Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30, marks the resumption of the PRO D2 championship. The 16 teams will enter the fray to compete in the 2025-2026 edition, which promises to be, as every season, as exciting as ever. 

The 3 questions of this first day

•  So, ready for the restart? ⏱️

A few months after Montauban's victory, the championship is back in full swing. The 25th edition of the PRO D2 will kick off this Friday, August 29th and Saturday, August 30th, with 16 determined teams lining up to take to the starting line. It's a start you'd better not miss, or you'll be bogged down and slow to take off. As a reminder, USM finished the first block of last season in 2nd place before confirming its place with a victory at the end of the marathon. Thus, once again, participants will be treated to an intense block of 6 matches before the first break. This sequence is already likely to be expensive, as seen in Brive – Vannes on Saturday at 9 p.m., pitting two of the big favorites for the final victory against each other. 

• Exactly, who are this season's favorites? 🔍

The magic of this PRO D2 is that all the teams are on the verge of achieving feats. Brive and Vannes have only one goal in mind: to return to the TOP 14. Oyonnax shares this ambition, especially after last season's disappointing 12th place finish. Béziers, Colomiers, and Biarritz dream of a similar run to the Montalbanais, while Soyaux, Angoulême, and Provence are here to confirm their new status. Finally, Grenoble will inevitably be driven by a strong sense of revenge. 

• Which team has the most difficult start to the calendar? 🗓️

Between Biarritz and Provence, we can say that there is a match. On one side, the Basques will host Béziers, Brive and Aurillac but will have to travel to Colomiers, Provence and Nevers… On the other side, the Provençaux begin with a perilous trip to Chanzy before two receptions, of the VRDR and the BO, then go to Vannes and hit the road again towards Dax. Finally, they will face Grenoble at the Stade des Alpes. 
 

Player to watch: Costa-Storti is back too!

The co-record holder for the number of tries scored in a PRO D2 season (21) is back in his kingdom . After trying his luck in Paris at Stade Français, the Portuguese international winger (44 caps, 24 years old) headed to Grenoble during the off-season. In a very different style, he will be tasked with compensating for the departure of Wilfried Hulleu (who left for Racing 92) and living up to his status. The challenge will not be easy for the ex-Biterrois player, but his speed, his vision and his knowledge of the championship will inevitably cause damage to opposing defenses.  
 

The stat: Outside it's power of 4

 4. This is the record number of away wins on the first day of the PRO D2. Last year, this symbolic milestone was reached thanks to the successes of Béziers at Nice, Soyaux at Aurillac, Colomiers at Mont-de-Marsan, and Grenoble at Nevers. This performance by away teams during the inaugural season was also achieved in the 2017-2018 and 2012-2013 editions.