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 After a short summer break to iron his club tie and polish his blazer buttons, Le Rugby’s Welsh correspondent Ray de Galles is back with his run-down of the six - count 'em, it might be seven - dragons plying their trade in France this season.
Word is obviously getting back to Wales that a season across the Channel can work wonders for skill levels, fitness, and the capacity to drink several litres of wine after another brutal local derby. Last season's contingent of four Welsh players playing in France is now up to six, with the nation represented across the Top 14, Pro D2 and Federale leagues.
Here's our lowdown on the half-dozen, as well as another familiar face who may pop up somewhere and a farewell to a regular feature of Le Rugby last season.
Jamie Robinson
Age: 30
Position: Centre
Club: Agen (joined July 2010)
Previous Clubs: Cardiff Blues, Toulon
Caps: 23
 Jamie’s move from Toulon to newly promoted Agen last month can only be seen as a positive one. Despite a promising start to his career at the Stade Mayol last season that saw him nail down a starting spot portes tôt, things soon turned aigre as he was shunned by Philippe Saint-André from the mid-season point onwards.
His final tally of 16 games, 11 starts and one try could and should have been more. It was no secret that Toulon were keen to ship him out before the second year of his contract kicked in, so it’s no surprise he’s moved on, although it’s chapeau enlevé to him for moving to a team that could struggle next term, rather than warm the bench and count his sizeable wage packet.
He arrives at the Stade Armandie fully aware that he faces a fight to see prolonged game time. The Top 14 new boys are well stocked in the three-quarter department, but Jamie’s ability to play in the centre or the wing will stand him in good stead, and he has already featured during Agen's pre-season friendlies, even bagging an opportunist try against Brive. No doubt there’ll be some chopping and changing as les Agenais are on the wrong end of some heavy defeats, but Robinson’s ability should count for a lot in the eyes of head coaches Christophe Deylaud and Christian Lanta, and he recently told Rugbyrama that after securing another season in the Top 14, he'd like to stay in France for the foreseeable future.
Don’t discount a return to the international fold either. His last cap came against Japan in the 2007 RWC, but the likes of Jonathan Davies and Andrew Bishop have failed to impress alongside Jamie Roberts in recent times so a strong start to the season may see him getting a call from Welsh coach Warren Gatland.
Alix Popham
Age: 30
Position: Back Row
Club: Brive (joined June 2008)
Previous Clubs: Newport, Leeds, Llanelli Scarlets
Caps: 31
 Alix is beginning his third and final year in French rugby. Injuries aside, his time at the Stade Amédée-Domenech has been reasonably successful. He’s popular with the Brive faithful, has made an effort to parlez-vous the old Francais and was even made club captain last season.
His importance can also be underlined by his exclusion from Brive’s summer cull of overseas players, that’s seen the likes of Andy Goode, Riki Flutey, Steve Thompson and Christian Short leave for pastures new. However, he recently announced he’d be heading back home at the end of this upcoming campaign so he’ll want to sign off with a bang.
He played 19 games last season, starting 15 of those. That’s good going when you consider he missed three months of the season through injury. He should be a key part of the Brive team next season, especially as with the exception of untried youngster Julien Le Devedec, signed from Toulouse, no new back-row blood has been recruited over the summer. Expect him to pack down alongside the likes of Simon Azoulai and South African pair Gerard Vosloo and Antoine Claasen.
As with Jamie Robinson, don’t rule out a surprise recall to the Welsh squad either. He certainly has as much to offer to the Welsh cause as the likes of Jonathan Thomas, Rob McCusker and village idiot Andy Powell.
Chris Wyatt
Age: 35
Position: Lock/Number 8
Club: Aix-en-Provence (joined July 2008)
Previous Clubs: Newport, Neath, Llanelli Scarlets, Munster, Bourgoin
Caps: 27
 Christophe is setting out on the fourth season of his French rugby odyssey, his third at the picturesque Stade Maurice-David with Pro D2 outfit Aix-en-Provence. He was arguably the most successful Welsh player in France last season. He was a first team regular with Pays d’Aix, playing 24 games at No.8, blind-side flanker and lock. He also crossed for two tries, as well as popping over a conversion. No wonder he’s one of the crowd favourites.
Off the field, Wyatt has also taken up some coaching duties. New coach Olivier Nier may well wish to continue to share Wyatt’s time between playing and coaching as he sets out on what promises to be another tough season for les Provencales. The club had begun planning for life in Fédérale 1 after a 15th place finish last season, but received a vie d'un chien thanks to Montauban’s two league demotion from the Top 14.
Mother Nature is slowly catching up with Wyatt, so his ageing limbs may have preferred the drop down to French rugby’s third tier. Still, he can’t complain and it’s a credit to him that he’s still playing at such a decent level in the sunset of his career. This could well be the year he finally decides to hang up his boots, so expect him to give it his all.
Lee Thomas
Age: 26
Position: Centre/Outside Half
Club: Lyon (joined July 2010)
Previous Clubs: Pontypridd, Cardiff Blues, Sale
Caps: None
 Thomas is the biggest Welsh name to move to France during the close season, after leaving Guinness Premiership outfit Sale for Lyon. He began his career at outside half with former Welsh rugby powerhouses Pontypridd, while also representing Wales at the Under-19 Rugby World Cup in 2003.
With the advent of regional rugby in Wales came a seemingly lucrative move to the Cardiff Blues in 2004. However, his time at the Arms Park was frustratingly disappointing and he was restricted to a bit-part role in a team that flattered to deceive.
