Rugby Union is the second most popular team sport in France with over 200,000
players and around 1700 clubs. The game has been played in France for over one
hundred years and France usually ranked amongst the top five rugby nations in
the world. There are 14 professional clubs that compete in the national and
European championships. The majority of the big name clubs are located in the
south of the country, particularly in the Aquitaine, Midi Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon
regions, where there is a real passion for the game.
Big rugby matches in the South are also a carnival atmosphere. Rugby Union in
the ‘deep south’ is something of a religion and is a great way to
get a real taste of the south. From September to May (mostly Sunday afternoons)
the cities and towns of the south go at it. Ten of the 14 A League clubs are
from the ‘deep south’ and local derbys are something to behold.
The French are still very much into the ‘biff’ not to mention the
bite, the gouge and the squirrel grip. The animation in the stands is usually
something else with full brass bands supporting each team in the stands! Bring
some earplugs.
Note; the US in the name of many clubs stands for Union Sportif. Also many rugby
clubs were formed out of cycling (Racing), rowing (Aviron) and athletic (Olympique)
clubs and still retain the name even though they may have eclipsed the original
sport. Examples: USA Perpignan, Racing Club Narbonne, Biarritz Olympique, Aviron
Bayonnais etc.
Agen, Albi, Bayonne, Beziers,
Biarritz, Castres, Montauban, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan, Toulouse and
Toulon are rugby hotspots in the south.
Several of the Top 14
division clubs also compete in the European
Challenge Cup often referred to as the Hieneken Cup.
First Division (Top
14)
SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne
| Agen 47000 Aquitaine | Stade Armandie
SC Albi | Albi 81000
Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Municipal d'Albi
Aviron Bayonnais
| Bayonne 64100 Aquitaine | Garage de la Nive
Biarritz Olympique | Biarritz
64200 Aquitaine | Parc des Sports Aguiléra
CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
| Bourgoin-Jallieu 38304 Rhône-Alpes | Stade Pierre Rajon
CA Brive | Brive
19100 Limousin | Stade Amédée-Domenech
Castres
Olympique | Castres 81100 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Pierre-Antoine
(16,000)
ASM Clermont Auvergne
| Clermont-Ferrand 63100 Auvergne | Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin
US Montauban | Montauban
82003 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Sapiac
Montpellier Hérault
RC | Montpellier 34070 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Sabathé
RC Narbonne
| Narbonne (Aude) 11106 Languedoc-Roussillon | Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié
Stade Français |
Paris 75016 Ile de France | Stade Jean-Bouin
USA Perpignan | Perpignan
66000 Languedoc-Roussillon | Stade Aimé Giral
Stade Toulousain
| Toulouse 31200 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Ernest-Wallon
Second Division (Pro
D2)
FC Auch | Auch 32000 Midi-Pyrénées
| Stade du Moulias (7,000)
AS Béziers | Beziers 34501 Languedoc-Roussillon
| Stade de la Méditerranée (17,000)
US Colomiers
| Colomiers 31770 Aquitaine | Sélery (11,000)
US Dax | Dax 40100 Aquitaine
| Stade Maurice Boyau (15,000)
UA Gaillac | Gaillac
81600 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Laborie-Bernard Laporte (4,000)
FC Grenoble | Grenoble
38100 Rhône-Alpes | Stade Lesdiguières (15,000)
Atlantique Stade
Rochelais | La Rochelle 17051 Poitou-Charente | Stade Marcel-Deflandre
(12,000)
USA Limoges | Limoges
87000 Limousin | Parc municipal de Beaublanc
Lyon OU | Lyon 69008
Rhône-Alpes | Stade Vuillermet (4,000)
Stade Montois
| Mont Marsan 40000 Aquitaine | Stade Guy-Boniface (5,000)
Oyonnax
Rugby | Oyonnax 01100 Rhône-Alpes | Stade Charles-Mathon (6,000)
Section
Paloise | Pau 64000 Aquitaine | Stade du Hameau (14,000)
Racing
Métro 92 | Paris 92700 Ile de France | Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
(6,500)
CA Bordeaux-Begles Gironde
| Bordeaux 33000 Aquitaine | Stade André Moga (9,000)
Tarbes Pyrénées
Rugby | Tarbes 65000 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Maurice Trélut
(17,000)
RC Toulon | Toulon
83000 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Stade Mayol (13,000)
Rugby League
League in France is tiny compared to Union. It is mainly played in the Languedoc-Roussillon
and Provence Regions.
AS Carcassonne | Carcassonne
11000 Languedoc-Roussillon | Stade Albert-Domec
Carpentras XIII
| Carpentras 84200 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Stade de la Roseraie
Les Catalans
| Perpignan 66000 Languedoc-RoussillonStade | Aimé Giral
Lézignan Sangliers
| Lézignan (11) 11200 Languedoc-Roussillon | Stade Le Moulin
Limoux Grizzlies |
Limoux (11) 11300 Languedoc-Roussillon | Stade de l'Aiguille
Lyon Villeurbanne | Lyon
69000 Rhône-Alpes | Stade Georges Lyvet
Marseille XIII Marseille 13000 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |Stade de
Lamartine
Pia
XIII | Pia (66) 66380 Languedoc-Roussillon |Stade Daniel Ambert
St Gaudens | St Gaudens 31800 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade Jules Ribet
Toulouse Olympique |
Toulouse 35000 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade des Minimes
US Villeneuve | Villeneuve-sur-Lot 47300 Midi-Pyrénées | Stade
de la Myre Mory
Villefranche XIII
Aveyron | Villefranche-de-Rouergue 12200 Midi-Pyrénées |
Stade Billeterie
|
