Rugby follows the money into an uncertain future

A tide of southern hemisphere players is moving north to European clubs awash with cash, but where does that leave us and the game itself?

CJ Stander of Munster: left South Africa to become an ‘Irishman’Getty

It’s a big rugby weekend as the Europeans kick off. It’s our chance to see, in particular, what the French and English teams have to offer. Yesterday, Leinster faced a Montpellier team which has cost millions, paid for by its billionaire owner Mohed Altrad.

His is a fascinating life story. Syrian-born in the desert to Bedouin shepherd parents, his mother died when he was a child and he was given away to his ...