Pro D2 resumes: an even more competitive championship with Aix the favorite for promotion to the Top 14
In a Championship that remains highly competitive and evenly matched, Aix-en-Provence starts with the status of favorite for promotion to the Top 14 level. But there are many outsiders at the dawn of this new season competition which begins today Thursday.
Having narrowly missed out on promotion to the Top 14 last season against Vannes ( 18-14 ), Aix-en-Provence also missed their opportunity to advance to the Top 14 a week later against Perpignan in the promotion/relegation playoff game ( 47-24 ). With the biggest budget in Pro D2 this season competition (around €20 million), the southern club are considered the favorites.
Philippe Saint-André’s men kick off their season with a tough challenge, hosting Agen (9 pm this Thursday), a contender for the playoffs match. In an increasingly competitive league game, there are many dark horses at the starting line. Brive is a prime example. The Corrèze club, now led by Grégory Patat, intentions to return to the top flight after their relegation in the year 2023. The same goes for Oyonnax and Colomiers, often contenders but never victorious. And what about Montauban? Relegated after a nightmarish Top 14 season last year tournament with only 7 points (1 win, 1 draw, and 24 losses), will Sébastien Tillous-Borde’s team, whose contract was recently extended until 2030, rediscover the taste of the win? The Tarn club remains ambitious and goal to establish itself at the top of the table.
Valence-Romans will also be the one to watch as they look to confirm their fifth-position finish from last season game. It’s a strong field for the playoff race, in which Biarritz Olympique, with its increased budget, and Grenoble are hoping to make their mark. There will also be some interest surrounding Nissa Rugby, led by president Jean-Baptiste Aldigé. This is after the summer saga of administrative relegation, things have settled down in Nice . With a budget of around €10 million (9th in Pro D2) and some high-profile signings like Etienne Falgoux and Vincent Rattez, the newly promoted side has no intention of bouncing back and forth between the two divisions teams. Their first away match, against Biarritz, where Aldigé was president in the year (2018-2024), to open the season (7 pm this Thursday), is a nice touch.
Finally, at the bottom of the league table, the other promoted team, Narbonne, and Aurillac seem destined to fight for survival. We’ll find out the playoff bracket on May 14th, at the end of the 30 rounds of the regular season match (played in blocks of four or five matches interspersed with breaks), with the final stages taking place the first weekend of June.
