As you’d have guessed the league is broadly heavier across the board than both the URC and Gallagher Premiership, although it’s notably shorter than the English league.

The below squads’ statistics should be read in context of course: with a roster favouring a higher ratio of forwards to backs in terms of personnel likely to be taller and heavier than one that has a higher proportion of backs etc

Caveat: The statistics do not include extensive ‘Espoirs’ rosters which include players that will feature in the Top 14 regular season.  As such this list trends higher for age than our previous breakdown of both the URC and Gallagher Premiership statistics, where there are typically fewer players on academy contracts.

The only exception to this is where we have included France international Posolo Tuilagi in Perpignan’s equation as it seemed churlish not to include a regular player and indeed, a Test player, who happens to be on an academy contract.

14. Perpignan
It wasn’t that long ago [circa 10 years] that USA Perpignan were one of the heaviest squads in the league. Now they are one the lightest, even if they have the giant Posolo Tuilagi bringing up the average.

12. Vannes
The Top 14 new boys from Brittany are the shortest squad in the top flight and the third lightest at 104.8kg a man./A

11. Racing 92
Stuart Lancaster’s Racing 92 had been one of the heavier sides in recent years but his current crop is decidedly mid-table in terms of mass this term, maybe reflecting Lancaster’s desire for a fitter side.

10. Stade Francais
South African lock JJ Van der Mescht is listed at 145kg, although Paul Gustard revealed on the podcast last year that he tipped the scales at 154kg, or 24 stone 4Ibs in old money. We’ve taken his listed weight for this article in the interest of fairness.

Lyon is the culinary capital of France and the city will no doubt have plenty of LOU forwards stalking local eateries this season. The exit of 132kg Paulo Tafili is offset to a degree by the arrival of Jermaine Ainsley and Tomas Lavanini (both 127kg) and 126kg Irakli Aptsiauri.

8. Bayonne
The arrival of 130kg Veikoso Pololinati and 127kg Alex Moon will help bring up the average at Bayonne, although they lost 127kg Konstantin Mikautadze over the summer.

132kg prop Wilfrid Hounkpatin may have gone to Montpellier but Castres’ average weight is now tipping on towards 17 stone a man.

Giant Samoan lock Brian Alainu’uese remains the tallest and heaviest player at RCT. The heaviest new signing is 132kg prop Daniel Brennan, son of famous Ireland, Leinster and Toulouse second-row Trevor.

5. La Rochelle
Despite an enormous forward pack with multiple players over 22 stone, a relatively modestly sized back division has limited Ronan O’Gara’s squad’s average weight.

The fourth-heaviest squad in the top flight haven’t recruited any high-mass individuals in the off-season but they remain one of the heaviest sides in the league thanks to a broadly meaty forward pack and a relatively heavyweight back division.

Mid-table Clermont find themselves towards the heavier end of the scale on this list, with an average weight of over 17 stone. The arrival of 130kg Michael Alaalatoa from Leinster has helped prop up the average.

2. Pau
Sébastien Piqueronies’ Section Paloise are just 100g lighter than the heaviest team on this list. The likes of Jon Zabala and Harry Williams (both 132kg) and the aptly named 133kg Jimi Maximin certainly helps, although it’s a pack with just four players under 110kg that gives this side a high average.

1. Bordeaux Begles
No surprise that Bordeaux top the list at just under 108kg a man, although they’re 0.4kg lighter than Exeter Chiefs, the Gallagher Premiership heaviest