Villeneuve Leopards

Villeneuve Leopards
Leopard
Club information
Full name Union Sportive Villeneuve XIII — Léopards d'Aquitaine
Website www.villeneuve-leopards.com
Colours Green
Founded 1934
Current details
Ground(s)
  • Max Rousié Stadium
CEO(s) Michel Thiolat, Jean-Pierre Sagnettes
Coach(s) David Despin, Antoine Lopes
Competition Elite One Championship

Villeneuve Leopards, translated from Léopards d'Aquitaine and sometimes known as Union Sportive Villeneuve, are a French rugby league club from the town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the département of Lot-et-Garonne. They play in the Elite One Championship.

History

Sport Athlétique Villeneuvois.13 (SAV.13) was founded during the last two weeks of May 1934. The majority of the Villeneuve rugby union team and members (CAV.15, led by French rugby union international Jean Galia switched to rugby league.

SAV.13 were the first to club to become a member of the Ligue Française de Rugby à 13 (LFR.13) on June 2, 1934. Villeneuve remain as the oldest rugby league club in France. SAV.13 became the first French side to tour England in September 1934.

Villeneuve won the inaugural French Rugby League Championship in the 1934-35 season. Having lost the 1936 Lord Derby Cup final they made amends in 1937 by defeating XIII Catalan.

Due to the banning of rugby league by the Vichy regime in 1940 SAV.13 switched to rugby union and were renamed Union Sportive Villeneuve.15 (USV.15). Towards the end of the Second World War the LFR.13 was re-established and rugby league returned to Villeneuve under the name USV.13.

Villeneuve became national champions again in 1959, 1964 and twice more in the early 1980s. They also lifted the Lord Derby Cup in 1958, 1964, 1979 and 1984. In 1998, USV.13 added the nickname "Les léopards d'Aquitaine".

Villeneuve experienced a glorious era from 1996 to 2003, appearing in every Grand Final except one. They won five championships in eight years culminating in their 31-18 victory over St.Gaudens in 2003. Villeneuve played in four Lord Derby Cup finals in this period and won every one. During this period they also became the first French club to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious Rugby League Challenge Cup on 11 March 2001.

In 2005, USV.13 went bankrupt and a new club was formed named Villeneuve.13 Rugby League (V.13-RL). The Léopards made history in 2005 when they signed the Russian international halfback, Ouchillikos Novel. He was signed after an impressive performance in the defeat to France in the 2005 European Nations Cup.

2015/16 Squad

* As of 1 September 2015:

2015/16 Villeneuve Squad
First team squad Coaching staff
  • 1 Quentin N'Jiensen Tagne - FB
  • 2 Louis Ayling - WG
  • 3 Gaetan Vick - CE
  • 4 Thomas Soares - CE
  • 5 Damien Gauthier - WG
  • 6 Thomas Lavesnes - SO
  • 7 Thibault Gruppi - SH
  • 8 Houcine Fakir - PR
  • 9 Benjamin Soulage - HK
  • 10 Halim Moualkia - PR, SR
  • 11 Loic Maria - SR
  • 12 Geoffrey Zava - SR, LF, PR
  • 13 Esteban Hermosilla - LF
  • 14 Mathieu Djebarni - WG
  • 15 Mohamed Kaleche - PR
  • 16 Walid Bouregba - SR
  • 17 Abdelkader Lecheheb - PR
  • 18 Farid Nicolas - WG
  • 19 Ilyes Nachit - CE
  • 20 Benjamin Lavesnes - WG
  • 21 Erwin Escoder - FB, WG
  • 22 Anouar El Azizi - HB
  • 23 Baptiste Troyes - LF
  • 24 Malek El Ouazizi - CE
  • 25 Driss El Abdellaoui - WG

Head coach

Assistant coaches


Legend:
  • (c) Captain
  • (vc) Vice captain

Updated: 1 Seotember 2015
Source(s): 2015/16 Squad

2015/16 transfers

Gains

Player Signed from Contract Length Date

Losses

Player Signed for Contract Length Date
Australia Rhys Curran Toulouse Olympique 2 Years September 2015

Honours

Champion of France

Cup of France

European Club Cup

Holder : 1996 (Trophy Jack Wilson), 1998, 1999.

International Players

French or assimilated

- SAV.13

  • Sylvain Bes
  • André Brinsolles
  • Maurice Brunetaud
 
  • Baptiste Carbo
  • Etienne Cougnenc
  • Jean Daffis
     

- USV.13

  • Guy Augey
  • Bertrand Ballouhey
  • Frédéric Banquet
  • Paul Bartoletti
  • Angelo Boldini
  • Régis Brioux
  • Maurice Brunetaud
  • Gaston Calixte
  • Laurent Carrasco
  • André Carrère
  • Max Chantal
  • Christian Clar
  • Jean Pierre Clar
   
  • Roger Garnung
  • Antoine Geronazzo
  • Gabriel Genoud
  • Antoine Gonzalez
  • Jacques Gruppi
  • Raymond Gruppi
  • Didier Hermet
  • Jérôme Hermet
  • Antoine Jimenez
  • André Lacaze
  • Pascal Laroche
  • Michel Laville
  • Odé Lespes
 
  • Christian Maccali
  • Jean Pierre Magagnin
  • Robert Majorel
  • Alain Maury
  • Michel Mazaré
  • Jacques Merquey
  • Jean Pano
  • Daniel Pélerin
  • Bertrand Planté
  • Jean Planté
  • Julien Rinaldi
  • Joël Roosebrouck
  • Christian Sabatié
 

- V XIII RL

Foreigners

Note

Maurice Brunetaud and Henri Durand are members of the very small group of French rugby players who were Internationals before and after WWII and Rugby League's banishment by Vichy (Oct. 1940 to Sept.1944).

