In March 1892 a referee called Pierre de Coubertin -- he of Olympic fame -- blew the whistle to kick off the first ever French Championship final. It was contested between Racing Club and Stade Francais -- a momentous occasion in the history of French club rugby.

Racing won a feisty occasion 4-3 and, after the trophy named in honour of its designer Charles Brennus had been handed over to the champions, the two clubs went their separate ways.

One hundred and twenty-five years later [almost to the day] the clubs came together again. This time neither to play the game nor, as it happens, with the intention of ever again going their separate ways. On Monday, at just after 4 p.m. Paris time, the two clubs' presidents, Jacky Lorenzetti and Thomas Savare, came together to confirm a remarkable merger.

The reigning French champions Racing 92 [as they are now known] and their predecessors as holders of the Bouclier de Brennus, Stade Francais, are to merge to form a single club.

It is a bombshell that has left a crater the length and breadth of the Stade Jean Bouin. Shockwaves that will continue to reverberate across the European rugby map.

So much fall-out, so many implications. The challenge is knowing quite where to start.

So how about dealing straight up with the most pressing issue: that of the integrity of the game and the looming threat of a conflict of interests. As things stand, Racing 92 are seventh and Stade Francais 12th in the Top 14. The latter appear safe from the threat of relegation but Racing almost certainly need results to "go their way" if they are to secure a playoff spot and qualification for the Champions Cup.

An away win in the last six games of the league phase could be priceless. Racing's final away game is in the penultimate round when they travel to? You've guessed it, Stade Francais.

So what about the future of the staff? This is where we need a specialist in French employment law to assist as the implications are far-reaching and tied up in Law. However, it stands to reason that with salary caps and budgets to live by, many employees of both clubs will find themselves heading off with redundancy cheques and / or contracts paid out.

The same goes for those who have agreed to join either of the two merging entities such as Toulouse prop Census Johnston.

Johan Goosen Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

On the flip side, Racing runaway Johan Goosen may finally have been handed his golden ticket to return to professional rugby.

Midi Olympique reported on Monday morning that the 2016 Top 14 player of the year had finally accepted his only remaining route back to rugby was to return, tail between legs, to Racing who had threatened to serve legal papers on him if he didn't fulfil the remainder of his contract. Monday's announcement is sure to be exploited on Goosen's behalf by a resourceful lawyer.

So what about the other crucial stuff like the club's new name, where they'll play and who will be the main faces in charge?

Suffice it to say, there will be winners and losers in just about every respect with my hunch that this merger will look rather more like a Racing takeover once it is all done.

That, at least, appears to be the view of several members of the Stade Francais squad who have taken to social media to express their outrage. They may just be angry, knee-jerk reactions but a Stade players' strike has even been mooted.

What of the new name? There are no serious leads yet. Mergers in France have a horrible habit of throwing up some real shockers. In a previous incarnation the club now known as Bordeaux-Begles was Union Stade Bordelais C.A.Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde.

Thankfully, lessons have been learnt since those dark days yet good old-fashioned Paris RFC might be just a little too brief to cut the Dijon mustard. Perhaps Racing Paris is a more likely moniker?

The presidency is likely to be a bit of a job share -- at least for now -- with Lorenzetti and Savare sat arm-in-arm in the main tribune and, according to Monday's joint press conference, the pair shall alternate job titles on a biennial basis.

Going forward, I'd suggest Lorenzetti's financial muscle, ambition, rugby know-how and durability will most likely see him prevail.

Savare's love with the sport has been on the wane in recent months and it's thought he initiated talks over the merger last summer. Given he's more driven by the love of money than rugby it's hard to believe he will still be there in two years' time

One certainty is that the deux Laurents -- Labit and Travers -- of Racing 92 will continue in their roles and take charge of the new club's first team which, like the academy, will be based at Racing's futuristic Plessis-Robinson training base.

The only alteration there is likely to involve an additional padlock on Lorenzetti's wine cellar. Yes, it does have one.

"It is an uncomfortable truth that despite their substantial budgets the clubs are just about the worst supported in the Top 14." Martin Gillingham

Where will they play? The plan is for the new club's first few home games of next season to be played at Stade Francais's recently-reconstructed Jean Bouin. Then in October when the ribbons are cut on Lorenzetti's new Arena 92, home games will be alternated between the two. Frankly, that sounds more like a fudged compromise than a long-term solution.

Even so, whichever venue proves to be new entity's long-term home the greatest challenge will be filling it because despite the predictably hostile and vociferous reaction from fans of both clubs not nearly enough of them go to watch either side.

A conveniently-plucked figure of 12,000 watched Racing lose to league leaders La Rochelle at Colombes on Saturday while just 9,424 were at Jean Bouin the previous weekend to see Stade Francais beat Bordeaux-Begles.

It is an uncomfortable truth that despite their substantial budgets the clubs are just about the worst supported in the Top 14.

The other consequence of the merger is a challenge for the Top 14's organisers, the LNR, and how to resolve the make-up of next season's Top 14.

The merger will create an additional spot in the league if the LNR observe their current regulations and relegate this season's 13th and 14th clubs and replace them with the Pro D2 champions and the winner of the Pro D2 playoffs. Those playoffs involve the sides that finished second, third, fourth and fifth.

The LNR would appear to have two plausible options which, as things stand, will throw a lifeline to Bernard Jackman's Grenoble. The first is that the LNR will simply allow the Top 14's 13th team to stay up while, the second, is that the 13th team will meet the loser of the Pro D2 playoff final in a repechage match.

All in all, it promises to be an interesting conclusion to the French season.</s>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 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>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>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."</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>Two of French rugby's most iconic clubs are to combine forces next season in a remarkable merger.

Stade Francais and Racing 92 will come together as one Parisian super-club in a move which will shake up the Top 14.

The two sides have collectively won 20 domestic titles in France and the transition is designed to 'give birth to a new club' whilst maintaining the roots of both teams.

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.

Both sides released an identical statement on the move which read: '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.'

'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.'</s>Stade Francais and Racing 92 have sensationally announced they are to merge ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

The two giants of French rugby have 20 domestic titles between them, including the first two in 1892 and 1893, as well as the two most recent crowns - Stade prevailing in 2015 before Racing defeated Toulon in the final last year.

Monday's announcement stunned the rugby world, with the two clubs releasing identical statements to confirm their plans.

"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," the statement read.

"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 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."

The two clubs are a long way from repeating their respective title-winning feats of the past two years this season - Racing mired in mid-table, while Stade lie 12th.</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
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.