Lyon OU

Lyon OU

Full name	Lyon Olympique Universitaire
Nickname(s)	Les Loups (The Wolves)
Founded	1896
Location	Lyon, France
Ground(s)	Matmut Stadium (Capacity: 8,000)
President	Yvan Patet
Coach(es)	Matthieu Lazerges Raphaël Saint-André
League(s)	Top 14
2010-11	Champions, Pro D2
1st kit 2nd kit

Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that competes in the Top 14, the first level of the country's professional league system. They earned their spot in the Top 14 by winning the 2010–11 title of the second-tier Pro D2.

They were founded in 1896 and play in red and black. They are based in Lyon in Rhône-Alpes, and play at the Stade Vuillermet, in Lyon.

History

Le LOU, as it is traditionally known, is one of the oldest sports clubs in France and among the first outside Paris to have set up a rugby section. The club’s original name was Racing Club, the result of a merger of the Racing Club de Vaise and the Rugby Club de Lyon. It was renamed Racing et Cercles Réunis in 1902 after several other clubs joined it, then a few months later Lyon Olympique. Finally, in 1910, it became Lyon Olympique Universitaire. The red and black were adopted in 1902.

The club developed several sections (it now has 13), one the most successful being the rugby union section, which is now known as LOU Rugby. The rugby club took part in three successive French championship finals (1931–33), losing the first one to RC Toulon (3-6) but winning the next two against RC Narbonne (9-3 and 10-3). It then played in lower amateur leagues until it was promoted back to the second professional division (Pro D2). In 2006-07, it had the second biggest budget of the championship and its ambition was to rejoin the Top 14 in the next two years, under the leadership of their coach Christian Lanta, who formerly led Racing Club de France, Italian club Treviso and SU Agen. However, they would not succeed in their promotion quest until 2011.

Honours

• Champion de France:
  • Champions 1932, 1933
  • Runners-up: 1931
• Rugby Pro D2:
  • Champions: 2011
• Challenge Yves du Manoir:
  • Champions: 1933
• Fédérale 1:
  • Champions: 2002
• Deuxième Division:
  • Champions: 1989, 1992

Finals results

French championship

Date	Winner	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Spectators
10 May 1931	RC Toulon	Lyon OU	6-3	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	10,000
5 May 1932	Lyon OU	RC Narbonne	9-3	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	13,000
7 May 1933	Lyon OU	RC Narbonne	10-3	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	15,000

Challenge Yves du Manoir

Year	Winner	Score	Runner-up
1932	SU Agen	round robin	Lyon OU
1933	Lyon OU	round robin	SU Agen

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 Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux Hooker France Vincent Colliat Hooker France Tony Testa Hooker Italy Bogdan Balan Prop Romania Julien Facundo Prop France Xavier Fiard Prop France Antoine Guillamon Prop France Guram Kavtidze Prop Georgia Sébastien Petit Prop France Tariel Ratianidze Prop Georgia Anthony Roux Prop France Vincent Ruyssen Prop France Arnauld Tchougong Prop Cameroon Philemon Toleafoa Prop Samoa Coenraad Basson Lock South Africa Arnaud Marchois Lock France Christian Njewel Lock Cameroon Christian Short Lock Ireland Jean Sousa Lock France Pierre Vigouroux Lock France Luke Abraham Flanker England Nicolas Bontinck Flanker France Vincent Clément Flanker France Arnaud Dorier Flanker France Gérald Gambetta Flanker France Josselin Grange Flanker France Eugène N'Zi Flanker France Sisa Koyamaibole Number 8 Fiji Juan Manuel Leguizamón Number 8 Argentina Alexandru Manta Number 8 Romania

Player Position Union Ricky Januarie Scrum-half South Africa Brice Salobert Scrum-half France Romain Veniat Scrum-half France Régis Lespinas Fly-half France Xavier Sadourny Fly-half France Alipate Fatafehi Centre Tonga Nicolas Raffault Centre France Waisele Sukanaveita Centre Fiji Lee Thomas Centre Wales Laurent Tranier Centre France Vinaya Wakanivuga Centre Fiji James Bailey Wing England Rémy Grosso Wing France Mosese Ratuvou Wing Fiji Franck Romanet Wing France Éric Tomamichel Wing France Romain Loursac Fullback France Thibault Suchier Fullback France Mark van Gisbergen Fullback England

Transfers 2011/2012

Players In

• Juan Manuel Leguizamón (from Stade Français)
• Mark van Gisbergen (from London Wasps)
• Arnauld Tchougong (from CS Bourgoin-Jallieu)
• Arnaud Marchois (from Stade Français)
• Anthony Roux (from US Colomiers)
• Sisa Koyamaibole (from Sale Sharks)
• Coenie Basson (from CS Bourgoin-Jallieu)
• Ricky Januarie (from Stormers)

External links

• Official site
• LOU Omnisports (sportsclub)