Coaches

  • 1934-36: J. Galia,
  • 1937-40: R. Griffoul,
  • 1940-45: J. Barrés, J. Daffis;
  • 1946-50: R. Manieu,
  • 1950-53: B. Carbo,
  • 1956-57: A. Jimenez,
  • 1957-58: R. Estrada,
  • 1958-62: R. Manieu,
  • 1962-66: Jep Lacoste,
  • 1967-68: R. Manieu,
  • 1968-70: O. Nogaro,
  • 1970-72: M. Monclus,
 
  • 1973-76: Jep Lacoste,
  • 1976-78: E. Courtine, O. Nogaro-JP. Clar,
  • 1978-82: R. Gruppi,
  • 1982-84: B. Ballouhey, J. Balleroy,
  • 1985-86: J. Gruppi,
  • 1988-89: M. Mazaré,
  • 1988-90: S. Cuyas, M. Wakefiel,
  • 1990-91: M. Wakefield,
  • 1991-92: M. Wakefield-A. Lopès,
  • 1992-94: A. Lopès,
  • 1994-95: K. Taylor, JP. Goguet,
  • 1995-97: D. Ellis,
 
  • 1997-98: D. Ellis, JL. Albert,
  • 1998-00: G. Doorey-D.Despin,
  • 2001-03: JL. Albert,
  • 2003-04: J. Ackland, D. Despin,
  • 2004-05: D. Despin, B. Planté,
  • 2005-06: B. Planté-P. Hollovoet,
  • 2006-07: P. Hollovoet-V. Wulf,

Presidents

  • 1934-37: G. Bordeneuve,
  • 1937-41: Dr L. Vinson,
  • 1941-45: G. Prady (USV.XV),
  • 1945-53: Drs L. Vinson et P. Mourgues,
  • 1953-61: Me J. Maury,
  • 1961-62: R. Bagilet, J. Bouyssonnie,
  • 1962-65: A. Escande,
  • 1965-73: G. Marès,
  • 1973-74: E. Benguigui,
  • 1974-78: Dr F. Derieux,
  • 1978-88: Dr F. Mourgues,
  • 1988-89: J. Dachary,
  • 1989-90: P. Conduché, C. Succarat, C. Amadieu,
  • 1990-92: M. Benet,
 
  • 1992-93: C. Gabrielli,
  • 1993-94: Dr M. Dupuet,
  • 1994-99: E. Courtine, G. Troupel,
  • 1999-00: G. Troupel, P. Soubiran,
  • 2000-03: P. Soubiran,
  • 2003-04: Mme J. Lombard,
  • 2004-05: Dr M. Pierre,
  • 2005-06: Dr M. Pierre, F. Didier, J. Balleroy
  • 2006-07: F. Didier, JM. Barjour

Famous players, coaches, presidents

  • France Jean Luc Albert (coach)
  • France Frédéric Banquet
  • France Paul Bartoletti
  • France Angelo Boldini
  • France G. Bordeneuve (president)
  • France Maurice Brunetaud
  • France Gaston Calixte
  • France Laurent Carrasco
  • France André Carrère
  • France Max Chantal
  • France Jean-Pierre Clar
  • France Etienne Courtine (player & president)
  • France Serge Cuyas
  • France David Despin
  • France Jacques Dubon
  • France Henri Durand
  • France Pascal Eito
  • England David Ellis (coach)
 
  • France Roger Estrada
  • France Jamal Fakir
  • France Laurent Frayssinous
  • France Jean Galia (player & coach)
  • France Roger Garnung
  • France Antoine Gonzalez
  • France Jacques Gruppi & Raymond Gruppi
  • France Marius Guiral
  • France Didier Hermet
  • France Antoine Jimenez
  • France André Lacaze
  • France Jep Lacoste (coach)
  • France Christian Maccali
  • France Raoul Manieu (coach)
  • France G. Marès (president)
  • France Me J. Maury (president)
  • France Michel Mazaré
  • France Jacques Merquey
 
  • France Dr P. Mourgues (president)
  • France Dr F. Mourgues (president)
  • France Léo Murari
  • France Ovide Nogaro
  • France Jean Pano
  • France Daniel Pélerin
  • France Maurice Porra
  • France Julien Rinaldi
  • France Joël Roosebrouck
  • France Max Rousié
  • France Christian Sabatié
  • Australia Paul Sironen
  • France P. Soubiran (president)
  • France Ernest Tarozzi
  • France G. Troupel (president)
  • France Daniel Verdes
  • France Dr L. Vinson (president)

References

    External links

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