Others were not so backward in recognising his talent. He was snapped up by Sale in 2006 and went on to become a first team regular at Edgeley Park for the next four seasons. He played mainly at inside centre, although also doubled up at outside half at times. He made 71 appearances for the Manchester-based club, racking up 243 points. It says something for both the Guinness Premiership and Pro D2 that in the prime of his career he’s left Sale for Lyon.
This stocky, punchy utility back will face plenty of competition for places at the Stade Vuillermet from the likes of Cedric Leite, Nicolas Raffault and every Scrabble player’s favourite Fijian, Vinaya Wakanivuga. Nevertheless, expect him to make his mark in eastern France and who’s to say he won’t be the final piece of the jigsaw in les Loups’ push for promotion to the Top 14? Not us, that’s for sure.
Liam Davies
Age: 23
Position: Scrum Half
Club: Dax (joined June 2010)
Previous Clubs: Llanelli Scarlets, Brive, Ospreys, London Welsh (loan)
Caps: None
 It’s fair to say that Davies’ career has failed to fully take off. He’s been a bit-part player at four clubs, despite his undoubted promise. He began life with the Scaaaalets of Llanelli, but his four season in south west Wales saw him play deuxième violon to Welsh international Dwayne Peel.
He then made the move to Brive in June 2008 along with fellow Welshman Alix Popham. His time at the Stade Amédée-Domenech was probably the pinnacle of his career so far as he played in 12 league games, making 10 starts. A move back home to the Ospreys would follow, although he was soon farmed out on loan to English Championship outfit London Welsh after playing only four games at the Liberty Stadium.
Liam returns to France to try and nail down a starting spot at ambitious Dax. The Stade Maurice-Boyau team has been very prominent in the summer transfer market and look primed for a serious assault on the Pro D2 title under new manager and man mountain Olivier Roumat. The Welsh Under-21 cap will compete with Nicolas Morlaes for the maillot numero neuf left vacant by Pumas international Nicolas Vergallo’s move to Toulouse. Morlaes is the vastly experienced 31-year-old ex-Biarritz, Castres and Agen scrum-half, so Davies certainly has his mains pleins. He’s shown that he can coupe la moutarde in the Top 14 though, so don’t rule out a successful season for both player and club.
Rhys Williams
Age: 22
Position: Centre/Wing
Club: Nevers (joined June 2010)
Previous Clubs: Llanelli Scaaaaalets, Llandovery
Caps: None
 Versatile back Rhys is the third new Welshman to make the move to France over summer, and he’s shown enough promise to suggest he’ll make a big impact at the Stade du Pré Fleuri this season. He began life with Llanelli in 2007, before spending two successful seasons at the Stade Church Bank with Llandovery in Welsh rugby’s Premiership. He can play on the wing, but is more comfortable at inside centre. He tackles like a truck, as well as being known for bullocking runs through the centre, while his knack of being on end of the final try-scoring pass is uncanny.
After just two weeks in Nevers, Rhys has already been profiled by local paper Le Journal du Centre, where he broke the news that Nevers was "less lively" than his home town of Bridgend and that he was in France to broaden his horizons and to progress. He's signed a two-year deal with Nevers and then, he says, who knows. And apparently he doesn't speak any French yet but is starting lessons in September and his teammates call him Rrrrrhys.
Ricky Davies
Age: 30
Position: Prop
Club: Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Previous Clubs: Dunvant, Whitland, Carmarthen Quins, Llanelli Scaaaaalets, Brisbane Sunnybank Dragons, Llandovery, L’Aquila, Birmingham & Solihull Bees
Caps: None
 Travel junkie Ricky began last season with the Pertemps Bees in England’s Championship, his eighth club, but found time to have trial periods with both Gwent Dragons and Worcester before landing in Bordeaux as a medical joker in March.
He did all that was expected of him at the Stade Andre-Moga, making five starts for les Bordelais as they pushed unsuccessfully for a play-off berth. He’s since left town as part of a mass end-of-season clear-out in early May, and is still sur le rock-et-roll (or le Vieux Roi Cole, if you prefer), making an appearance for the French players' union Provale's Chomeurs (Unemployed) team in a pre-season 58-7 defeat to Albi. Expect him to pop up somewhere come the start of the new season.
And finally...
Tomas Marks
Age: 26
Position: Fly Half
Club: Glamorgan Wanderers (joined July 2010)
Previous Clubs: Llanelli, London Welsh, Llandovery, Le Bugue
Caps: None
 Friend-of-the-site Tomas’ French rugby odyssey has come to an end after only one season. Le Bugue’s financial wranglings have left a ruinous trail of destruction in their wake. Some would say that the departure of Le Bugue’s first team was la paille qui a cassé le dos du chameau, but we’d argue it was Marks’ decision to leave the Dordogne and head home that put an end to their rugby dreams as les Chevaliers not just fell out of Federale 1, but out of France's national leagues altogether!
Tomas can look back on his time at the Stade Renaud-Cruveiller with a great deal of satisfaction. His move to Le Bugue was a venture into the unknown – not many Welsh players have tried their hand at life in Fédérale 1. However, he soon became an integral part of the team, making 22 starts from 24 games and scoring an impressive 222 points while guiding the club to Fédérale 1 safety (on the pitch at least) and picking up a pot in the shape of the Challenge d'Esperance.
Tomas has decided to move back home to Wales and has bagged himself a job with an influential media company. We can also reveal, in what is a global interweb exclusive, that he’s also signed for Glamorgan Wanderers in the ultra-competitive Welsh Premiership, the nation’s second tier of rugby. It might not be the last we'll see of him in Le Rugby though: "I would love another season or two back in France in the future," he told us. Bonne chance Tomas!
Read Tomas' thoughts on his season at Le Bugue |