Stade Toulousain

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Stade Toulousain
Full name Stade Toulousain
Founded 1890
Location Toulouse, France
Ground Stade Ernest-Wallon
Capacity 19,000
President René Bouscatel
Coach Guy Novés
League Top 14
2005-06 3rd
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours
Official Website
www.stadetoulousain.fr

Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. They have been European champions three times, winning the Heineken Cup in 1996, 2003 and 2005. They were also runners-up in 2004. Stade Toulousain have also won 16 French Championship titles. Their home ground is the Stade Ernest-Wallon. However championship play-offs and Heineken Cup games are played at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse. The club colours are red and black.

The club was founded in 1890 as Stade Olympien des Étudiants Toulousains. Initially a sports club, it also included a football team. In 1903 the rugby union team made its first appearance in the final of the French championship but lost to Stade Français. In 1904 the football team became the first non-Spanish team to play FC Barcelona. Between 1904 and 1910 the two clubs played each other seven times in friendlies. In 1907, following a merger, the club briefly became known as Stade Olympien des Étudiants Velo Sport de Toulouse. However by 1908 the club was known by its current name. Between 1905 and 1914 the football team won 10 regional championships, but it was the rugby union team that brought the club its greatest successes and in 1912 they won their first French Championship title.

Contents

[edit] History

After wining its first national title in 1912, Stade Toulousain had to wait until 1922 before it won its second. However the 1920s were a golden era for the club. Their first final action in the 1920s was in 1921, when they were defeated USA Perpignan. Despite losing in 1921, the side went on to win the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926 and 1927 championships.

The following decades were relatively quiet after such a dominant era during the 1920s. Stade Toulousain would not make it to any grand finals during the 1930s, and it would not be until the late 1940s when they would return. However they did contest the Challenge Yves du Manoir with RC Toulon in 1934, though it ended in a nil-all tie and both teams were winners. The club made it to the final of the 1947 championship, and claimed the premiership, beating SU Agen, 10 to 3. However, no such championships followed, the club was again relatively quiet on the championship. It was 22 years in the waiting; Toulouse made it to the final, but were defeated by the CA Bègles club.

In 1971 Toulouse contested the Challenge Yves du Manoir against US Dax, losing 18 to 8. Eleven years after the CA Bègles defeat, the club was again disappointed in the final, being defeated by AS Béziers in the championship game of 1980. The latter end of the decade was however, reminiscent of the 1920s sides. Toulouse were againing contesting the Challenge Yves du Manoir for the 1984 season, though they lost to RC Narbonne 17 to 3. They did however claim their first championship since 1947, defeating RC Toulon in the 1985 final. The following season saw them successfully defend their championship, defeating SU Agen in the final. After a number of defeats in the Challenge Yves du Manoir finals, Toulouse defeated US Dax to win the 1988 competition. Both Toulon and Agen won the following premierships (1987 and 1988) but Toulouse won another championship in 1989.

The dominance continued in the 1990s, starting with a grand final loss in 1991, and a Challenge Yves du Manoir championship in 1993, defeating Castres 13 to 8 in the final. The mid-1990s saw Stade Toulousain become a major force yet again, as the club claimed four premierships in a row, winning the championship in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997, as well as the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1995. The club emmulated its success in the European Rugby Cup, becoming the first ever champions in the 1995-96 season.

The late 1990s and the 2000s saw the club again reach great heights. The club won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1998, defeating Stade Français Paris, and the 1999 championship as well as the 2001 championship and were runners-up in the 2003 season, losing to Stade Français in the final. As the club had done in the mid 1990s, Stade Toulousain replicated this success in the European Rugby Cup, winning the 2002-03 championship and the 2004-05 championship, making them the only club to ever win the title three times. Stade Toulousain is also the only European club to have taken part in all the editions of Heineken Cup since its creation (12, with the 2006/2007 season). The club made it to the final of the 2005-06 Top 14, and despite only trailing Biarritz six points to nine at half time, Toulouse eventually went down 40 to 13.

[edit] Stadium

Toulouse play their home games at the Stade Ernest-Wallon, which was built in the late 1980s and was recently renovated. It has a capacity of 19,000. The stadium however cannot always accommodate all the fans of the Toulouse club. For the larger fixtures, such as championships or Heineken Cup games or play-offs, the fixture may be moved to Stade de Toulouse, which has double capacity, 38,000.

[edit] Honours

see also: Stade Toulousain in Cup Finals

[edit] Rugby

[edit] Football

  • Champions of Midi:
    • Champions: 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914

[edit] European record

Toulouse have a very good European competition record. Since the European Rugby Cups were inaugurated for th 1995-96 season, Toulouse has qualified for the Heineken Cup in every season. The club has the best competition record in the Heineken Cup, more so than any other club in Europe, having won the competition three times.

Season Competition Games Points Notes
played won drawn lost for against difference
2005-06 Heineken Cup 7 5 1 1 223 165 58 Quarter finalists
2004-05 Heineken Cup 9 8 0 1 263 144 119 Champions (defeated Stade Francais)
2003-04 Heineken Cup 9 7 0 2 232 113 119 Runners-up (lost to Wasps)
2002-03 Heineken Cup 9 8 0 1 308 163 145 Champions (defeated USA Perpignan)
2001-02 Heineken Cup 6 3 0 3 151 146 5
2000-01 Heineken Cup 6 2 1 3 171 182 -11
1999-00 Heineken Cup 8 6 0 2 256 122 134 Semi-finalists
1998-99 Heineken Cup 7 4 0 3 247 118 129 Semi-finalists
1997-98 Heineken Cup 8 6 1 1 273 153 120 Semi-finalists
1996-97 Heineken Cup 6 4 0 2 194 197 -3 Semi-finalists
1995-96 Heineken Cup 4 4 0 0 123 40 83 Champions (defeated Cardiff)

[edit] Current squad

Nat. Position Player
Argentina LK Patricio Albacete
France CE Benoît Baby
France FL Jean Bouilhou
Republic of Ireland LK Trevor Brennan
France HK Yannick Bru
France WG Vincent Clerc
France SH Valentin Courrent
France LK Julien Le Devedec
France FH Jean-Frédéric Dubois
France FL Thierry Dusautoir
France SH Jean-Baptiste Elissalde
France CE Florian Fritz
France WG Xavier Garbajosa
Argentina PR Omar Hasan
France WG Cédric Heymans
South Africa PR Daan Human
Samoa WG Timoteo Iosua
France CE Yannick Jauzion
Nat. Position Player
Fiji CE Maleli Kunavore
France HK Virgile Lacombe
France LK Grégory Lamboley
Tonga FL Finau Maka
France FB Maxime Médard
France PR Grégory Menkarska
France CE Maxime Mermoz
France FH Frédéric Michalak
France LK Romain Millo-Chluski
France LK Jean-François Montauriol
France FL Yannick Nyanga
France LK Fabien Pelous
Italy PR Salvatore Perugini
France FB Clément Poitrenaud
France PR Jean-Baptiste Poux
France HK William Servat
Wales FB Gareth Thomas
South Africa FH Gaffie du Toit

[edit] Selected former players

see also Cat:Stade Toulousain rugby union footballers

[edit] Selected former coaches

see also Cat:Stade Toulousain rugby union coaches

[edit] Presidents

  • Henri Cazaux : 1954 - 1957
  • André Brouat : 1964 - 1966
  • Henri Fourès : 1966 - 1973
  • Henri Cazaux : 1974 - 1980
  • Jean Fabre : 1980 - 1989
  • Jean-René Bouscatel : 1992 -

[edit] External links

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