Jonny Wilkinson is top foreign player

AS THE Rugby World Cup decorations are taken down in England, the sport is proving more popular than football among the French according to a new survey.

Across the country 55% of French said they preferred rugby to football, a division even more obvious in the south-east where the figure rose to 64%.

The south-east also has a particular rugbyman in mind when it comes to playing favourites.

While the rest of the country tends towards tennis champion Roger Federer as their favourite sportsman, the south-east puts Jonny Wilkinson in the top spot with nearly 40% naming him their favourite.

The results are from a survey of 1,138 people, a cross-section of the French public, interviewed by BVA in conjunction with the insurance group Doméo and local newspapers.

Across the country, judo player Teddy Riner, basketball player Tony Parker and ex-rally driver Sébastien Loeb take the respective podium positions as the top French sports personalities.

The behaviour of French football stars has had an affect on the sport. Only 33% of French people have a good image of the country’s national football team, compared to 59% for the rugby first XV, and only 9% believe they can win Euro 2016, which France is hosting.

Expectations are also low for plans to host the 2024 Olympic Games, with only 40% believing that Paris will get the Games - despite it being 100 years since Paris last hosted the games.

Meanwhile 60% said they preferred doing sport to watching it, however only 22% of those surveyed belonged to a sports club.

Walking and rambling top the list of France’s favourite sports, followed by swimming.

Photo:Wikipedia/David Sedlecký