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2009–10 Top 14 season

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2009–10 Top 14 season
Countries France
ChampionsClermont
(1st title)
Runners-upPerpignan
RelegatedMontauban
Albi
Matches played187
Attendance2,610,367
(average 13,959 per match)
Tries scored597
(average 3.2 per match)
Top point scorerFrance Romain Teulet (263)
Top try scorerSouth Africa Sam Gerber (9)

The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.

This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Racing Métro, winners of the 2009 title in the second-level Pro D2, and Albi, victors in the 2009 promotion playoffs between the second- through fifth-placed teams in Pro D2, thus becoming the first team to achieve promotion to the Top 14 only one year after being relegated. They took the place of the two clubs from Landes, Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, relegated at the end of the 2008–09 Top 14. Mont-de-Marsan, which had been promoted to the Top 14 for 2008–09, finished bottom of the table and went down. The other newly promoted team in 2008–09, Toulon, finished ninth, sending Dax, who had already finished second-to-bottom the previous season before being allowed to stay in the Top 14 due to Albi's financial troubles, to Pro D2.

The two teams promoted for 2009–10 had very different results. Albi finished bottom of the table by a wide margin and went directly back to Pro D2. Racing Métro, on the other hand, finished sixth, giving them a berth in the newly expanded playoffs and a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. Bayonne finished in the other relegation spot of 13th place, but were reprieved due to the financial problems of 12th-place Montauban.

The season ended with Clermont winning their first French national title in their nearly century-long history, defeating defending champions Perpignan 19–6 in a rematch of last season's final. This result ended decades of frustration for Les Jaunards and their supporters, who had previously tasted defeat in all 10 of their previous final-game appearances.[1]

Competition format

Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season is conducted in the same order as the first, with the club at home in the first half of the season away in the second. This season introduced a new format for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualify directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualify for a quarterfinal held at the homeground of the higher-ranked team. The semifinals are then held at neutral sites, with the final being played at the Stade de France. This replaced the classical format consisting of semifinals between the top four teams held at neutral sites.

Going into the season, the top six clubs were guaranteed of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. The winners of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup are assured of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup regardless of their league standing. This means that if a club finishes in the top six and wins one of the European competitions, the seventh-place team will gain a Heineken Cup berth. However, if French clubs win both competitions, only five clubs will qualify for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup via their league position because France is capped at seven Heineken Cup places. France can also secure a seventh berth if clubs from England's Guinness Premiership, also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both Cup competitions, and the top club in the European Rugby Club Rankings among those not already qualified for the Heineken Cup is from the Top 14. As it turned out, France earned a seventh berth when Toulouse won the Heineken Cup; because Toulouse had finished fourth on the regular-season table, the extra berth went to seventh-place Biarritz, who were also their opponent in the Heineken Cup final.

The bottom two teams are provisionally relegated to Pro D2, with the possibility of one or both of the bottom teams to be reprieved if a team above them fails a postseason financial audit (mandatory for all clubs in the league).

The LNR used a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match,[2] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. The LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[3]

France's bonus point system operated as follows:[3]

  • 4 points for a win.
  • 2 points for a draw.
  • 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent. This replaces the standard bonus point for scoring 4 tries regardless of the match result.
  • 1 "bonus" point for losing by 7 points (or less).

