Better weather, more money, a new challenge - it's understandable why so many British players have flooded over to France.

The new Top 14 campaign kicks off on Friday when Toulon host Stade Francais at the Stade Mayol. These are just two of the teams in France's top flight that are crammed full of British players for the forthcoming season.

England stars Jonny Wilkinson and James Haskell, who should both feature in the curtain-raiser, are the highest-profile cross-Channel movers, with dozens more having made the switch.

It will not be an easy ride for any of them. They will at first be greeted by late-summer sunshine and flat, grassy pitches but before long they will encounter some tough, gritty bruisers in the Top 14, whose reputation as a league full of attacking brio and 'French flair' often fails to be backed up.

Toulouse and Clermont-Auvergne - arguably the two best sides in the country - play wonderful attacking rugby but most of the other teams get bogged down in tight, blood-and-thunder contests.

It is not a league for the faint-hearted. Wilkinson knows that already - during his debut for Toulon in a pre-season friendly against Brive last month, there were some outbreaks of fisticuffs that threatened to turn from scuffles into mass brawls.

The language barrier will pose most of the imports problems too but enough of the negatives.

The experience will be an enriching one not just for the Britons coming into the league but also for the teams welcoming them.

Haskell, Tom Palmer, Ollie Phillips and Hugo Southwell are British newcomers in Stade's squad and they have already found their feet, according to team manager Ewen McKenzie.

"They've fitted in very well," the Australian told Press Association Sport.

"It's been good for them and they've brought some different ideas. We have a bit of a mixture of cultures.

"It's good to have guys who want to contribute and watch and have ideas, I like that. They have been impressive physically - Haskell and Phillips have led everything in terms of conditioning."

England lock Palmer, who like Haskell has moved to Paris from Wasps, said: "They are working us hard.

"We're doing things a bit different to what we normally do and it's an experience."

When it comes to recruiting Brits, Toulon have set the standard.

Aside from Wilkinson, you can find Scotland's Rory Lamont and Philip Fitzgerald, Englishmen Tom May, Kris Chesney and Joe El-Abd and Wales midfielder Jamie Robinson.

Brive rival Toulon for British imports. England internationals Riki Flutey, Jamie Noon and Shaun Perry have joined Andy Goode, Steve Thompson and Alix Popham at the club. Wales flanker Popham has been made captain for this season.

Elsewhere, you have England pair Magnus Lund and Iain Balshaw at Biarritz, former Scotland captain Jason White at Clermont-Auvergne, Scottish prop Bruce Douglas and ex-Leicester centre Ollie Smith at Montpellier and England's Perry Freshwater at champions Perpignan.

With higher wages and the euro's strength against the pound, France is a potential gold mine for these imports.

Money is not everything of course - former New Zealand hooker Anton Oliver turned down a lucrative offer from Toulon to extend his contract by a further year to take up a course at Oxford University.

He revealed he had been "desperately unhappy" at the southern French club, who were at that time in the second division, and was delighted to leave.

Most foreigners, though, thoroughly enjoy their time in France, despite it being a long, hard season.

Wilkinson and Robinson came over having already learned the language - indeed, they spoke fluent French at their first press conference at Toulon. But for the others and their families, it is a perfect chance to learn a second language for free.

And for those playing down south, the sun shines for the majority of the year, making life that much more enjoyable.

"It's a great place to be, a fantastic way of life," May said of his short time so far in Toulon.

The serious business gets started next weekend when the Top 14 begins and the interest from Britain will be unprecedented.

At one time, you were quickly forgotten about when you came to play in France. That is no longer the case.