The French Rugby Federation and Rugby Europe have renewed their partnership until 2029, with the common ambition of strengthening training and education, women's rugby and refereeing across the European continent.
On 5 November 2025 in Paris, shortly before the kick-off of the France - South Africa Test match, Florian Grill, President of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), and Janhein Pieterse, President of Rugby Europe, signed a new four-year partnership agreement for the period 2025-2029. The agreement confirms a shared determination to promote ambitious, inclusive and united rugby across Rugby Europe’s 47 member unions.
This renewal is a continuation of a historic cooperation between the FFR and Rugby Europe that dates back to 1934, and is based on support for emerging unions and the sharing of expertise. The new multi-year agreement sets out several priority areas of focus: the training of technicians, the development of women's rugby, refereeing and the promotion of cross-border initiatives with the French regional leagues.
To ensure tangible monitoring, an annual amendment will specify the operational projects and the terms of implementation. For the 2025-2026 season, the FFR has committed to providing financial support of up to €100,000 to support the development programmes defined by Rugby Europe in the field.
This partnership reaffirms the central role played by the FFR in the development of European rugby. By joining forces, the FFR and Rugby Europe intend to make rugby more accessible and inclusive, and to boost the continent’s influence on the game worldwide, while remaining faithful to its core values of sharing and solidarity.
Peter Macnaughton, Vice-President of Rugby Europe and FFR Board member: "The renewal of this partnership for four more years illustrates the solidity and mutual trust of a healthy, long-term relationship. France has always played a leading role in the development of European rugby by providing concrete support to emerging unions. This new agreement signed today marks the FFR's intention to focus its support of Rugby Europe more specifically on development priorities such as training and education, women's rugby and refereeing. Together we want to make European rugby stronger, more successful and more influential.”
