Rugby union in France Six Nations games, as well as France's home internationals, such as those that are played during the latter stages of the year in November. Matches from the Top 14 are broadcast by the premium pay television channel Canal+, which also broadcasts many other rugby union competitions, including the Southern Hemisphere's Rugby Championship, between Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Matches from the Pro D2 are broadcast by Sport+, Eurosport and France 3 for local derbies Rugby union in France Rugby union in France is a popular team sport. Rugby union was first introduced in the early 1870s by British
Rugby union in Italy Fascist unity, and by 1927 rugby union had its own propaganda committee. However, Mussolini found rugby union inconveniently resistant to authority and dropped the sport, and for Fascist purposes turned to volata, a malleable kind of handball. Volata never caught on and in 1933 the effort was officially abandoned, however the invention of the game proved damaging to rugby union's popularity and place in Italian sporting culture. After the decline of the volata project, his supporters turned back to rugby in the years leading up to the Second World War as an alternative to soccer, which they saw as an