The scheduled end within two years of the PRO 2 / Nationale access match (the play-off between the 15th-placed side in Pro D2 and the Nationale finalist) will have multiple consequences. 

The agreement reached this week between the LNR and the FFR, which is driving the project, seals the fate of a fixture whose existence will have been brief, with only two editions: Narbonne – Montauban in 2024 and Chambéry – Aurillac in 2025 (on both occasions in favour of the Pro D2 clubs). The access match, which is about to live through its last two seasons, will therefore give rise to several changes in the structure of the Pro D2 and Nationale competitions:

  • Pro D2: two relegations
  • Nationale: with the move to 16 clubs, two promotions and two relegations.

A breath of fresh air for recruitment

The other consequence concerns the “comfort” of recruitment for the Nationale club: it will no longer be necessary to know the outcome of a crucial match before wrapping up its player market for the following season, giving more time and latitude to those leaving the third division for the tier above. 

Finally, there is grumbling among the Pro D2 clubs, who see the safety net for the 15th-placed side simply removed.


While the Pro D2 and Top 14 access match is not, for the moment, in the firing line, negotiations may be in the pipeline, as Aubin Hueber suggested in June, after Grenoble’s third failure despite having dominated the regular season