Rugby sets new French record

"We need to sell 25-30,000 seats to cover our costs," said Stade Français owner Max Guazzini at the press conference announcing that his team's fixture against Heineken Cup champions Toulouse would be at the Stade de France.

Surely he wouldn't have thought of today's situation though. Tickets have been on sale for the match for just over a fortnight, and with three weeks still to go before the game, the sales have beaten the national record for any regular season domestic sporting occasion - including soccer matches.

61,000 tickets had been sold by Monday night, comfortably beating the previous record, held by soccer team Olympique Marseille's Stade Vélodrome for their match against Paris Saint-Germain in 1998.

Rugby in France has seen a 25 per cent increase in spectator numbers this season, with a huge number of matches played in front of sell-out crowds, and with the Rugby World Cup 2007 looming large, the sport is beginning to expand its popularity outside of the South-West region, where most of the top clubs are located.