A new French rugby season kicks off on Saturday with a strong Scottish presence. Fourteen players from Scotland look set to be involved in the Top 14 as Toulouse look to take the title for an unprecedented fifth season in a row.
Blair Kinghorn has helped them win the last three and the Scotland full-back will be joined in the league this season by some more of his international team-mates, with Huw Jones and Adam Hastings both leaving Glasgow Warriors to join Toulon and Montpellier respectively.
Former Edinburgh players Ben Healy and Hamish Watson are also crossing the Channel while Dave Cherry, an ex-team-mate of theirs in the capital, will play in the top flight after helping Vannes win promotion.
There are two significant rule changes for the new French rugby season. Goal-kickers will now have only 45 seconds rather than 60 and the number of substitutions is being reduced from 12 to eight.
5. Alex Masibaka
Another of the Scots contingent at Montpellier. Came off the bench in the Top 14 final at the Stade de France in June but couldn’t prevent Toulouse winning 28-20. Masibaka, 25, played for Scotland in the non-cap international against the Māori All Blacks last summer. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: AFP via Getty Images
6. Ben Healy
The stand-off called time early on his Edinburgh career when joined Newcastle Red Bulls on loan in March. He is now preparing for the next chapter in France after signing for Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle. Healy, 27, has been capped 10 times by Scotland but fell out of favour at Edinburgh last season. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
7. Blair Kinghorn
The Scotland full-back has helped Toulouse win the Top 14 final in each of his three seasons in France and history beckons for the famous club. They are aiming to be champions for the fifth year in a row, something no French club has done. Kinghorn played 19 Top 14 matches last season, starting 17 of them - the most since he joined the club from Edinburgh in 2023. Was excused Scotland duties in the summer so should be fresh for the new campaign. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: AFP via Getty Images
8. Ewan Johnson
Johnson, 27, has played his entire career in French rugby after his family moved to Brittany when he was four. The lock forward came through the academy at Racing 92 and then played for Vannes and Oyonnax before joining Bayonne last summer. Johnson, who has won five Scotland caps, played 25 times for the Basque club last season in what is a rugby hotbed. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: AFP via Getty Images