Stade Toulousain

Stade Toulousain
Full name Stade Toulousain
Founded 1907 (1907)
Location Toulouse, France
Ground(s) Stade Ernest-Wallon (Capacity: 19,500)
President Jean-René Bouscatel
Coach(es) Ugo Mola
Captain(s) Thierry Dusautoir
League(s) Top 14
2014–15 3rd (playoff semi-finalists)
1st kit
2nd kit
3rd kit
Official website
www.stadetoulousain.fr

Stade Toulousain (French pronunciation: [stad tuluzɛ̃]) (In Occitan: Estadi Tolosenc), also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is arguably one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup a record four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps and Munster, respectively. Stade Toulousain have also won a record 19 French Championship titles. It is traditionally one of the main providers for the French national team. Their home ground is the Stade Ernest-Wallon. However, big Top 14 matches along with Heineken Cup games are often played at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse. The club colours are red, black and white.

History

Foundation

Before 1907 rugby in Toulouse was only played in schools or universities. In 1893, students of secondary school "Lycée de Toulouse" got together in "les Sans Soucis". Once attending university the same students founded "l'Olympique Toulousain", which became "Stade Olympien des Etudiants de Toulouse" (SOET) a few years later in 1896. In the same period, 'non-students' grouped in "le Sport Atléthique Toulousain" (SAT) while students of the veterinary school created "l'Union Sportive de l'Ecole Vétérinaire" (USEV). Both entities merged in 1905 and called themselves "Véto-Sport". Finally in 1907, Stade Toulousain was founded resulting from a union between the SOET and Véto-Sport.

Early years

The 1912 French champion.

Stade Toulousain played its first final of the national title French Championship in 1909 and lost it to Stade Bordelais Université Club (17–0) in Toulouse. In 1912 Stade Toulousain won its first national title. It 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 by USA Perpignan. Despite losing in 1921, the side went on to win the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926 and 1927 championships.

1930s to 1950s

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.

1970s to 1980s

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 again 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.

Stade Français vs Stade toulousain which took place in Stade de France, Paris, 27 January 2007
Against the Racing club de France, 1912

1990s to present

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. The club made it to the final of the 2005–06 Top 14, and despite only trailing Biarritz 9–6 at half time, Toulouse could not prevent a second-half whitewash, eventually going down 40–13. They ended their seven-year title drought with a 26–20 win over ASM Clermont Auvergne on 28 June 2008. In 2008 they narrowly lost a Heineken Cup Final to Munster by 3 points. In 2010 Toulouse defeated Leinster to reach the final where they faced Biarritz Olympique at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday 22 May 2010. Toulouse won the game by 21–19 to claim their fourth Heineken Cup title,[1][2] making them the only club to ever win the title four times. Stade Toulousain is also the only French club to have taken part in all the editions of Heineken Cup since its creation (17, with the 2011–12 season). They won the French championship in 2011 against Montpellier (15–10) and 2012 against Toulon (18–12). Stade Toulousain reached the semi-finals of the French championship 20 consecutive years (from 1994 to 2013).

Stadium

Toulouse playing Bath in the 2013 Heineken Cup.

Toulouse play their home games at the Stade Ernest-Wallon, which was built in the late 1980s and was recently renovated. Stade Toulousain is one of the three teams (all sports included) that own its stadium. It has a capacity of 19,500. The stadium however cannot always accommodate all the fans of the Toulouse club. For the larger fixtures, such as championship or Heineken Cup games or play-offs, the fixture may be moved to Stadium Municipal, which has double capacity, 38,000. The stadium has been used for numerous matches at the 2007 Rugby World Cup

Honours

Rugby Union

Football

European record

Toulouse qualified for the Heineken Cup in every season of that competition's existence (1995–96 to 2013–14), and played in the inaugural season of the replacement competition, the European Rugby Champions Cup. The club had the best competition record in the Heineken Cup, having won the competition four times.

