The French argument is that there are too many matches for top players, that the English bicker and that their own championship is more important.

Certainly the French Championship is far older, in fact one of the oldest competitions in the rugby world where teams played for match points and eventually produced a winner. The French Championship is more than a century older than the Heineken Cup which is a, product of the professional era.

It is much older than the national competitions in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. You have to go to the Southern Hemisphere to find competitions older than the French Championship, now called the Top 14.

As a matter of interest we give some statistics of the two competitions.

The results of the Finals of the French Championships have been:

1892: Racing Club de France vs Stade Français, 4-3
1893: Stade Français vs Racing Club der France, 7-3
1894: Stade Français vs Inter-Nos, 18-0
1895: Stade Français vs Olympique, 16-0
1896: Olympique vs Stade Français, 12-0
1899: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 5-3
1900: Racing Club de France vs Stade Bordelais, 37-3
1901: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 3-0
1902: Racing Club de France vs Stade Bordelais, 6-0
1903: Stade Français vs Toulouse, 16-8
1904: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 3-0
1905: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 12-3
1906: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 9-0
1907: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 14-3
1908: Stade Français vs Stade Bordelais, 16-3
1909: Stade Bordelais vs Toulouse, 17-0
1910: FC Lyon vs Stade Bordelais, 13-8
1911: Stade Bordelais vs SCUF, 14-0
1912: Toulouse vs Racing Club de France, 8-6
1913: Aviron Bayonnais vs SCUF, 31-8
1914: Perpignan vs Tarbes, 8-7
1920: Tarbes vs Racing Club de France 8-3
1921: Perpignan vs Toulouse, 5-0
1922: Toulouse vs Aviron Bayonnais, 6-0
1923: Toulouse vs Aviron Bayonnais, 3-0
1924: Toulouse vs Perpignan, 3-0
1925: Perpignan vs Carcassonne, 0-0 after extra time. The match was replayed.
           Perpignan vs Carcassonne, 5-0
1926: Toulouse vs Perpignan, 11-0
1927: Toulouse vs Stade Français, 19-9
1928: Pau vs Quillan, 6-4
1929: Quillan vs FC Lezignanais, 11-8
1930: Agen vs Quillan, 4-0
1931: Toulouse vs Lyon, 6-3
1932: Lyon vs Narbonne, 9-3
1933: Lyon vs Narbonne, 10-3
1934: Aviron Bayonnais vs Biarritz, 13-8
1935:  Biarritz vs Perpignan, 3-0
1936: Narbonne vs Montferrand, 6-3
1937: Vienne vs Montferrand, 13-7
1938: Perpignan vs Biarritz, 11-6
1939: Biarritz vs Perpignan, 6-0
1943: Aviron Bayonnais vs Agen, 3-0
1944: Perpignan vs Aviron Bayonnais, 20-5
1945: Agen vs Lourdes, 7-3
1946: Pau vs Lourdes, 11-0
1947: Toulouse vs Agen, 10-3
1948: Lourdes vs Toulouse, 11-3
1949: Castres vs Mont-de-Marsan, 3-3 after extra time. The match was replayed.
           Castres vs Mont-de-Marsan, 14-3
1950: Castres vs Racing Club de France, 11-8
1951: US Carmausine vs Tarbes, 14-12
1952: Lourdes vs Perpignan, 20-11
1953: Lourdes vs Mont-de-Marsan, 21-16
1954: Grenoble vs Cognac, 5-3
1955: Perpignan vs Lourdes, 11-6
1956: Lourdes vs Dax, 20-0
1957: Lourdes vs Racing Club de France, 16-13
1958: Lourdes vs Mazametain, 25-8
1959: Racing Club de France vs Mont-de-Marsan, 8-3
1960: Lourdes vs Béziers, 14-11
1961: Béziers vs Dax, 6-3
1962: Agen vs Béziers, 14-11
1963: Mont-de-Marsan vs Dax, 9-6
1964: Pau vs Béziers, 14-0
1965: Agen vs Brive, 15-8
1966: Agen vs Dax, 9-8
1967: Montauban vs Bègles, 11-3
1968: Lourdes vs Toulon, 9-9 after extra time. Lourdes declared winners, scoring two tries to nil.
1969: Bègles vs Toulon, 11-9
1970: La Voulte Sportif vs Montferrand, 3-0
1971: Béziers, vs Toulon, 15-9
1972: Béziers vs Brive, 9-0
1973: Tarbes vs Dax, 18-12
1974: Béziers vs Narbonne, 16-14
1975: Béziers vs Brive, 13-12
1976: Agen vs Béziers, 13-10
1977: Béziers vs Perpignan, 12-4
1978: Béziers vs Montferrand, 31-9
1979: Narbonne vs Stade Bagnerais, 10-0
1980:  Béziers vs Toulouse, 10-6
1981: Béziers vs Stade Bagnerais, 22-13
1982: Agen vs Aviron Bayonnais, 18-9
1983: Béziers vs Nice, 14-6
1984: Béziers vs Agen, 21-21 after extra time. Béziers won by scoring three tries to one.
1985: Toulouse vs Toulon, 36-22 after extra time
1986: Toulouse vs Agen, 16-6
1987: Toulon vs Racing Club de France, 15-12
1988: Agen vs Tarbes, 9-3
1989: Toulouse vs Toulon, 18-12
1990: Racing Club de France vs Agen, 22-12
1991: Bordeaux-Bordeaux vs Toulouse, 19-10
1992: Toulon vs Biarritz, 19-14
1993: Castres vs Grenoble, 14-11
1994: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 22-16
1995: Toulouse vs Castres, 31-16
1996: Toulouse vs Brive, 20-13
1997: Toulouse vs Bourgoin, 12-6
1998: Stade Français vs Perpignan, 34-7
1999: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 15-11
2000: Stade Français vs Colomiers, 28-23
2001: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 34-22
2002: Biarritz vs Agen,  25-22 after extra time.
2003: Stade Français vs Toulouse, 32-18
2004: Stade Français vs Perpignan, 38-20
2005: Biarritz vs Stade Français, 37-34 after extra time
2006: Biarritz vs Toulouse, 40-13