The teams

Team Captain Head coach Stadium Capacity
Albi France Vincent Clément France Jean Christophe Bacca
France Philippe Laurent
Stadium Municipal d'Albi 13,058
Bayonne France Rémy Martin France Christian Gajan Stade Jean-Dauger 16,934
Biarritz France Jérôme Thion Australia Jack Isaac and
France Jean-Michel Gonzalez
Parc des Sports Aguiléra 15,000
Bourgoin France Julien Frier France Éric Catinot and
France Xavier Péméja
Stade Pierre-Rajon 9,441
Brive France Fabrice Estebanez France Ugo Mola
France Christophe Laussucq
Stade Amédée-Domenech 15,000
Castres France Alexandre Albouy
France Sébastien Tillous-Borde
France Laurent Labit and
France Laurent Travers
Stade Pierre-Antoine 11,500
Clermont France Aurélien Rougerie New Zealand Vern Cotter Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin 16,334
Montauban England Matthew Clarkin France Sébastien Calvet and
France Marc Raynaud
Stade Sapiac 11,500
Montpellier France Fulgence Ouedraogo South Africa Warren Britz Stade Yves-du-Manoir 15,000
Perpignan France Nicolas Mas France Jacques Brunel Stade Aimé-Giral 16,593
Racing Métro France Lionel Nallet France Pierre Berbizier Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir 14,000
Stade Français Argentina Rodrigo Roncero France Jacques Delmas and
France Didier Faugeron
Stade Jean-Bouin 12,000
Stade de France 80,000
Toulon South Africa Joe van Niekerk France Philippe Saint-André Stade Mayol 13,700
Toulouse France Thierry Dusautoir France Guy Novès Stade Ernest-Wallon 19,500
Stadium Municipal 35,472

Stade de France was listed as an alternate home for Stade Français because the club hosted five of their 13 home matches this season at the national stadium. Similarly, Stadium Municipal was listed as an alternate home for Toulouse, who normally play two Top 14 matches a year at that facility. In addition, four other clubs hosted home matches at larger stadiums, and Stade Français took a home match to yet another ground:

Managerial changes

  • On 8 September, Stade Français sacked head coach Ewen McKenzie and his assistant Christophe Dominici after a disastrous start to the season put the Parisians in the drop zone. Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron were named as co-head coaches. Dominici, who owns a small stake in the club, was expected to remain in some capacity.[4] (Stade Français quickly exited relegation danger, scoring bonus-point wins in three of their next four matches.)
  • On 26 October, struggling Brive, lying just above the drop zone at the time, sacked head coach Laurent Seigne. The move came a week after honorary club president Patrick Sébastien resigned.[5] Ugo Mola, previously backs coach for Brive, was promoted to the head coaching position.[6]
  • On 7 November, Richard Dourthe resigned at Bayonne after a run of defeats put them in the drop zone.[7] Club president Francis Salagoïty announced later that day that Thierry Mentières and Jean-Philippe Coyola would serve as co-head coaches.[8]
  • On 19 March, Stade Français announced a reorganisation effective at the end of the 2009–10 season. Michael Cheika, whose contract with Magners League side Leinster expires at the end of this season, signed a three-year deal to become Director of Rugby and effective head coach from 2010–11.[9]

Table

Key to colors
     League champions; receive a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup.
     Top two teams qualify directly to semifinals and receive places in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup.
     Third and fourth placed teams play their quarterfinal at home and also receive automatic Heineken Cup berths.
     Fifth and sixth placed teams play their quarterfinal away and also receive automatic Heineken Cup berths (but see note 1 below).
     Seventh-place Biarritz receive a Heineken Cup berth. See note 2 below the table for the reason.
     Two teams relegated to Rugby Pro D2 — Montauban due to financial issues, and Albi as bottom finisher.
2009–10 Top 14 Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Bonus points Points Head-to-head
1 Perpignan 26 17 0 9 582 412 12 80 Perpignan 5–4
2 Toulon 26 18 1 7 541 456 6 80
3 Clermont 26 15 3 8 644 414 12 78
4 Toulouse 26 15 1 10 524 359 12 74
5 Castres 26 14 3 9 542 398 11 73
6 Racing Métro 26 14 1 11 518 530 6 64
7 Biarritz 26 12 0 14 471 442 11 59
8 Stade Français 26 10 4 12 600 572 10 58 Stade Français 5–4
9 Brive 26 11 2 13 459 513 10 58
10 Montpellier 26 13 0 13 453 574 3 55
11 Bourgoin 26 11 1 14 407 591 4 50
12 Montauban 26 10 2 14 422 525 5 49
13 Bayonne 26 9 0 17 492 490 11 47
14 Albi 26 4 0 22 349 728 8 24
Notes
  1. It was possible that the sixth-place team on the table would not qualify for the Heineken Cup. However, it would occur only if French teams won both the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup, and both of these teams finished outside the top six on the league table. This did not happen in 2009–10 because only one of the European cups was won by a French team (the Heineken Cup by Toulouse).
  2. Conversely, if the only French team to win a European trophy finished in the top six, or if both European trophy winners finished in the top six, the seventh-place finisher would receive a Heineken Cup berth. Since Toulouse finished fourth, Biarritz claimed the extra French berth.

