PARIS (AP) - French powerhouses Racing 92 and Stade Francais are planning to merge from next season to create a rugby superclub in Paris.

Both clubs announced the planned move on Monday in a joint statement headlined "Stronger Together!"

Racing 92 are the reigning French champions and both clubs play in the top-tier Top 14 championship. They won the inaugural French titles in 1892 and 1893 and have claimed 20 titles together.

The clubs said their association "must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 and those of the Stade Francais Paris."

Stade Francais lock Pascal Pape expressed his discontent on Twitter, writing "my sadness is so big that I prefer not to comment."

The merger will need to be ratified by French rugby authorities. </s> French clubs Racing 92 and Stade Francais have announced plans to merge from next season.

Both clubs, who play in the Top 14 league and are based in Paris, need their amalgamation to be ratified by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

In a joint statement, the clubs said the move needs to be made "to better cope with the challenges of performance and education".

Racing 92 are eighth in Top 14, while Stade Francais are 11th.

The extra place in next season's division will be filled by either a play-off or offering another promotion spot from the second-tier ProD2.

"This association, effective from next season, must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 and those of the Stade Francais Paris while multiplying the means put at the service of youth and French rugby," said the statement.

"Consolidated by its dual culture, by the fierce determination of its two presidents and its increased audience in a population pool unmatched in France, this new club has a long-term commitment to build a true reference day after day."

Analysis - it's like Tottenham and Arsenal merging

It's an utterly incredible story. It's unprecedented and bizarre.

These aren't two small rugby clubs struggling to make needs meet. They are two powerhouses of the French game.

It's the equivalent of perhaps, in England, Saracens and Harlequins merging or, in a football example, Tottenham and Arsenal merging.

The details are still a bit sketchy at the moment. One of the reasons could be that Paris is such a diverse place and it doesn't, perhaps, have a rugby identity like other parts of France.

Maybe they feel that in order to completely maximise their potential then there needs to be one superclub in Paris rather than two slightly smaller superclubs. </s> Racing 92 and Stade Francais are to be merged into one club from next season, the two sides have announced on Monday morning, triggering a radical shake-up of the Top 14 that is likely to produce a Parisian ‘super club’ containing the likes of Dan Carter and Sergio Parisse.

The news was revealed in a statement on the Racing 92 website that was headlined “Stronger together” in which it confirmed that the two Parisian rivals will become one club from the start of the 2017/18 season, subject to ratification from French league chiefs.

Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti and Stade president Thomas Savare have concluded talks to bring the two top tier clubs together by “pooling resources” in order to compete with the likes of Toulon and Clermont Auverge.

A joint-statement read: "Winners of the first two titles in the history of French rugby in 1892 and 1893, Racing 92 and Stade Francais Paris have also won the Brennus Shield in the last two seasons.

“These two flagship clubs of Paris, beyond the sporting rivalry they have enjoyed, have many other similarities: a strong local and regional presence, a historic coaching program, age-old ties with The Olympic movement and an incessant desire to progress in all areas.

“It is on the basis of these principles that the two clubs are laying the foundations for a merger project by pooling their resources to better cope with the challenges of performance and development.

“This merger, effective from next season, must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 and those of the Stade Français Paris, while increasing the resources available to serve youth and French rugby.

“Consolidated by its twin culture, the fierce determination of its two presidents and its increased audience in a population pool unrivaled in France, this new club has a long-term goal to build a true giant day after day."

The merger will create an additional space in the Top 14, which if approved by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby [LNR] will see the berth filled either by a play-off in the second tier ProD2 or by offering the spot to the next best-placed team in the division. </s> PARIS (AP) — Stade Francais and Racing 92 won’t finally join forces to create a super rugby club in the Paris region.

Facing strong opposition from fans and players, both clubs’ presidents decided to scrap their planned merger.

Racing 92 President Jacky Lorenzetti said on the club’s website he “gave up on the merger with the Stade Francais Paris, in agreement with Thomas Savare,” the Stade Francais boss.

Their plan, which aimed to create a superclub of the best local talent in the Paris region capable of attracting the best foreign players, proved to be a hugely divisive move. It was welcomed by the French league but earned the disapproval of the French Rugby Federation.

Earlier this week, representatives from both clubs met with League president Paul Goze and all parties, including some players and coaches, were set to meet again on Monday for further discussions. Goze was also expected to talk about the issue with French federation President Bernard Laporte on Monday.

Stade Francais players had announced they would go on strike in protest, and the league decided to postpone both clubs’ weekend games “to give dialogue a chance.”

Racing 92 is the reigning French champion and both clubs play in the top-tier Top 14 championship. The teams won the inaugural French titles — Racing in 1892 and Stade Francais in 1893 — and have claimed 20 titles between them.

