It’s a game of two halves: with one being rugby

A semi-rugby, semi-football game (AFP/Getty Images)

Let’s give a very hearty thank-you to the professional sportsmen of the south of France for answering a question that precisely nobody was asking: what would it be like if a rugby and a football team played against each other?

On Wednesday The players of Toulon (rugby) and Marseille (football) – as part of a charity bash for children with cancer – met in a duel billed as Le Choc (The Shock). Marseille came out on top overall. Which means, scientifically, that football is much better.

The match, refereed by Eric Cantona for some reason, was one half football (which was won only 5-4 by Marseille) and a second half of rugby, with the footballers somehow managing to score a handful of tries to win 36-35. Including one by their physio. Which suggests the match wasn’t taken quite as seriously as it should have been.

Either way, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Time to see how Rio Ferdinand copes against Manu Tuilagi.