Online French lessons for rugby players moving to France
Take your place in a new team, on the pitch and in the conversation.
Practical French for rugby union players from New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere. Start before departure or during your season in France.
Book your 20-minute call
Moving to a French rugby club? Find your place in the team.
Training plans, a new coaching team, medical appointments, a flat, shops, teammates and their families: the first weeks in France move quickly. You cannot count on every coach, teammate or local contact speaking English, especially in a smaller town. A little French can make everyday life and team life feel more yours.
Start before you leave New Zealand or Australia, or pick up where you are once you arrive. Complete beginners and players with previous French experience are equally welcome.
Playing rugby in France: when the language becomes the challenge
You know how to read the game. A new language can still leave you a step behind the conversation. These are the moments we can prepare for together.
The coach has already moved on
You catch a few words, then the next drill starts. Practise recognising key instructions and asking a quick question, so you can check what is expected of you.
The conversation carries on after training
Lunch, travel, banter and the team group chat are part of club life. Build the French to join in, ask about your teammates and show more of your personality.
Daily life needs answers too
A delivery, a landlord, a physio appointment or a phone call: you may not always have an English speaker beside you. Rehearse the exchanges that make life outside the club easier.
Especially in a smaller club or town, English may not be available in every conversation. You can start with useful French while the rest develops.
French for rugby training, teammates and life in France
At training
Follow common instructions, ask a quick question and check what a coach or teammate means.
With the squad
Join conversations beyond the drill and get to know the people around you.
Health & recovery
Describe a symptom or injury clearly and ask for clarification when you need it.
Daily life
Manage appointments, deliveries, housing, shops and phone calls with more independence.
Moving to Paris, Toulouse, La Rochelle or a smaller French rugby town?
France’s rugby life reaches well beyond the capital. Your lessons can reflect the club you are joining and the place you will call home, whether that is a Top 14 environment, Pro D2 or a smaller club.
Paris
Stade Français Paris is one example of a club in the capital. Even in an international city, French helps you take part in local team life.
Toulouse
Stade Toulousain and Ernest-Wallon put rugby at the heart of the city. Prepare for the conversations around training as well as the vocabulary of the game.
La Rochelle & beyond
Stade Rochelais is another familiar name. In smaller towns too, speaking French can help you find your own place in the community.
Learn French online before you move, then keep going in France.
We begin with a short conversation about your move, club context and current French. If this is your first time learning a language, we explain patterns clearly and practise out loud. If you already know some French, we focus on the situations that still make you switch to English.
Lessons can start before departure and continue around your real conversations in France. We can also discuss a small group for players at the same club.
Book your 20-minute callA French course built around your season and your conversations
Choose what matters first
Your position, departure date, French level and club support help us choose priorities. Beginners can start with introductions, essential instructions and asking for clarification.
Practise saying it out loud
Rehearse short exchanges you can picture using: checking a training instruction, explaining a problem or joining a conversation. Get feedback on the words and the way they sound.
Bring real life into the lesson
Once you arrive, bring the situations that keep coming up. We can work on what you wanted to say and prepare you for the next conversation.
Tell us your club, your move date and where you are with French. We will discuss a useful starting point.
From “Sweet as” to “Ça marche”
Useful French can be light and practical. “Ça marche, pas de problème” is one way to say “Sounds good, no problem” with a teammate. At training, you also need to ask about a call when the pace is fast.
Ça marche, pas de problème.
sah marsh, pah duh proh-blehm
“Sounds good, no problem.” A friendly reply to someone you know.
C’est quoi l’annonce en touche ?
seh kwah lah-nons ahn toosh
“What’s the line-out call?” Ask for the team’s instruction when a word list is not enough.
Pronunciation à l’oreille is an approximate starting aid. You will practise the sounds and the right register with your teacher.
Six French rugby terms to recognise at training
A few familiar words can give you a foothold. Start here, then practise hearing them in a full instruction.
La mêlée
lah meh-leh
Scrum
La touche
lah toosh
Touch; commonly used for the line-out in team talk
Le plaquage
luh plah-kahzh
Tackle
L’en-avant
lahn-nah-vahn
Knock-on
Le hors-jeu
luh or-zhuh
Offside
L’essai
leh-seh
Try
These pronunciation cues are approximate. In the official laws, alignement names the line-out formation. Your club’s calls and informal wording may differ.
In a lesson, take la touche into a real exchange: ask about the call, listen to the answer and check what you need to do. That is how we turn vocabulary into French you can use with the team.
For official terminology, use World Rugby’s French definitions alongside the English laws.
Starting with the basics is part of the move
In an archive report, Stade Rochelais described French lessons for overseas recruits including Uini Atonio, who later played for France. The club explained that training was conducted in French. Alongside rugby terms, the players were learning:
“comment se présenter et comment engager la discussion”
How to introduce themselves and start a conversation.
Stade Rochelais: “Les cours de français commencent !”
Those are practical first goals for your move too. We can rehearse introducing yourself to the squad, checking an instruction and joining a short conversation, then build from there around your club life.
Feel Good French
Meet Déborah: your French coach with a Kiwi connection
I teach French to international professionals and know what it feels like to move between cultures. My husband Dan is a Kiwi from Masterton in the Wairarapa, and we spend about three months each year in New Zealand.
For players moving to France, I focus on the conversations that help you join in at training, with teammates and in everyday life. Our teaching team can support you before departure and once you are here.
Questions about learning French for rugby in France
Do I need to speak French to play rugby in France?
Language expectations vary by club and role, so ask your club what support it provides. French can help you follow quick exchanges, join team conversations and manage everyday life more independently.
What if my club is in a smaller French town?
That can make French even more useful. You may meet people at the club and in daily life who prefer speaking French. We can practise the situations you expect in your town, from training and appointments to shops and housing.
Can I start learning French before moving to France?
Yes. Online lessons let you prepare from New Zealand, Australia or elsewhere and continue after arrival if you want to.
I have never learned French. Can I start from zero?
Yes. We can start with the basics and work towards useful spoken French. You do not need to know French grammar or rugby terms before your first lesson.
How much French should I learn before joining a club?
There is no set number of lessons for everyone. A useful first goal is to follow common instructions, ask for clarification, introduce yourself and handle a few daily situations. We choose priorities around your departure date and level.
My club already offers French classes. Would individual lessons help?
They may. Individual lessons can focus on your specific conversations and situations outside a general class. Tell us what support you already have and we will suggest where extra practice might help.
I have played in France before. Must I start as a beginner?
No. We look at what you can already understand and say, then focus on faster speech, informal team conversations or other areas where you still switch to English.
Can a club or agent arrange lessons for me?
Yes, they can enquire on your behalf. We will discuss your goals and level, then confirm format, schedule and payment with the person organising the lessons.
Do you teach small groups at a club?
We can discuss an online small-group arrangement. We first check levels, goals and schedules so the group is useful to each player.
Is learning rugby vocabulary enough?
It is a useful start, but a word list cannot carry a conversation. We practise listening, asking follow-up questions and using French at the club and in daily life.
Your next chapter in France starts with a conversation.
Book a 20-minute French Clarity Call. Tell us about your club, your departure date and your goals, and we will discuss how French lessons could fit your move.
Book your 20-minute call