French Elite league

The first leg of the Top 8 semi-finals could hardly have been closer.

The last weekend of the regular Top 8 season saw drama at the top and bottom of the table.

The French Top 8 returned last weekend, and - with on weekend of the league phase to go – everything is still up for grabs.

The French Top 8 goes on ice for two months with five points separating the top four teams

The first Top 8 weekend of the New Year saw shock after shock, with pre-Christmas form almost completely failing to be carried forward.

Only a month ago, Montpellier, with three home defeats in the first half of the season, looked in danger of missing out of the playoffs altogether. But after a dramatic round of games to end 2016 all that has changed.

After seven of the 14 games in the regular Top 8 season, champions Lille remain unbeaten at the top - and Caen get their first win for over a year.

Five games into the French Top 8 only one team now has a 100% record – champions Lille.

Signs of a new era dawning in the Top 8 as Montpellier, leading club for most of the last decade, drops its second home game in three.

Lille travelled to Montpellier last weekend – a venue where they have never won before – to meet their biggest rivals in a repeat of last season’s championship final. Who would draw first blood in his year’s campaign?

After a second big win, Blagnac Saint-Orens (BSROF) lead the Top 8.

The French Top 8 began last weekend