Season Competition Games Points Notes
played won drawn lost for against difference
2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup
2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup 6 4 0 2 126 124 +2 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 4.
2013–14 Heineken Cup 7 5 0 2 166 110 56 Quarter-finalists (lost to Munster)
2012–13 Heineken Cup 6 4 0 2 132 84 48 Second place in Pool 2; parachuted into European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup 1 0 0 1 19 30 −11 Quarter-finalists (lost to Perpignan)
2011–12 Heineken Cup 7 4 0 3 164 124 40 Quarter-finalists (lost to Edinburgh)
2010–11 Heineken Cup 8 6 0 2 205 137 68 Semi-finalists (lost to Leinster)
2009–10 Heineken Cup 980123214389 Champions (defeated Biarritz Olympique)
2008–09 Heineken Cup 74121279730 Quarter-finalists (lost to Cardiff Blues)
2007–08 Heineken Cup 960321011991 Runners-up (lost to Munster)
2006–07 Heineken Cup 63031471452 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 5.
2005–06 Heineken Cup 751122316558 Quarter-finalists (lost to Leinster)
2004–05 Heineken Cup 9801263144119 Champions (defeated Stade Français)
2003–04 Heineken Cup 9702232113119 Runners-up (lost to Wasps)
2002–03 Heineken Cup 9801308163145 Champions (defeated Perpignan)
2001–02 Heineken Cup 63031511465 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 6.
2000–01 Heineken Cup 6213171182−11 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 3.
1999–00 Heineken Cup 8602256122134 Semi-finalists (lost to Munster)
1998–99 Heineken Cup 7403247118129 Quarter-finalists (lost to Ulster)
1997–98 Heineken Cup 8611273153120 Semi-finalists (lost to Brive)
1996–97 Heineken Cup 6402194197−3 Semi-finalists (lost to Leicester Tigers)
1995–96 Heineken Cup 44001234083 Champions (defeated Cardiff)

Current standings

2015–16 Top 14 Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Tries For Tries Against Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Racing 13 10 1 2 270 225 +45 26 16 1 0 43
2 Toulouse 13 9 0 4 363 176 +187 43 17 4 3 43
3 Toulon 14 8 0 6 416 272 +144 48 24 5 4 41
4 Clermont 13 7 1 5 340 234 +106 32 18 5 4 39
5 Bordeaux 14 8 1 5 290 265 +25 19 19 1 2 37
6 Brive 13 8 0 5 252 211 +41 14 15 1 3 36
7 Montpellier 13 8 0 5 332 318 +14 33 27 3 1 36
8 Castres 13 7 0 6 294 273 +21 30 20 3 2 33
9 Grenoble 13 6 0 7 323 343 −20 33 37 3 1 28
10 La Rochelle 13 5 0 8 264 301 −37 24 23 2 4 26
11 Stade Français 13 5 0 8 245 285 −40 19 24 0 2 22
12 Pau 13 4 1 8 207 370 −163 15 43 0 2 20
13 Oyonnax 13 3 0 10 220 411 −191 18 46 2 0 14
14 Agen 13 2 0 11 259 391 −132 19 35 0 2 10

If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

  1. Competition points earned in head-to-head matches
  2. Points difference in head-to-head matches
  3. Try differential in head-to-head matches
  4. Points difference in all matches
  5. Try differential in all matches
  6. Points scored in all matches
  7. Tries scored in all matches
  8. Fewer matches forfeited
  9. Classification in the previous Top 14 season
Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2016–17 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 may qualify for the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup. To facilitate the 2015 Rugby World Cup, there will be no play-offs for the Champions Cup with the 20th place going to the winner of the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup if not already qualified.
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 14 February 2016

Current squad

For player movements leading up to the 2016–17 season, see List of 2016–17 Top 14 transfers#Toulouse.

2015-16 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
Corey Flynn Hooker New Zealand New Zealand
Julien Marchard Hooker France France
Christopher Tolofua Hooker France France
Dorian Aldgeheri Prop France France
Cyril Baille Prop France France
Census Johnston Prop Samoa Samoa
Vasil Kakovin Prop Georgia (country) Georgia
Gert Muller Prop South Africa South Africa
Gurthrö Steenkamp Prop South Africa South Africa
Neemia Tialata Prop New Zealand New Zealand
Patricio Albacete Lock Argentina Argentina
Yoann Maestri Lock France France
Romain Millo-Chluski Lock France France
Joe Tekori Lock Samoa Samoa
Yacouba Camara Flanker France France
Francois Cros Flanker France France
Thierry Dusautoir Flanker France France
Tala Gray Flanker Australia Australia
Imanol Harinordoquy Flanker France France
Grégory Lamboley Flanker France France
Gillian Galan Number 8 France France
Edwin Maka Number 8 Tonga Tonga
Louis Picamoles Number 8 France France
Player Position Union
Sébastien Bézy Scrum-half France France
Jean-Marc Doussain Scrum-half France France
David Mele Scrum-half France France
Toby Flood Fly-half England England
Luke McAlister Fly-half New Zealand New Zealand
Arthur Bonneval Centre France France
Yann David Centre France France
Florian Fritz Centre France France
Gaël Fickou Centre France France
Vincent Clerc Wing France France
Yoann Huget Wing France France
Semi Kunatani Wing Fiji Fiji
Timoci Matanavou Wing Fiji Fiji
Alexis Palisson Wing France France
Paul Perez Wing Samoa Samoa
Maxime Médard Fullback France France
Clément Poitrenaud Fullback France France
Thomas Ramos Fullback France France

Notable former players

see also Category:Stade Toulousain rugby union players

Selected former coaches

see also Category:Stade Toulousain rugby union coaches

Presidents

Fans

See also

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.