Heineken Cup Final Winners

1996: Toulouse vs Cardiff, 21-18
1997: Brive vs Leicester Tigers, 28-9
1998: Baths vs Brive, 19-18
1999: Ulster vs Colomiers, 21-6
2000: Northampton Saints vs Munster, 9-8
2001: Leicester Tigers vs Stade Français, 34-30
2002: Leicester Tigers vs Munster, 15-9
2003: Toulouse vs Perpignan, 22-17
2004: London Wasps vs Toulouse, 27-20
2005: Toulouse vs Stade Français, 18-12
2006: Munster vs Toulouse, 23-19

There have been 11 finals.

French sides should not be dismissed, for they have made a great contribution to Heineken Cup finals, let alone other Heineken Cup matches.

There have been two finals without a French team and two finals when both sides were French.

Finalists by nationality are:

England: 6
Scotland: 0
Ireland: 4
Wales: 1
France: 11

Winners by nationality are:

England: 5
Scotland: 0
Ireland: 2
Wales: 0
France: 4

Spectators at Finals

French Championship

1996: 48 162 at Parc des Princes
1997: 44 000 at Parc des Princes
1998: 78 000 at Stade de France
1999: 78 000 at Stade de France
2000: 45 000 at Stade de France
2001: 78 000 at Stade de France
2002: 78 457 at Stade de France
2003: 78 000 at Stade de France
2004: 79 722 at Stade de France
2005: 79 475 at  Stade de France
2006: 79 474 at Stade de France

Heineken Cup Finals

1996: 21 800 at Cardiff Arms Park
1997: 41 664 at Cardiff Arms Park
1998: 36 500 at Stade Lescure  Bordeaux
1999: 49 000 at Lansdowne Road
2000: 68 441 at Twickenham
2001: 44 000 at Parc des Princes
2002: 74 000 at Millennium Stadium
2003: 28 600 at Lansdowne Road
2004: 73 057 at Twickenham
2005: 51 326 at Murrayfield
2006: 74 534 at Millennium Stadium