Stade Toulousain

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Stade Toulousain
Logo Stade cerne noir.png
Full nameStade Toulousain
Nickname(s)Le Stade
Les rouge et noir (The reds and black)
Founded1907; 114 years ago (1907)
LocationToulouse, France
Ground(s)Stade Ernest-Wallon (Capacity: 19,500)
President
Coach(es)Ugo Mola
Captain(s)Julien Marchand
League(s)Top 14
2020–211st (champions)
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.stadetoulousain.fr

Stade Toulousain (French pronunciation: ​[stad tuluzɛ̃]) (Occitan: Estadi Tolosenc), also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Occitania and the reigning Top 14 and European Rugby Champions Cup champion. Toulouse is the most successful club in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup a record five times – in 1996, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2021. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps and Munster, respectively. Stade Toulousain have also won a record 21 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 European Rugby Champions Cup games are often played at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse. The club colours are red, black and white.

History[]

Logo of Thomas Aquinas in the Basilica of Saint Sernin.
Capitouls in traditional costume.

References rooted in the history of the city[]

Since its creation in 1907, the Stade toulousain was designed to be in line with the history of the city.

The logo: Before evoking the name of the Stade toulousain, the interlaced letters ST refer to Saint Thomas Aquinas whose bones have been lying in the church of the Jacobins in Toulouse since the 14th century. However, it is at the Basilica of Saint-Sernin that the link with the Stade toulousain is to be found, because after the French Revolution the relics of Saint Thomas Aquinas were moved there for almost two centuries. The tiled floor of the axis chapel bears witness to this passage with an interlaced ST monogram for Saint Thomas which is the inspiration for the logo of the Stade toulousain.

The club colours: The historical colours of the club are red and black, and it is in the ceremonial costume of the capitouls of Toulouse that the relationship must be sought. A municipal body created in 1147, the capitouls were until the French Revolution the consuls of the city. Their traditional costume was red and black (with white later), as shown in the oldest portraits dating from the 14th century.

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[]

Yannick Jauzion.

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 emulated its success in the European Rugby Cup, becoming the first ever champions in the .

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 championship and the 2004–05 championship. The club made it to the final of the , 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 first club to 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 was used for numerous matches at the 2007 Rugby World Cup

Honours[]

Rugby Union[]

  • World Club Championship:
    • Champions (2): 1986, 1990
  • Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup
    • Champions (5): 1996, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2021
    • Runners-up: 2004, 2008
  • French Champions:
  • Challenge Yves du Manoir:
    • Champions (4): 1934, 1988, 1993, 1995
    • Runners-up: 1971 1984
  • French Cup:
    • Champions (4): 1946, 1947, 1984, 1998
    • Runners-up: 1949, 1985

Football[]

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

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 have the best competition record in the Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup, having won the competition five times and having played seven finals.
  • Stade toulousain completed "the Double" (Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup-National Championship) 2 times (1995-1996 and 2020-2021), a record shared with Leicester Tigers (2000-2001 and 2001-2002) and Saracens (2015-2016 and 2018-2019).


Season Competition Games Points Notes
played won drawn lost for against difference
2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup 6 1 0 5
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 9 8 0 1 232 143 89 Champions (defeated Biarritz Olympique)
2008–09 Heineken Cup 7 4 1 2 127 97 30 Quarter-finalists (lost to Cardiff Blues)
2007–08 Heineken Cup 9 6 0 3 210 119 91 Runners-up (lost to Munster)
2006–07 Heineken Cup 6 3 0 3 147 145 2 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 5.
2005–06 Heineken Cup 7 5 1 1 223 165 58 Quarter-finalists (lost to Leinster)
2004–05 Heineken Cup 9 8 0 1 263 144 119 Champions (defeated Stade Français)
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 Perpignan)
2001–02 Heineken Cup 6 3 0 3 151 146 5 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 6.
2000–01 Heineken Cup 6 2 1 3 171 182 −11 Failed to exit group stages from Pool 3.
1999–00 Heineken Cup 8 6 0 2 256 122 134 Semi-finalists (lost to Munster)
1998–99 Heineken Cup 7 4 0 3 247 118 129 Quarter-finalists (lost to Ulster)
1997–98 Heineken Cup 8 6 1 1 273 153 120 Semi-finalists (lost to Brive)
1996–97 Heineken Cup 6 4 0 2 194 197 −3 Semi-finalists (lost to Leicester Tigers)
1995–96 Heineken Cup 4 4 0 0 123 40 83 Champions (defeated Cardiff)