Normally, the bottom two teams are relegated. However, on 1 April, the LNR's financial watchdog, DNACG, called Bourgoin, Montauban, and Stade Français for a financial review. No action was taken against Bourgoin or Stade Français, but DNACG announced that Montauban would be relegated because the club could not assure that they could clear their €1.7 million financial shortfall,[10] which reportedly stemmed from a loan the club took out to improve their ground, Stade Sapiac.[11] Montauban could have appealed at the next DNACG meeting on 4 May,[10] but the club wound up filing for bankruptcy on 26 April.[11] The bankruptcy filing confirmed their relegation from the Top 14. They could potentially have been relegated to Fédérale 3, the fifth level of the French rugby pyramid,[10] but ultimately were relegated to the third-level Fédérale 1. These developments meant that Bayonne, who finished second from bottom, escaped the drop.

If clubs were level on competition points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:

  1. Head-to-head competition points earned.
  2. Points differential in head-to-head matches.
  3. Difference between tries scored and tries conceded in head-to-head matches.
  4. Points differential in all matches.
  5. Difference between tries scored and tries conceded in all matches.
  6. Number of points scored in all matches.
  7. Number of tries scored in all matches.
  8. Number of forfeited matches (fewer forfeits wins).
  9. Final classification in the last Top 14 regular season.
  10. Fewer red cards issued during the season.

Schedule and results

From the official Top 14 site.[12] Within each weekend, matches are to be listed in the following order:

  1. By date.
  2. If matches are held on the same day, by kickoff time.
  3. Otherwise, in alphabetic order of home club.

All times CET or CEST, depending on the time of year.

Rounds 1 to 5

Round 1

  • 14 August, 20:45 — Toulon 22 – 22 Stade Français = 13'480
  • 15 August, 16:00 — Albi (1 BP) 13 – 19 Racing Métro= 8'233
  • 15 August, 16:00 — Biarritz 12 – 24 Castres= 11'530
  • 15 August, 16:00 — Bourgoin 28 – 37 Clermont= 6'577
  • 15 August, 16:00 — Montauban (1 BP) 16 – 17 Toulouse= 10'622
  • 15 August, 16:25 — Perpignan 28 – 20 Bayonne= 13'714
  • 15 August, 20:35 — Brive (1 BP) 30 – 9 Montpellier= 10'098

Round 2

  • 21 August, 20:35 — Bayonne 38 – 24 Stade Français (at Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain)= 24'411
  • 22 August, 16:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 39 – 6 Albi= 9'850
  • 22 August, 16:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 37 – 16 Montauban= 14'333
  • 22 August, 16:00 — Montpellier 18 – 12 (1 BP) Perpignan= 11'991
  • 22 August, 16:00 — Toulouse (1 BP) 38 – 0 Brive= 18'458
  • 22 August, 16:25 — Toulon 27 – 13 Racing Métro= 13'499
  • 22 August, 20:35 — Castres 29 – 9 Bourgoin= 7'171

Round 3

  • 28 August, 19:00 — Brive 9 – 9 Clermont= 11'289
  • 29 August, 16:00 — Montauban P – P Castres= 7'353
  • 29 August, 16:00 — Racing Métro 18 – 9 Bayonne= 7'638
  • 29 August, 16:00 — Stade Français 43 – 26 Montpellier= 8'068
  • 29 August, 16:25 — Bourgoin 22 – 17 (1 BP) Biarritz= 5'063
  • 29 August, 16:25 — Perpignan 17 – 15 Toulouse= 13'696
  • 29 August, 20:35 — Albi (1 BP) 9 – 15 Toulon= 7'241

