Union Bordeaux Bègles

Union Bordeaux Bègles

Full name	Union Bordeaux Bègles
Nickname(s)	Les Girondins, The Girondists
Founded	2006 (2006)
Location	Bordeaux, France
Ground(s)	Stade André Moga (Capacity: 10,000) Stade Chaban-Delmas (Capacity: 34,694)
President	Laurent Marti
Coach(es)	Raphaël Ibañez
League(s)	Top 14
2013–14	8th
1st kit 2nd kit 3rd kit
Official website
www.ubbrugby.com

Union Bordeaux Bègles is a French rugby union team playing in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their Top 14 place by winning the promotion playoffs that followed the 2010–11 season in the second-level Rugby Pro D2. Upon promotion to the Top 14 in 2011, they were assured a place in the European Challenge Cup.

They were founded in 2006 as a result of a merger between two Bordeaux clubs, Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde. They wear claret (in French: bordeaux) and white. They are based in Bordeaux in Aquitaine, and play at the Stade André Moga, in Bègles. The two teams which amalgamated cumulated nine championship titles of France: seven for the Stade Bordelais and two for the Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde. Since 2006 and the amalgamation, the club competed in Pro D2 until winning the 2011 promotion playoffs.

History

For several years, the city of Bordeaux suffered from the absence of a leading club, or rather from the competition between the two large clubs of the city, the Stade Bordelais and CA Bordeaux-Bègles-Gironde.

The Stade Bordelais was a large national Rugby team at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century (seven championships between 1899 and 1911), before continuing their life within the amateur championships.

The CA Béglais did not reach soaring highs before the First World War, finally gaining two French Championships in 1969 and 1991 and then taking part in the first European Rugby Cup in 1995. The transition into the new millennium was hard. The club was relegated to the Pro D2 at the conclusion of the 2002–03 season, then into the Fédérale 1 division, while Stade Bordelais took the opposite direction and reached Pro D2.

In 2005, a plan to merge both clubs was created, in spite of strong opposition by both club's supporters. There was strong insight from former influential players (Serge Simon, Bernard Laporte) who pushed for a result of pooling the assets of the two clubs. One of the arguments frequently employed in favour of fusion was that the local companies did not know which club to promote.

On the 10th of March, 2006, Bordeaux Rugby Metropolis was created. This association gathered a network of local companies eager to imply themselves in the formation of a large club in Bordeaux.

Bordeaux Rugby Metropolis organised in June 2006 the event 'Bordeaux Rugby Quinconces' which brought together 25,000 people and 100 companies during 3 days on the Esplanade of the Quinconces of Bordeaux. Under the influence of the association, the historical dissensions between the two clubs were partly alleviated. A union was sealed, in the shape of a Professional Sporting Public Limit Company (SASP), with the issue of work for a committee made up of six members resulting with members from each of the two clubs (CABBG : Michel Moga, Alban Moga, Raymond Chatenet; Stade bordelais : Jean-Pierre Lamarque, Herve Hargous, Philippe Moulia).

Only the professional squads were actually merged, as each club has kept its youth teams to this day.

The new team took the place of the Stade Bordelais in the Pro D2. The training centre of Bègles is particularly strong and will hopefully provide players to the top grades.

For their first seasons, the team profited from a budget of €3.6 million. Frederic Martini remained one year as the president of USBCABBG before yielding his place to Laurent Marti, entrepreneur bergeracois (Groupe Top Tex, basé à Toulouse) at the start of the 2006 season. The new president has contributed to finalising where the Union's home ground would be (Stage Andre Moga de Bègles), and the unpronouncable name "USBCABBG" which became Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB) in the spring of 2008. Laurent Marti contributed largely to increase the club's budget, passing it from €3,8 million (euros) in 2007–08 to €4,2 million (euros) 2008–09. The ambition is to rediscover the clubs elite form in a short-term (two or three years).

The Pro D2 2010–11 season, saw the club finish fifth place on the table and gaining a place in the finals. The UBB beat Grenoble (12-19) in the semis, securing their spot in the final against SC Albi. The grand final took place in Agen with the final result going to the Bordealaise (14-21), also seeing them promoted to the Top 14.

Name

In spite of calls to simplify the club name, "Union Stade bordelais-C.A.Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde" was adopted; neither of the two clubs wanting to yield. The Béglais refused to disappear within a name which would only mention Bordeaux (for example, Bordeaux Rugby), whereas, at the time, top-level rugby in the area was the CAB. "We found it hard to find a name for the club which is appropriate for the two teams. The selected name respects the concepts of parity and equilibrium" (Philippe Moulia, président du Stade bordelais omnisports)

In May 2008, the club's name, known for its length, was changed to 'Union Bordeaux Bègles'.

Stadium

The other problem related to the home ground. Neither of the two clubs wanted to yield, so that, for their first season, the team was to play 7 matches at the Stade Sainte-Germaine at Bouscat and the other 7 matches at the Stade André-Moga at Bègles—although the rules of the (French) National Rugby League specify that no Pro D2 rugby club could play their home matches at two different home grounds. During the second season, it was decided that the 1st grade matches would be held in Bègles, while the lower grade matches would be held in Bouscat.

For their ascent to the Top14 competition(2011–12 season), it was decided that matches would be shared between Stade Andre Moga (in Bègles) and Stade Chaban-Delmas (in Bordeaux) as follows:

• Stade Chaban-Delmas

- Between eight and ten matches in Top14

- One match in the European Challenge Cup (Amlin Challenge Cup)

• Stade André-Moga

- Between three and five matches in the Top 14 Championship

- The three others matches in the European Challenge Cup (Amlin Challenge Cup)

Logo

The logo represents, on one side the blue and white checker work of CA Béglais and the other side the yellow lion with a black base of Stade Bordelais. The crescents symbolises the city of Bordeaux.

