Paris (AFP) - The French Top 14 season will be on hold for eight weeks during this year's Rugby World Cup held in the country, league organisers announced on Monday.
The new campaign will stop after three rounds on the weekend of September 2/3 with the hosts opening the sport's showpiece event against New Zealand the following Friday.
The Top 14 will return with round four on October 29, the day after the World Cup final in Paris, with Les Bleus among the favourites for the Webb Ellis trophy.
The Top 14 final will take place on the weekend of July 28/29 in Marseille instead of the Stade de France due to the Paris Olympic Games.
The national rugby league (LNR) also announced France would play two Tests in Argentina next year, with the first fixture the weekend after the Top 14 final and the second on July 13.
