Promotion to the second tier of French rugby will therefore be decided at the Stade Marcel-Verchère in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), the FFR announced on Wednesday 28 January at the end of its “strategic board“. The venue, which holds some 9,000 spectators and is home to Union Sportive Bressane Pays de l’Ain, was preferred to other bids (nine files in all), including that of Nice and its Allianz Riviera, which is nonetheless more modern and has a far bigger capacity.

Created in 2020, Nationale serves as a springboard to Pro D2. The winner of this final will go up directly to the tier above, while the beaten finalist will play a promotion play-off against the fifteenth-placed side in Pro D2. A format that is nevertheless set to disappear, as soon as next season, following the agreement signed a few days ago between the FFR and the LNR.

The previous edition was held in Narbonne, the setting for a fiercely contested final between Chambéry and Carcassonne, which ended with direct promotion to Pro D2 for the Aude side. In the play-off, Chambéry then came unstuck against Stade Aurillacois.

The FFR’s decision highlights its desire to spread out the venues for its big matches and to showcase historic rugby heartlands outside the major cities.