Honours / Results

Rugby Pro D2

• 2010–11 - 5th; won promotion playoffs
• 2009–10 - 9th
• 2008–09 - 11th
• 2007–08 - 12th
• 2006–07 - 12th
• 2005–06 - 7th

Current standings

2014–15 Top 14 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Difference	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Points
1	Toulon	23	14	0	9	638	465	+173	69	46	6	4	66
2	Clermont	23	13	1	9	542	411	+131	50	35	4	4	62
3	Toulouse	23	14	0	9	472	431	+41	41	31	2	3	61
4	Stade Français	23	13	1	9	528	509	+19	54	47	5	2	61
5	Racing Métro	23	12	2	9	461	441	+20	43	34	2	4	58
6	Oyonnax	23	13	0	10	446	425	+21	31	34	2	3	57
7	Montpellier	23	10	2	11	466	436	+30	37	38	2	5	51
8	Bordeaux	23	10	0	13	615	512	+103	56	40	3	8	51
9	La Rochelle	23	10	3	10	474	580	–106	40	57	2	2	50
10	Brive	23	11	0	12	444	520	−76	35	53	2	2	48
11	Grenoble	23	10	0	13	553	658	–105	48	62	3	5	48
12	Castres	23	10	0	13	446	525	−69	41	52	3	4	47
13	Bayonne	23	9	1	13	441	465	−24	34	36	4	5	47
14	Lyon	23	7	0	16	414	562	−148	38	52	0	7	35
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Competition points earned in head-to-head matches Points difference in head-to-head matches Try differential in head-to-head matches Points difference in all matches Try differential in all matches Points scored in all matches Tries scored in all matches Fewer matches forfeited' Classification in the previous Top 14 season
Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. Blue background (rows 3 to 6) receive quarter-final play-off places, and receive berths in the Champions Cup. Yellow background (row 7) indicates the team that advances to a play-off against the winner of the Pro12 vs Aviva Premiership play-off, or 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup winner if they have not already qualified for the Champions Cup.[1] Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. Red background (row 13 and 14) will be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Updated 26 April 2015

Current squad

2014–15 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Ole Avei Hooker Samoa Beñat Auzqui Hooker Spain Clément Maynadier Hooker France Xerom Civil Prop France Laurent Delboulbes Prop France Francisco Gomez Kodela Prop Argentina Zaza Navrozashvili Prop Georgia Jefferson Poirot Prop France Jean-Baptiste Poux Prop France Benjamin Sa Prop Samoa Patrick Toetu Prop New Zealand Sébastien Taofifenua Prop France Adam Jaulhac Lock France Mathew Graham Lock New Zealand Jandré Marais Lock South Africa Ben Venter Lock South Africa Berend Botha Lock South Africa Julien Le Devedec Lock France Hugh Chalmers Flanker New Zealand Bertrand Guiry Flanker France Jean-Blaise Lespinasse Flanker France Louis-Benoît Madaule Flanker France Matthew Clarkin (c) Number 8 New Zealand Marco Tauleigne Number 8 France Peter Saili Number 8 New Zealand Taiasina Tui'fua Number 8 Samoa

Player Position Union Heini Adams Scrum-half South Africa Yann Lesgourgues Scrum-half France Baptiste Serin Scrum-half France Lionel Beauxis Fly-half France Pierre Bernard Fly-half France Romain Lonca Fly-half France Lucas Meret Fly-half France Charles Brousse Centre France Thibault Lacroix Centre France Félix Le Bourhis Centre France Julien Rey Centre France Jayden Spence Centre New Zealand Paulin Riva Centre France Lucas Blanc Wing France Blair Connor Wing Australia Sofiane Guitoune Wing France Darly Domvo Fullback France Ulrich Beyers Fullback South Africa Metuisela Talebula Fullback Fiji

See also

• Stade Bordelais
• Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde
• List of rugby union clubs in France
• Rugby union in France

References

External links

• (French) Union Bordeaux Bègles Official website
• (French) Official site of CABBG (Bègles)
• (French) Official site of Stade Bordelais (multi-sports club)
• (French) Supporters site

Top 14 2014–15 Teams Bayonne Bordeaux Brive Castres Clermont Grenoble La Rochelle Lyon Montpellier Oyonnax Racing Métro Stade Français Toulon Toulouse The origins 1892 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 Between the wars 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 During the second world war 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 After the second world war 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–80 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–95 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 Professional era and Top 16 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 Top 14 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 Trophy Bouclier de Brennus

European Rugby Challenge Cup European Professional Club Rugby 2014–15 Teams Bayonne Bordeaux Bègles Brive Cardiff Blues București Wolves Connacht Edinburgh Exeter Chiefs Gloucester Grenoble La Rochelle London Irish London Welsh Lyon Newcastle Falcons Newport Gwent Dragons Oyonnax Rovigo Delta Stade Français Zebre Seasons 2014–15 2015–16 Pool stages 2014–15 2015–16 Champions Cup play-off 2014–15 2015–16 Qualifying Competition European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition

Rugby union in France Governing body Fédération Française de Rugby National teams Men's France A 7s France amateur U-20 U-18 Women's Women's 7's Competitions International World Cup Six Nations Rugby World Cup Sevens Sevens World Series Sevens Grand Prix Series Professional Club European Rugby Champions Cup European Rugby Challenge Cup National Rugby League (France) Top 14 Pro D2 Fédérale 1 Fédérale 2 Fédérale 3 Challenge Yves du Manoir Related articles International players Stadiums Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy Trophée des Bicentenaires Dave Gallaher Trophy Fira Nations Cup