... The cable broke again recently and I fitted a cable from Euro Car Parts. It is much shorter, doesn't need to be looped and having fitted it the clutch action is noticeably lighter.
It makes me think that the cable renault supply in the UK may be for a left hand drive vehicle as it appears to be the correct length for that application.
No, they are definitely not the same. The probable reason the RHD cable is longer and loops around is that the shorter cable has to make a sharper curve to fit, which was not consider good, or on some versions it could not be fitted owing to different items which might get in the way. Manufacturers don't often spend more money than necessary when building a car, and a longer cable would cost more than a shorter one. Of course it could also be that the designer simply didn't think of that route. :-)
Roy