Round 4

  • 2 September, 19:30 — Albi P – P Castres= 8'704
    • Match also postponed due to the H1N1 outbreak in the Castres side.[13]
  • 2 September, 19:30 — Bourgoin 17 – 13 (1 BP) Racing Métro= 7'542
  • 2 September, 19:30 — Montpellier 22 – 18 (1 BP) Biarritz= 9'826
  • 2 September, 19:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 35 – 40 Montauban= 7'008
  • 2 September, 19:30 — Toulon 26 – 21 (1 BP) Clermont= 13'115
  • 2 September, 19:30 — Toulouse 21 – 17 (1 BP) Bayonne= 18'639
  • 2 September, 20:30 — Perpignan 21 – 9 Brive= 12'240

Round 5

  • 6 September, 15:00 — Bayonne (1 BP) 53 – 6 Bourgoin= 11'140
  • 6 September, 15:00 — Brive (1 BP) 39 – 6 Albi= ?
  • 6 September, 15:00 — Castres (1 BP) 33 – 18 Montpellier= 6'953
  • 6 September, 15:00 — Montauban 21 – 18 (1 BP) Toulon= 7'444
  • 6 September, 15:00 — Racing Métro (1 BP) 14 – 18 Perpignan= 7'910
  • 6 September, 17:00 — Biarritz 30 – 22 Stade Français= 9'921
  • 6 September, 21:00 — Clermont 19 – 12 (1 BP) Toulouse= 15'803

Match attendance source=Ligue Nationale de Rugby [1]- kovana

Rounds 6 to 10

Round 6

  • 11 September, 20:35 — Bourgoin 17 – 6 Perpignan (at Stade des Alpes, Grenoble)
  • 12 September, 14:30 — Montauban 23 – 20 (1 BP) Brive
  • 12 September, 14:30 — Montpellier 21 – 20 (1 BP) Toulon
  • 12 September, 14:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 44 – 18 Castres
  • 12 September, 14:30 — Toulouse 19 – 13 (1 BP) Albi
  • 12 September, 16:25 — Biarritz 12 – 6 (1 BP) Bayonne (at Estadio Anoeta)
  • 12 September, 20:35 — Clermont 30 – 22 Racing Métro

Makeup match, Round 3

  • 16 September, 19:30 — Montauban 18 – 18 Castres

Round 7

  • 19 September, 14:30 — Albi 8 – 40 (1 BP) Clermont
  • 19 September, 14:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 20 – 6 Bourgoin
  • 19 September, 16:25 — Brive (1 BP) 12 – 15 Biarritz
  • 20 September, 14:30 — Castres 9 – 6 (1 BP) Racing Métro
  • 20 September, 14:30 — Perpignan (1 BP) 28 – 9 Montauban
  • 20 September, 16:05 — Toulon 18 – 13 (1 BP) Toulouse (at Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
  • 20 September, 17:00 — Bayonne 26 – 3 Montpellier

Round 8

  • 25 September, 19:30 — Albi 19 – 14 (1 BP) Bayonne
  • 25 September, 20:35 — Brive 11 – 9 (1 BP) Castres
  • 26 September, 14:15 — Perpignan (1 BP) 19 – 3 Clermont
  • 26 September, 14:30 — Biarritz (1 BP) 23 – 9 Toulon
  • 26 September, 14:30 — Montauban (1 BP) 12 – 15 Bourgoin
  • 26 September, 14:30 — Racing Métro 18 – 14 (1 BP) Montpellier
  • 26 September, 16:25 — Toulouse 9 – 9 Stade Français

Makeup match, Round 4

  • 29 September, 19:30 — Albi (1 BP) 21 – 25 (1 BP) Castres
    • This was only the second Top 14 match to see both teams earn bonus points since France adopted its current bonus system in 2007–08.

