Atlantique Stade Rochelais

La Rochelle

Full name	Atlantique Stade Rochelais
Founded	1898
Location	La Rochelle, France
Ground(s)	Stade Marcel-Deflandre (Capacity: 11,500)
President	Alain Autant
Coach(es)	Serge Milhas Frédéric Uthurry
League(s)	Pro D2
2010–11	13th (Top 14) (relegated)
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.staderochelais.com/

Atlantique Stade Rochelais is a French rugby union club who compete in the Pro D2. They are often known simply as La Rochelle.

They were founded in 1898 and play at Stade Marcel-Deflandre (capacity 11,500 incl. 6,700 seated). They wear yellow and black. They are based in La Rochelle in the Charente-Maritime département of the Poitou-Charentes region.

Stadium

Main article: Stade Marcel-Deflandre

The stadium is named after Marcel Deflandre, who was the president of the club born of the fusion between the rugby league and rugby union clubs during WWII in La Rochelle, after the Vichy government forced rugby

Honours

• League Cup (Challenge Yves-du-Manoir) 2002, 2003
• Quarter-finalist of the French Championship in 1961, 1962 and 1969

Current squad

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

Player Position Union Nicolas Brindel Hooker France Benjamin Geledan Hooker France Kevin Le Guen Hooker France Franco Pani Hooker Argentina Alexandre Barès Prop France Andres Bordoy Prop Argentina Stéphane Clément Prop France Romain Frou Prop France Gaëtan Guyon Prop France Tamato Leupolu Prop Samoa Laurent Simutoga Prop France Petrişor Toderasc Prop Romania Cobus Grobler Lock South Africa David McGowan Lock Ireland Robert Mohr (c) Lock Germany Romain Sazy Lock France Georges Souvent Lock France Quentin D'Aram de Valada Flanker France Nicolas Djebaïli Flanker France Piula Faasalele Flanker New Zealand Franck Jacob Flanker France Peïo Som Flanker France Romain Carmignani Number 8 France Thomas Soucaze Number 8 France Alfie To'oala Number 8 Samoa

Player Position Union Benjamin Ferrou Scrum-half France Damien Neveu Scrum-half France Benjamin Dambielle Fly-half France Sebastien Fauque Fly-half France Thomas Combezou Centre France Guillaume Devade Centre France Sefulu Gaugau Centre Tonga Jérôme Jacquet Centre France Seru Rabeni Centre Fiji Vincent Roux Centre France Manoël Dall'Igna Wing France Maxime Lebourhis Wing France Norman Ligairi Wing Fiji Florian Ninard Wing France Sébastien Boboul Fullback France Greg Goosen Fullback South Africa Romain Lacoste Fullback France

In for 2010/2011

• Seru Rabeni (from Leeds Carnegie)
• Manoël Dall'Igna (from Montpellier)
• Quentin D'Aram de Valada (from Toulouse)
• Jonathan Garcia (from Brive)
• Benjamin Geledan (from Biarritz Olympique)
• Romain Sazy (from Montauban)
• Petrişor Toderasc (from Brive)
• Greg Goosen (from Racing Métro)
• Sefulu Gaugau (from Racing Métro)

Out for 2010/2011

• Jerry-Lee Bernard (to Niort)
• Camille Canivet - Released
• Mathieu De Pauw (to Auch)
• Sébastien Morel (to Carcassonne)
• Clément Praud (to Nevers)
• Baptiste Sapparart - Released

In for 2011/2012

• Sebastien Fauqué (from Bayonne)
• Alfie To'ala (from Leeds)

Out for 2011/2012

• Jonathan Garcia (to Agen)
• Rémi Talès (to Castres)
• Thomas Combezou (to Montpellier)
• Romain Frou (to Toulon)
• Nicolas Brindel (to Périgueux)
• Norman Ligaïri (end of his career)

Famous players

• Arnaud Élissalde
• Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
• Jean-Pierre Élissalde

Arnaud, then his son Jean-Pierre and his grandson Jean-Baptiste all played for La Rochelle as scrum-halfs.

• Gérald Merceron
• Julien Pierre
• Seru Rabeni
• Norman Ligaïri

Famous coaches

• Arnaud Élissalde
• Jean-Pierre Élissalde

External links

• Stade Rochelais - Official site (French)