No French champions for first time since WW2

The 30 presidents of the Top 14 and ProD2 this week agreed to end the 2019/20 season, leaving a number of questions unanswered. The hope, now, is to start the 2020/21 season in September but the clubs cannot begin their pre-season planning until a definite start date is confirmed, and medical measures are agreed and met.

- JAMES HARRINGTON

Unlike French football, which awarded the coronavirus-curtailed 2019/20 championship to PSG, rugby bosses have decided there will be no title winners for the first time since the Second World War.

There will also be no promotion or relegation – sighs of relief at Stade Francais and Agen, frustration at Colomiers and Perpignan.

Questions remain over European qualification, while six clubs – Toulouse, Clermont, Racing 92, Bordeaux, Castres and Toulon – still have an interest in the currently-on hold 2019/20 Champions and Challenge Cups.

Coronavirus also hampered moves in the transfer market. French clubs had been relatively quiet, anyway, concentrating on developing homegrown players. Here are the key signings and departures so far.

Agen

Key signing: Full-back Jean-Marcellin Buttin, who’s no mug at centre, wing or fly-half, travels west from Lyon to become the big name among five currently listed new arrivals at Stade Armandie. Still only 28, this particular bold dog has a few tricks left.

Key departure: Fiji international Benito Masilevu is not in the Agen reckoning for next season and joins 14 other players in the departure lounge. No news, yet, on where he could end up.

Bayonne

Key signing: An injury-troubled couple of seasons have seen Gaetan Germain’s nearly unmissable howitzer boot track a little left in recent times. But, on his day, he can still ping them over from more than 50m. A useful addition to Yannick Bru’s squad.

Key departure: Tongan lock-cum-back row Edwin Maka should have a few years in him yet, but, after a season on the Basque coast, his future is currently uncertain. He’s one of 19 departures from Bayonne this summer – and he’s not the only one with nowhere to go.