The Top 14 began in 1892 as the French championship, a one-off game between Racing Club de France and Stade Français. The 1897 and 1898 series were based on a points system after a round-robin format. 

Entry was limited to rugby clubs in Paris with the 1899 season being the first to include clubs from outside of Paris. Bordeaux club Stade Bordelais won the final in their first attempt with the final played in Bordeaux.

Racing Club, Stade Français and Stade Bordelais dominated the competition in the early years until clubs including FC Lyon, Stade Toulousain, Aviron Bayonnais and USA Perpignan won titles.

Stadoceste Tarbais became the first post-war champions but Stade Toulousain would dominate the 1920s, winning five French championships during the decade. In the 1930s the championship game was held in Bordeaux and Toulouse which further shifter the power of French rugby to the south of France with RC Narbonne, CS Vienne, Perpignan and Biarritz Olympique all winning titles.

The championship final returned to Paris after World War II with the final played at Parc des Princes for four consecutive seasons. FC Lourdes became the dominant club during the 1950s when they won five French championships and another in 1960.

SU Agen won three titles during the 1960s, Béziers enjoying a golden era starting in the 1970s as they won ten championships between 1971 and 1984. The final was held in Toulouse, Lyon and Bordeaux in those years before the French championship final returned to Parc des Princes in Paris on a permanent basis. 

Toulouse were the dominant team in the 1980s after winning the French championship in 1985, 1986 and 1989. Rugby union become a professional sport following the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa that led to the establishment of the European Heineken Cup.

Toulouse emerged as the dominant club, winning four consecutive French championships. In 1998 the French chamionship final was moved to the newly constructed Stade de France with the final played in front of 78,000 spectators as Stade Français won their first championship since 1908.

The top 14 competition experienced a huge rise in popularity in 2005 with attendances climbing by 25%. Stade Français attracted a crowd of 79,502 at Stade de France for their home match against Toulouse on 15 October 2005, breaking the previous attendance record for a regular-season match in any sport by more than 20,000 people.

In the 2017-18 Top 14 season the only club to be automatically relegated from Top 14 was the club that finished last on the league table. The relegated club would be replaced by the Pro D2 champion and second last Top 14 team entered a playoff with the Pro D2 runners-up with the winner rewarded with the final Top 14 spot.

On 13 March 2017 Racing 92 and Stade Français planned to merge into a single club, but Stade Français players voted to go on strike that forced both clubs to cancel the planned merger.

Get all the Top 14 rugby fixtures and plan ahead with clubs potentially resting players before the Top 14 playoffs.

The Top 14 Rugby Grand Final is the pinnacle of the Top 14 season.

All leading online bookies will offer betting odds for the Top 14 French championship including Top 14 outright winner and match odds including winner, handicap and total points over/under.

Top 14 live streaming is a great way to watch the Top 14 matches on the go anywhere you can obtain a suitable internet connection. Watch Top 14 Rugby live streams on your phone, tablet or computer.

The bet365 live streaming service is one of the best live streaming services in the business and includes many sports including football, tennis, basketball, netball and horse racing. 18+ and geo-restrictions apply, see bet365 for full terms and conditions.

Sign up with a new online bookmaker and open an account to take advantage of Top 14 free bets.

Take time to analyse all the stats when selecting your Top 14 rugby bet of the day.