It's back to school for the 16 teams gathered on the starting line of this 2026-2027 season which begins weekend.

The 3 questions from Round 1 🧐
 

• Biarritz Olympique inspired by the Supersevens? 
  Last week saw the launch of the In Extenso Supersevens 2026. This new edition took place at the Aguilera stadium, which will once again serve as the starting point for a championship. In this case, it's the PRO D2, and the Basque team is preparing to host newly promoted Nice this Thursday at 7 pm, in the opening match of the 2026-2027 season . Finishing 10th last season, Biarritz is returning with ambition and a desire to play, perhaps inspired by the Sevens stars who visited last week. 
   
• Will Montauban readjust? 
  After their stint in the top flight, Montauban returns to PRO D2. A fresh start for the Montauban side, who travel to Nevers this Thursday at 7:30 pm, inevitably raising many questions. The 2025 champions , still coached by Sébastien Tillous-Borde, have seen 20 new arrivals and 26 departures. Many key players have left, including Uanivi, Tuculet, Ringuet, and Bosviel, the PRO D2's all-time leading scorer, making way for a younger generation, guided nonetheless by highly experienced veterans such as Enzo Hervé (fly-half, 27 years old), Daniel Brennan (prop, 27 years old), and Joey Walton (center, 26 years old). 
   
• What a start for the newly promoted teams! 
  You have to go back to the 2023-2024 season to find two promoted sides that managed to stay up. These were Dax and Valence-Romans, whose start was marked by defeats . Dax stumbled at home against Provence, while VRDR lost in Montauban. Following that, Dax won 55-0 in the second round, and Valence-Romans had to wait until their home game against Grenoble in Round 3 to secure their place. Ultimately, Dax reached the playoffs, finishing 6th, while Valence-Romans finished in a very respectable 11th place. Something for Nice and Narbonne to think about!
   

The stat: 2. False starts at home? 🏠

This is the total number of home defeats or away wins since the start of the last season. Colomiers won in Mont-de-Marsan, and Grenoble won the derby against Oyonnax. Vannes came close to making it three, but Brive held on for a draw at home. Predictions are open, and currently, the record for away wins on the opening day is four, achieved in the 2024-2025, 2017-2018, and 2012-2013 seasons .
 

Player to watch: Malakai Fekitoa, red carpet treatment for the All Black 🙌

“I take each day as if it were my last,” declared Béziers’ new center during his presentation. The 34-year-old is clear about his arrival: this is not a pre-retirement move, but rather a challenge for the 2015 World Cup winner. A benchmark in his position, having earned 24 caps for the All Blacks, Fekitoa also played for Toulon from 2017 to 2019. Powerful, still quick and robust, the player who represented Tonga at the 2023 World Cup is a man who thrives on challenges, and the one offered by Béziers will begin this Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Oyonnax.