Vannes shows the way in the Top 14 and in the French team: England has everything to learn.

Matt Hardy went to Vannes in December and saw why French rugby and the Top 14 are exactly what all leagues should be aiming for.

Approaching a grand piano in the courtyard of a music school to reach the turnstiles of the Stade de La Rabine is not what one would expect, apart from the clichés, of a team of first division rugby.

However, Vannes in Brittany, a distant geographical dot on the French rugby map compared to the southern strongholds, offers just that and represents the Top 14’s newest recruit.

The Breton team were still in the French third division less than a decade ago, but have managed to reach the top since then.

On Saturday, in front of a feverish crowd, they beat last year’s finalists, Gloucester, by a score of 43-19 in their first home match in European competition – the Challenge Cup.

Their arena is just 76 seats fewer than Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium in the Premier League, but the steep stands and enthusiastic locals give it a much bigger atmosphere.

With international stars giving the best of themselves for the city and Breton natives mobilizing for their team, Vannes embodies what makes French rugby great. So what can England, the Premiership and the Championship learn?

First of all, money matters. Player budgets are one aspect, but Vannes’ total budget is around £16m – a sum most clubs outside of France can only dream of. Although that’s a fraction of Toulouse’s £41million, it was enough to lure the likes of England international Mako Vunipola across the Channel this year.

French rugby benefits from financial advantages. The latest broadcast deal is valued at £578m over five years – Premiership Rugby’s last contract, for three years until 2024, was just £110m – and the south of the country is living for it sport, filling stadiums every weekend.

However, this French broadcast agreement covers both the Top 14 and Pro D2. In England, there is no television deal for the Championship.

The top two French divisions have their differences, but strong financial regulations and a memorandum of cooperation have put them ahead of their global competitors.

They have two extremely competitive leagues where legendary clubs such as Béziers, Agen and Biarritz battle it out in the second division, while Vannes can compete in the Top 14.

Promotion and relegation have strengthened the determination of the Top 14 teams, as a drop can prove fatal. It also means that the promoted teams are ready to face the challenges of the top division.

However, it’s not all about the action on the field. La Rabine Stadium is everything you would expect from a stadium: it is perfectly sized for its audience – unlike, for example, Wasps at the Coventry Building Society Arena – and offers affordable prices, with half -liter of wine at £5.50.