'Allo ladies! The crème de la crème of French rugby strip off for stylishly sexy 2013 calendar

Ooh la la ladies! If you're looking for the ultimate 2013 calendar, then your search is over.
A far cry from the tango-tanned, puny-chested efforts of Joey Essex and co, the calendar, created by French rugby team, Stade Français, is crammed with artily shot images of enormous, well-muscled rugby players.
And with men this good-looking taking to the field, it's a wonder any attention is paid to the outcome of rugby matches in France at all

Stade Français stars Scott LaValla (left) and Djibril Camara (right) strip off for the Dieux du Stade calendar

Tough guys: Players from the Stade Français rugby team engage in a bout of naked arm wrestling - ooh la la!

The calendar, a long standing tradition at the French club, includes stalwarts of the French international side such as Morgan Parra and Wesley Fofana.
Shot by French photographer, François Rousseau, the calendar features the nude players in a range of situations, including playing rugby on the beach, arm wrestling, and rather incongruously, walking about with some fish.

 

Fishy business aside, the bumper 40-page calendar entitled Dieux du Stade [Gods of the Arena or Stadium] although made by Stade Français, is an inclusive affair, featuring players from other French teams and in two instances, French footballers.
The footballing duo are Manchester City's French defender, Gaël Clichy, and Lille's midfielder, Rio Mavuba.
British players have also taken part in the past, with England's James Haskell and Tom Palmer, and Scotland's Hugo Southwell stripping off for the 2011 edition.

Anyone for a barbecue? The rugged hunks put their muscles to work on fetching water and erecting a tent

The beautiful game: Footballers, Gaël Clichy (left) and Rio Mavuba (right) show off their sexy side

Catch of the day: If you like your fish caught by muscly naked guys, France is clearly the place to be

Now that's a spectator sport!  Clermont Auvergne player, Wesley Fofana, strips for Stade Français

The calendar was the brainchild of Stade Français president, Max Guazzini, who initially used it as part of a marketing strategy aimed at bringing in more spectators.
Succeeding beyond his wildest dreams, the calendar went viral at home - and abroad - and as a result, the glossy production was expanded to include players from all French teams, whether French or not.
Photographer, François Rousseau, is one of France's top photographic talents and a former artist.
Rousseau, who has made a career from snapping sportsmen, including Olympic athletes, Steve and Christophe Guenot, also took the photographs for the 2004, 2011 and 2012 editions of the Dieux du Stade calendar.
On his Wikipedia page, the experience of working with him is described as being 'as if the models had waited to be born and even chosen by the master.'
While the rugby-playing hunks of Stade Français might beg to differ, there's no doubt that Rousseau has produced a calendar that even the most rugby-allergic woman can enjoy.