Jamie Hagan [Béziers]
Capped once by Ireland back in 2013, former Connacht and Leinster prop Hagan has become a stalwart for Béziers over the past six seasons.
The 35-year-old’s nous and experience remain valued within the squad and Hagan will compete with the likes of Spain international Jon Zabala at tighthead again this season.
Hagan moved to the Pro D2 after a year in Australia with the Melbourne Rebels and has enjoyed a unique career that has also included a spell with London Irish. He continues to thrive in a league where the set-piece can be a vicious battle.
John Madigan [Béziers]
Former Munster lock Madigan is heading into his sixth season in French rugby, having spent three years with Massy before his move to Béziers in 2020.
The powerful 27-year-old second row has been well-received at the club, a regular starter whose set-piece work is considered outstanding. Irish rugby doesn’t produce many 123kg heavyweights but Madigan’s strengths are aligned with what most Pro D2 clubs look for.
The Charleville man is said to be very happily settled in France but it will be intriguing to see what the future holds for him. For now, Madigan and Béziers will look to improve on last season’s 12th-place finish.
With O’Shea playing at Vannes and Frank Bradshaw Ryan having recently earned a move to Ulster from Nevers, the Pro D2 has been a happy home for Irish locks. Former Connacht man Joe Maksimyw, who is Irish-qualified, is now with Agen.
James Hart [Mont de Marsan]
Another ex-Munster player now plying his trade in the Pro D2, scrum-half Hart was on the move this summer as he relocated from Biarritz to Mont de Marsan in search of more game time.
The 31-year-old only made four appearances in the Top 14 last season and will hope for a more prominent role with his new club, who agonisingly missed out on promotion last season.
Stade Montois, to give them their official name, topped the Pro D2 table at the end of the regular season but lost the promotion final to Bayonne and were then beaten by Perpignan in the last-chance access match, meaning they remain in the second tier for 2022/23.
Hart will have competition for the nine shirt in Mont de Marsan but he will be targetting a return to the top flight.