New Zealand great Dan Carter plays for Racing 92 and the flyhalf also helped the club reach the European Cup final last season, where it lost to English side Saracens. </s> PARIS, March 13 (Reuters) - Stade Francais and Racing 92, two leading French rugby union clubs both based in the Paris region, announced plans on Monday to merge.

The clubs, which have both struggled this season in France's premier Top 14 league, said in statements on their websites that the combination would create a new, stronger club that could enjoy a bigger fanbase in the French capital.

Star players in the Racing 92 squad include New Zealand World Cup winners Dan Carter and Joe Rokocoko, while Stade Francais' top players feature the likes of French international Pascal Pape and Italian Sergio Parisse.

Wealthy businessmen have invested large sums of money in recent years into French rugby clubs, allowing them to sign top players from around the world.

Racing is owned by French property billionaire Jacky Lorenzetti, while businessman Thomas Savare is the current club president of Stade Francais.

Racing beat Toulon last year to win the French Top 14 title in front of a record crowd of more than 90,000 fans in Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) </s> French giants Racing 92 and Stade Francais will merge next season.

Bosses at Racing 92 have confirmed the merger of the Top 14 pair, that both clubs expect to be ratified by league chiefs.

The two Parisian clubs boast strong history, tradition and potent resources, but Stade president Thomas Savare and Racing chief Jacky Lorenzetti believe the two entities are now best served pooling resources.

France’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) is expected to rubber-stamp the move, with an extra place in next season’s division to be filled either via a play-off or offering another promotion spot from the second-tier ProD2.

“Winners of the first two championships in the history of French rugby in 1892 and 1893, Racing 92 and Stade Francais Paris also won the Bouclier de Brennus in the last two seasons,” Racing announced in a club statement.

“These two flagship clubs of Paris and the Hauts de Seine, beyond the sporting rivalry they have enjoyed, have many other similarities: a strong local and regional anchorage, a historic educational mission, ancestral ties with the Olympic movement and an inextinguishable will to progress in all areas.

“It is on the basis of these principles that the two clubs lay the foundations for a merger project by pooling their resources to better cope with the challenges of performance and education.

“This association, effective from next season, must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 and those of the Stade Francais Paris while multiplying the means put at the service of youth and French rugby.

“Consolidated by its dual culture, by the fierce determination of its two presidents and its increased audience in a population pool unmatched in France, this new club has a long-term commitment to build a true reference day after day.”

Former Ireland outhalf Ronan O’Gara is currently the defence coach at Racing. </s> The rugby world was rocked this morning when it broke that French giants Racing 92 and Stade Francais will merge next season.

The clubs will merge to form one Paris based club and it would seem not all the players are happy about it.

Sergio Parisse of Stade playing against Leicester last season

Paris-based rugby journalist Gavin Mortimer wrote on Twitter that he spoke with an unnamed Stade player who said it was now "every man for himself".

The story will continue to run but it will mean an end to two clubs who have wonderful pedigrees in both the Top 14 and European </s> PARIS: A planned merger between Parisian rugby powerhouses Racing 92 and Stade Francais has been cancelled amid strong opposition, Racing 92 president Jacky Lorenzetti said on Sunday.

"I have decided to give this beautiful project up," Lorenzetti said in a statement.

Stade Francais players began an open-ended strike last week, denouncing what they called a takeover in disguise, while the French federation and the Paris mayor also opposed the merger. </s> Stade Francais and Racing 92 will merge into one club from the 2017/18 season, the two sides have announced. The news regarding the Paris-based clubs putting their rivalry aside has sent shockwaves around the world of rugby, but both outfits have stressed their collective desire to 'preserve the roots' of the Sky Blues and Whites and the Pinks.

The two sides have won 20 top-14 titles, more than any other team in the league, and the merging of their resources will presumably lead to the birth of a 'superclub' in the French capital. Both Racing and Stade Francais expressed their delight at the shock merger on Monday (13 March) and believe the move will help them cope with the 'challenges of performance and education'.

"Winners of the first two championships in the history of French rugby in 1892 and 1893, Racing 92 and Stade Français Paris also won the Brennus Shield in the last two seasons," the two clubs said in statements on their official websites.

"These two flagship clubs of Paris and the Hauts de Seine, beyond the sporting rivalry they have enjoyed, have many other similarities: a strong local and regional anchoring, a historic educational mission, ancestral ties with The Olympic movement or an inextinguishable will to progress in all areas.

"It is on the basis of these principles that the two clubs lay the foundations for a merger project by pooling their resources to better cope with the challenges of performance and education.

"This association, effective from next season, must give birth to a new club that will preserve the roots of Racing 92 as those of the Stade Français Paris while multiplying the means put at the service of youth and French rugby.

"Consolidated by its dual culture, by the fierce determination of its two presidents and its increased audience in a population pool unmatched in France, this new club has a long-term commitment to build a true reference day after day."
In rugby union, the two Paris-based clubs in France's Top 14, Racing 92 and Stade Français, announce plans to merge effective with the 2017–18 season.