They do things differently in France.

In England most Premiership teams have just the one supporters’ club, some have none at all, and there are only a handful outside the Premiership. In France the majority of TOP 14 teams have two, three or more supporters’ clubs – some many more. D2 is no different, with supporters’ clubs across the board.

Some year ago the French formed a federation of supporters’ clubs – the Fédération Française des Supporters de Rugby (F.F.S.R.). For the last 13 years they have held an annual congress where many of them get together for a weekend of conviviality.

The 2023 congress was hosted by the AS Mâcon rugby club in deepest Burgundy. Our intrepid vice-chair Duncan Kendall went along to see what they got up to. Here’s his report:

Thursday 22nd June – Paris

An early afternoon Eurostar train whisked me from London St.Pancras under the channel to Paris Gare du Nord. There I was met by the president of the federation, Franck Lemann, a passionate Stade Français supporter, and head of the Virage des Dieux (VDD). I had communicated with Franck some months previously as I had some questions about the F.F.S.R. – he suggested that the best thing for me to do was join them at their congress.

The trip had been planned long before the recent events at London Irish, and I was a little apprehensive about how I would feel. I was also committing myself to a long weekend with a large group of people I had never met before, and all in a foreign language. I needn’t have worried.

That evening Franck and his partner took me to a Brazillian restaurant in the centre of Paris, where we were joined by three more members of Virage des Dieux. We talked rugby and ate a hearty meal, washed down with a few mojitos.

Friday 23rd June – Mâcon

An early start. The six of us jumped into a rented Mercedes Vito, crawled out of Paris and headed south along the A6 autoroute. Four hours and 400km later we arrived in Mâcon on the bank of the mighty river Saône. It was time for lunch, and we met up with a few more supporters – from FC Grenoble (D2) and Boxeland Club Islois XV (Fédérale 3) – at a lovely little restaurant near the town centre. After enjoying their delightful Formule Déjeuner we hopped back in the Vito and found our accommodation for the weekend – a spacious Airbnb on the outskirts of town.

The official events of the weekend began early evening with a reception at the AS Mâcon rugby ground. On arrival we were presented with our passes for the weekend, a bottle of wine, some literature from the local tourist office and a rather natty hat. Groups of supporters were arriving from all over France, and it was a very friendly and relaxed evening.

A buffet meal was presented during the reception, accompanied by plenty of wine. As the event wore on there was some spontaneous, and sometimes raucous, singing (something that was to be a feature of the weekend). The largest group at the event was the delegation from Stade Rochelais, easily identified in their bright yellow t-shirts & bandanas, (and slightly smug expressions) although the loudest were the enthusiastic group from Castres Olympique – who will be hosting the next congress.

Everyone I spoke to was very sympathetic about the situation at London Irish, and were all incredulous that this had been allowed to happen, especially after the demise of two other Premiership clubs. One of my fellow travellers from Stade Français even wore an Exiles shirt he had acquired for the occasion.

Eventually the party finished, and we headed back to our house. Time for a few relaxed nightcaps and more rugby talk. With supporters from Montpellier‘s Clapas’Cistes (it was great to meet up with them again), FC Grenoble, Stade Français and London Irish, it was a good mix with plenty to discuss.

Saturday 24th June – Conference and Gala

We all got together for a cup of strong coffee or two and some pastries at the Maison Mâconnaise des Vins, a venue we would return to that evening. A large mechanical fairground organ provided musical entertainment as we chatted away over our light breakfast.

Then on to the business part of the weekend – the main congress meeting. The venue was the very nicely air-conditioned conference theatre next door at the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne. I’m not sure everyone attended, but there were well over 100 delegates at the meeting, representing clubs from across the country.

My French was severely put to the test, however I believe I comprehended well over 5% of what was said. In addition to a general summary of the work of the F.F.S.R. and a finacial report, there were also a presentation from CœuRugby France (an association bringing together all the supporters of the French male and female teams of XV, 7s and wheelchair rugby).

This was followed by an interesting talk from a representative of the Ligue National Rugby, who oversee TOP 14 and D2. He came up with some impressive statistics, such as the average attendance at TOP 14 games last season was around 15,000, and for D2 that number was circa 5,000. Attendances that many English Premiership and Championship clubs can only dream of. After the meeting I collared him and asked if he wouldn’t mind coming back with me to sort out the English game. He politely declined, but clearly they are doing something right – 28 professional teams with high attendances, champions of Europe and the strongest and most consistent national team in many years. I expect them to be strong contenders for lifting the Webb Ellis Cup at the Stade de France in October.

