Supersevens· Season 2026
La Rochelle 7s awarded a 5-0 walkover victory over Section Paloise 7s in their opening Pool A match at the Supersevens stage in Biarritz after Section Paloise failed to take the field.
Match Analysis
AI SummaryLa Rochelle 7s 5–0 Section Paloise 7s: Walkover opens Supersevens Pool A in Biarritz
La Rochelle 7s were awarded a 5–0 walkover victory over Section Paloise 7s in their opening Pool A match at the In Extenso Supersevens stage in Biarritz on Friday, after Section Paloise were unable to take the field for the 12:00 kick-off at Stade Aguilera.
The match — scheduled as the first men's fixture of the 2026-2027 Supersevens season — did not take place as a contest. The 5-0 scoreline reflects a forfeit, awarding both the victory and five points to La Rochelle without a ball being kicked.
Context of the forfeit
Section Paloise had named a 15-man squad for the Biarritz stage, captained by France Sevens international Josselin Bouhier and featuring a young core of academy players. The squad included Liam Delamare, an international sevens specialist on a FFR contract, and Diego Miranda, another France 7s international. No official reason for the no-show was published by the club or the LNR at the time of the fixture.
The forfeit is particularly untimely for Pau given the compressed format of this season's Supersevens. The competition has been reduced from three summer stages to two (Biarritz and Pau, 28-29 August), with only two pool matches per team on the opening day. Losing one of those two ties by default leaves Section Paloise with just one pool fixture — against Stade Français Paris Sevens at 18:27 on Friday — to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
What the result means for Pool A
Pool A consists of La Rochelle, Pau, ASM Clermont Auvergne and Stade Français. Under the new Supersevens format, the top two from each four-team pool advance to the quarter-finals on Saturday 22 August. The bottom two are eliminated.
La Rochelle's walkover gives them 5 points and a crucial points-differential advantage before their second pool match against Clermont at 18:04. For Section Paloise, the defeat leaves no margin for error: they must beat Stade Français in the evening session to have any realistic chance of progressing.
New season, new format
The 2026-2027 edition marks the seventh season of the In Extenso Supersevens and the first under a revised structure. The championship now features two two-day summer stages (Biarritz and Pau) followed by a grand final at Paris La Défense Arena on 6-7 February 2027. Pool play takes place on Friday with knockout matches on Saturday. For the first time, the women's competition runs in parallel with an identical format.
La Rochelle's men's squad for Biarritz features Olympic gold medallists Stephen Parez and Andy Timo, alongside Hoani Bosmorin and other France Sevens regulars.
What's next
- La Rochelle 7s face ASM Clermont Auvergne Sevens in their second Pool A match on Friday at 18:04. A win would guarantee quarter-final qualification.
- Section Paloise 7s take on Stade Français Paris Sevens at 18:27 in a must-win pool match. Both teams will have played one fixture each by then.
The second Supersevens stage takes place at Pau's Stade du Hameau on 28-29 August, before the grand final in February 2027.
Rivalry since 2022
La Rochelle 7s vs Section Paloise 7s Head to Head Results· 3
La Rochelle 7s and Section Paloise 7s have met 3 times — La Rochelle 7s won 0, Section Paloise 7s won 3, with 0 draws. Their rivalry dates back to 2022. Section Paloise 7s leads the head-to-head with 3 victories from 3 meetings. A combined 134 goals have been scored across these fixtures, averaging 44.67 per match (43 for the home side, 91 for the visitors). Both teams scored in 3 matches (100%). Over 2.5 goals landed in 3 games (100%), making it a fixture that tends to produce goals. Section Paloise 7s are currently unbeaten in the last 3 meetings. The highest-scoring encounter finished 14–36 in 2024.
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 22 Aug 2026