Editing Playoffs (section)

===France===
The highest level of French rugby union, the [[Top 14]], expanded its playoffs starting with the [[2009–10 Top 14 season|2009–10 season]] from a four-team format to six teams. In the new system, the top two teams after the double round-robin season receive first-round byes. The first-round matches involve the third- through sixth-place teams, bracketed so that 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5. The winners then advance to face the top two teams in the semifinals, which are held at nominally neutral sites (a traditional feature in the French playoffs)—although in the [[2011–12 Top 14 season|2011–12 season]], the semifinals were held at [[Stadium Municipal|Stadium de Toulouse]], occasionally used as a "big-game" venue by traditional Top 14 power [[Stade Toulousain]]. The winners of these semifinals qualify for the final at [[Stade de France]] (though in 2016, the final was at [[Camp Nou]] in [[Barcelona]] due to conflict with [[UEFA Euro 2016]]), where the winner will be champions of the league and receive the [[Bouclier de Brennus]]. Before 2009–10, the playoffs format was identical to that of the English Premiership with the exception of neutral sites for the semifinals.

Beginning in [[2017–18 Top 14 season|2017–18]], only the bottom club is automatically relegated to [[Rugby Pro D2]]. The second-from-bottom Top 14 side plays a one-off match against the runner-up of the Pro D2 playoffs for the final place in the next Top 14 season.

Pro D2 adopted the Top 14 playoff system effective in [[2017–18 Rugby Pro D2 season|2017–18]], though with all matches held at the higher seed's home field. The playoff champion earns automatic promotion; the runner-up enters a one-off match for potential promotion to Top 14. Previously, Pro D2 used a four-team playoff, involving the second- through fifth-place teams, to determine the second of two teams promoted to the next season's Top 14, with the regular-season champions earning automatic promotion. Under this system, the promotion semifinals were held at the home fields of the second- and third-place teams, and the promotion final was held at a neutral site.