First played in 1892, the domestic championship begins in a little over a month, in a format where the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (the French National Rugby League) has made key changes to the competition that take effect from 2010/11 onwards.

Next season, 50 percent of the squad of every Top 14 or Pro D2 club will need to be composed of homegrown players. The classifications of this are stringent.

It means that a player must hold an FFR licence for at least five years after the age of 21, or have spent a minimum of three years in a French rugby club academy between the ages of 16 and 21.

Over the next two seasons, this percentage will rise to 70. Soon the fields of France will no longer be as easy an option for overseas players and no doubt French rugby will become far stronger for it.

Also, a salary cap of sorts will be introduced, essentially bringing the spending of all clubs to a reasonable medium, and applying principles that will not allow dramatic season-to-season increases - as well as tightening controls on budget irregularities.

As for the teams themselves, both US Dax and Mont-de-Marsan leave the top division, relegated to the Pro D2 (the second tier of French competition).

SCA Albi, who won the promotion match, will return to the Top 14, and will be joined by the Pro D2 champions, the famous Racing-Metro 92 club. The two “new boys” will face off in the opening round of the championship.

As with Toulon before them, the 2008/09 Pro D2 champions have spent big for their campaign in the top flight, although their spending still pales in comparison with president Mourad Boudjellal’s Toulon club, which boasts another yearly turnover of global superstars.

Toulon’s most prominent signing is arguably Phillipe Saint Andre, who moves from Sale Sharks in England and will work alongside former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga. There is also a certain fly-half called Jonny Wilkinson, who by all reports, looks to be in the best physical condition of his recent injury-plagued career.

Toulon, who may not be able to call on the services of the 2003 World Cup winning pivot early in the season due to England commitments, will face off against Stade Francais in the opening round.

With all the changes due in the next couple of years, this could be the last season in which the big-spending and traditional giants of France have their way.

Last year Pepignan became just the fourth club to win the title since 1994, the league in the professional era having been dominated by the big three of Toulouse, Stade Francais and Biarritz.

Despite the massive amounts of media attention surrounding the signing of Dan Carter, the club won their seventh Bouclier de Brennus title without their glamour player.

However, Stade Toulousain will again be the team to beat. They would have been disappointed with what would be termed, by their standards, failures at both French domestic and European Cup level.

The 17-times French champions and three-times champions of Europe have had a few changes in personnel, but still have their French Test backline and a squad that boasts no fewer than 18 Test players. The will play against Montauban away to kick off their season.

As always, there will be the dark horses, with Brive having no fewer than five English internationals now on their books, as well as fast-rising centre Riki Flutey, one of only a handful of such players in France selected for Martin Johnson’s new elite squad.

The season kicks off in the middle of August, and will run to next May, provisionally the longest running domestic championship in world rugby.

The Top 14 championship: Winners receive the Bouclier de Brennus (or Brennus Shield). Championship roll of honour - Stade Toulousain 17, Stade Francais 13, AS Béziers 11, SU Agen 8, FC Lourdes 8, Stade Bordelais  7, USA Perpignan 7.