I missed the official photo while I was talking to the LNR, but straight after that it was a short walk across the road for a lunch alongside the Saône, where were joined by Carcassonne second row Bakary Meité, a charming man, who was signing copies of his new book, Les Chiffons bleus. A nice glass of white Burgundy was offered on arrival, and soon afterwards trays of quiche, pizza and other simple foods arrived. I thought that was a reasonable lunch, but while we were talking two men carrying half a pig on a spit walked past. This was duly carved up for us and we sat down for a meal of pork, tomatoes and Dauphinoise potatoes, followed by a light tarte tatin, and some local cheese.

Following the repast came the raffle. The guys from Castres had done a great job of separating the delegates from their Euros, and everyone seemed to have a large bunch of tickets. There were definitely more prizes than you could shake a stick at, with bottles of wine, rugby merchandise, local specialities from across the country and much more. I expect each of the clubs had provided several prizes each. I won a tray of various delicacies, which would have been tricky to transport home, so I swapped this for a bottle of wine that someone else had won. And there was more singing. And cheering at the occasional rowing four that passed along the river.

I believe there was a sporting event planned at the rugby stadium that afternoon, but it was hot, very hot, in the low thirties. Whether the event was cancelled, or we just gave it a miss, I don’t know, but for us it was time for a welcome and relaxing quiet couple of hours before the evening event.

Seven o’clock (or I should probably say 19h00) and it was time to head back to the Maison Mâconnaise des Vins, for the gala dinner, a highlight of the weekend. Everyone had dressed up for the occasion, some more than others. I was sat next to a group from Generation Yves du Manoir, one of several Racing 92 supporters clubs.

We had a very enjoyable meal, washed down with some local wines. Throughout the evening we were serenaded by a vocal group of 10 men. Amongst their many songs they performed the anthems of each of the six nations teams, which reminded me just how much better everyone else’s sounds. However, the highlight of their repertoire came as we were about to leave – a full and soulful rendition of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. That brought a lump to my throat.

Having had our fill of food, wine and song, it was time to return to the house. A few more nightcaps were required before bed.

Sunday 25th June – Picnic at Solutré Rock

A bright and sunny morning greeted us when we headed out of town to the Rock of Solutré, a stunning limestone escarpment a few km from Mâcon. Although some of the supporters groups had already set off home, there were still plenty of us there to enjoy the hot sunshine and cool beers. Several headed to the prehistory museum, but I opted for the glorious panorama from the top of the rock. Just under 500m high, the rock affords a fantastic views across the Burgundy vineyards of Pouilly, Fuissé and other Mâconnais vignobles, and away to the east the Jura mountains were visible through the haze.

Although it was a well laid path, the climb to the summit was strenuous and incredibly hot. I was very glad of the bottle of water I took with me. After a brief moment to soak up the view, I headed back down to the Maison du Grand Site to find my fellow travellers. Shortly after leaving the summit I saw a young man in running gear heading towards me, dripping with sweat. He had an official race number pinned to his running vest. As he approached he asked if I had seen any other runners with race numbers. No, I replied. He then said something I would prefer not to translate, followed by “I must be lost”. He did carry on to the summit, and returned a short while later. As he ran past I wished him luck, but I saw no other runners on my descent.

After lunch it was time to say goodbye to the many groups of supporters, and to get back in the Vito for the long, and sweltering drive back to Paris. Traffic in the capital was somewhat tedious, and the last thing I wanted at the end of the road journey. I arrived at the station and bid a fond farewell to my hosts just in time to catch my evening Eurostar back to Blighty.

For reasons I don’t understand, they had decided to upgrade me to business class on the train, so I was presented with a palatable meal on the journey (plus a bit more wine), which saved me from having to search out a snack at Paddington on my way home.

Overall it was a very successful weekend. My hosts were friendly and convivial. If you have ever been to a European game on the continent then you will have a good idea of what it was like. Just think of one of those very enjoyable pre- or post-match receptions hosted by the local supporters, but going on for an entire weekend, and you’ve got the idea. I made a lot of new friends and established some good contacts, knowing that as a rugby supporter I will be welcome at any club in France.

Thank-you Fédération Française des Supporters de Rugby and all your members for hosting and indulging me. It was a real pleasure.

Duncan Kendall, vice-chair, London Irish Supporters Club