Current standings[]

2020–21 Top 14 Table · · discuss
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff. Tries for Tries against Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1 Toulouse (C) 26 17 1 8 767 557 +210 92 53 8 3 81
2 La Rochelle (RU) 26 17 0 9 726 452 +274 79 41 6 4 78
3 Racing (SF) 26 17 0 9 757 577 +180 82 48 6 4 78
4 Bordeaux Bègles (SF) 26 15 1 10 740 546 +216 78 41 7 3 72
5 Clermont (QF) 26 15 1 10 830 619 +211 88 61 6 5 71
6 Stade Français (QF) 26 15 0 11 701 622 +79 69 63 6 6 70
7 Castres 26 15 1 10 625 676 −51 61 63 3 5 69
8 Toulon 26 14 0 13 641 605 +36 62 53 7 4 66
9 Lyon 26 14 1 11 678 568 +110 74 56 3 4 65
10 Montpellier 26 10 0 16 579 615 –36 51 58 6 9 54
11 Brive 26 11 0 15 585 711 −126 52 78 2 5 51
12 Pau 26 9 1 16 688 752 −64 65 76 3 10 46
13 Bayonne (R) 26 10 0 16 565 796 −231 48 94 1 5 46
14 Agen (R) 26 0 0 26 315 1101 −696 30 146 0 2 2

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 2021–22 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 (rows 7 and Montpellier) indicates teams outside the play-offs that also earn a place in the Champions Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2021–22 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Pink background (row 13) will qualify to the relegation play-offs.
Red background (row 14) will automatically be relegated to Rugby Pro D2.

Final table — source: [1]
Updated: 5 June 2021

Current squad[]

The Toulouse squad for the 2021–22 season is:[3]

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
Hooker France France
Julien Marchand Hooker France France
Peato Mauvaka Hooker France France
David Ainu'u Prop United States United States
Dorian Aldegheri Prop France France
Cyril Baille Prop France France
Charlie Faumuina Prop New Zealand New Zealand
Rodrigue Neti Prop France France
Prop France France
Richie Arnold Lock Australia Australia
Rory Arnold Lock Australia Australia
Lock France France
Lock France France
Lock Australia Australia
Joe Tekori Lock Samoa Samoa
François Cros Back row France France
Rynhardt Elstadt Back row South Africa South Africa
Anthony Jelonch Back row France France
Back row France France
Back row France France
Selevasio Tolofua Back row France France
Back row France France
Player Position Union
Alexi Balès Scrum-half France France
Antoine Dupont Scrum-half France France
Scrum-half France France
Zack Holmes Fly-half Australia Australia
Romain Ntamack Fly-half France France
Pita Ahki Centre New Zealand New Zealand
Santiago Chocobares Centre Argentina Argentina
Centre France France
Centre France France
Sofiane Guitoune Centre France France
Juan Cruz Mallía Centre Argentina Argentina
Centre France France
Lucas Tauzin Centre France France
Wing France France
Matthis Lebel Wing France France
Maxime Médard Fullback France France
Tim Nanai-Williams Fullback Samoa Samoa
Thomas Ramos Fullback France France

Selected former coaches[]

Pierre Villepreux and Jean-Claude Skrela, 1985.

Notable former players[]

Presidents[]

  •  : 1954–57
  •  : 1964–66
  •  : 1966–73
  •  : 1974–80
  • Jean Fabre : 1980–89
  •  : 1992–2017
  •  : 2017-

Fans[]

  • Le Huit (fan club of Stade toulousain)
  • Le Huit Section Aveyron
  • Le Rouge et le Noir (formerly Les ultras), the oldest fan club.
  • Le 16e homme
  • Le 16e homme Toulousains 2 Paris (Stade Toulousain's supporters Club at Paris)
  • L'amicale des Supporters
  • Le Virage Toulousain
  • Tolosa XV
  • Les Rouge et Noir de Picardie

See also[]

  • List of rugby union clubs in France
  • Rugby union in France

References[]

  1. ^ Cleary, Mick (22 May 2010). "Toulouse lead French revolution with Heineken Cup final win against Biarritz". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Biarritz 19–21 Toulouse: As it happened". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Staff équipe Pro". Stade Toulousain (in French). Retrieved 6 September 2019.

External links[]

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