The tyre company Michelin founded the club now called Clermont Auvergne as a team for its workers. They still wear the company colours and enjoy the sponsor's largesse. But the private benefactors and aspiring investors have apparently more largesse.

Men such as Stade Francais's Max Guazzini, a lawyer by trade, a one-time pop singer and a flamboyant entrepreneur who - according to former Wallabies coach John Connolly who served in his employ - "knows absolutely nothing about rugby", are typical.

Guazzini, who has signed coach Ewen McKenzie and centre Mark Gasnier this year, might know nothing about rugby but he knows how to market his team outside of the traditional supporter base, as evidenced by the club's distinctive pink away jerseys.

Toulon's Mourad Boudjellal is another splurging owner. The son of an Algerian immigrant, the comic book publisher (of titles such as Sky Doll and Universal War One ) has assembled one of the finest collections of rugby talent outside a Test squad to take his team back to the first division. Coached by former All Black Tana Umaga, Toulon will be Penrith winger Luke Rooney's new home, sharing digs with former Western Force half Matt Henjak, and All Blacks Jerry Collins and Nathan Mauger.

But the big signing is star All Blacks five-eighth Dan Carter on a six-month deal at Perpignan valued at $1 million.

Brive chief executive Simon Gellham says owners are sinking between $1.6 million and $9.7 million a year. "Inflation in rugby in France all round is about 30 per cent a year," he said. "But everyone feels the investment is worth being made because the crowds are increasing so fast, the interest and corporate sponsorship has risen so far. Here at Brive last year we sold our jersey sponsorship for €200,000 [$325,000]; this year it will be €1.2 million."

Listed players for the LNR are drawn from all over the known rugby world, and beyond in the case of Cameroon's Arnauld Tchougong, who is on the books at Bourgoin-Jallieu. There are players from Romania, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina, all the major Pacific Islands, and every European rugby nation.

Connolly believes Australians have no idea about French rugby. "It's a different culture completely over there. It's just a different world and we just can't imagine it. They're very much influenced by the way soccer works and they're prepared to look globally for the players," he said.

And even into new codes, in the case of Penrith captain Craig Gower (who signed last year with Bayonne), Rooney and Gasnier.

"We have 35 players, only half of whom are French and that's about the norm for clubs," said Gellham, who has just signed former Waratah five-eighth Lachlan MacKay. "Clubs are looking for good players at the right market value and if you can't get them in Europe then they'll go to the southern hemisphere."

Australians and South Africans have a great reputation for professionalism - and punctuality, a quality not always associated with the French. But it sometimes ends in tears.

"For us it's a case of once bitten, twice shy. We had a couple of bad experiences last year with players who were being paid fantastically well and we've decided we'll never ever hire a player that we haven't seen and interviewed," Gellham said.

Like the whole of New Zealand - Gellham cannot believe the deal signed by All Blacks star Carter.

"We couldn't possibly offer him a deal like that. I think he's done incredibly well," he said.

Melbourne Storm football manager Frank Ponissi had two seasons in France and compares the competition - not in scale but in attitude - with the English Premier League. Four or five sides dominate each year and owners can invest what they wish. "It's become something of a hobby in France for rich people to buy sporting teams; it's as if they're fulfilling a childhood fantasy," he said.

An NRL side, operating under the salary cap can't afford to risk an untried union player. Not so in France, says Ponissi. "If your budget is unlimited, you can afford to take a punt."

The key restriction is that, apart from Europeans and so-called Kolpak countries (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and South Africa) only two foreign passport players are allowed. Rugby league players will need something special to be attractive, Ponissi said. "They've got an unlimited budget but they've also only got two spots for passport players and they'll always go for All Blacks first."