Round 9

  • 2 October, 20:45 — Stade Français (1 BP) 44 – 16 Brive
  • 3 October, 14:30 — Castres 21 – 19 (1 BP) Toulon
  • 3 October, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 38 – 13 Bayonne
  • 3 October, 14:30 — Montpellier 12 – 30 Toulouse
  • 3 October, 14:30 — Racing Métro 17 – 12 (1 BP) Montauban
  • 3 October, 16:25 — Biarritz 27 – 12 Perpignan
  • 3 October, 20:45 — Bourgoin 28 – 16 Albi

Round 10

  • 23 October, 20:45 — Bayonne 6 – 15 Castres
  • 24 October, 14:15 — Toulouse 23 – 3 Biarritz
  • 24 October, 14:30 — Brive 10 – 18 Racing Métro
  • 24 October, 14:30 — Montauban 20 – 6 Albi
  • 24 October, 14:30 — Montpellier 16 – 9 (1 BP) Clermont
  • 24 October, 14:30 — Toulon (1 BP) 46 – 28 Bourgoin
  • 24 October, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 14 – 20 Perpignan (at Stade de France)

Rounds 11 to 15

Round 11

  • 30 October, 20:45 — Perpignan 17 – 15 (1 BP) Castres
  • 31 October, 14:30 — Albi (1 BP) 15 – 18 Montpellier
  • 31 October, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 8 – 14 Toulon
  • 31 October, 14:30 — Bourgoin 14 – 14 Brive
  • 31 October, 14:30 — Racing Métro 27 – 20 (1 BP) Toulouse
  • 31 October, 16:25 — Clermont 19 – 19 Stade Français
  • 31 October, 20:45 — Montauban 14 – 5 Biarritz

Round 12

  • 5 November, 19:30 — Biarritz P – P Racing Métro
    • Postponed due to unplayable conditions at Biarritz' ground.[15] The makeup date was initially announced as 1 December,[15] but was further postponed to 2 December after it was noted that the original makeup date potentially violated LNR and French Rugby Federation (FFR) regulations requiring a minimum of 72 hours between matches.[16]
  • 5 November, 19:30 — Brive 19 – 14 (1 BP) Bayonne
  • 5 November, 19:30 — Castres 9 – 9 Clermont
  • 5 November, 19:30 — Montpellier 19 – 0 Montauban
  • 5 November, 19:30 — Stade Français 23 – 18 (1 BP) Albi
  • 5 November, 19:30 — Toulouse (1 BP) 41 – 3 Bourgoin
  • 5 November, 21:00 — Perpignan (1 BP) 25 – 9 Toulon

Round 13

  • 20 November, 19:00 — Albi 24 – 23 (1 BP) Perpignan
  • 21 November, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 38 – 13 Montauban
  • 21 November, 14:30 — Bourgoin (1 BP) 20 – 23 Montpellier
  • 21 November, 14:30 — Racing Métro 20 – 18 (1 BP) Stade Français
  • 21 November, 14:30 — Toulon 19 – 10 Brive
  • 21 November, 16:05 — Castres (1 BP) 30 – 10 Toulouse
  • 21 November, 20:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 13 – 16 Biarritz

Round 14

  • 27 November, 19:45 — Stade Français (1 BP) 18 – 22 Toulon
  • 27 November, 21:00 — Castres (1 BP) 34 – 6 Biarritz
  • 27 November, 21:00 — Racing Métro 9 – 6 (1 BP) Albi
  • 28 November, 14:30 — Montpellier 3 – 25 (1 BP) Brive
  • 28 November, 14:30 — Toulouse 17 – 12 (1 BP) Montauban
  • 28 November, 16:25 — Bayonne P – P Perpignan
    • Match postponed after Perpignan reported that seven of their traveling party (including both players and coaches) were diagnosed with H1N1 flu.[17]
  • 28 November, 19:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 32 – 8 Bourgoin

Makeup match, Round 12

  • 2 December, 19:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 20 – 23 Racing Métro

Round 15

  • 4 December, 20:45 — Montauban 20 – 16 (1 BP) Clermont
  • 5 December, 14:30 — Bourgoin 15 – 9 (1 BP) Castres
  • 5 December, 14:30 — Perpignan 29 – 3 Montpellier
  • 5 December, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 34 – 10 Bayonne (at Stade de France)
  • 6 December, 15:00 — Albi 20 – 9 Biarritz
  • 6 December, 15:00 — Brive 27 – 21 (1 BP) Toulouse
  • 6 December, 17:05 — Racing Métro 28 – 15 Toulon

Rounds 16 to 20

Round 16

  • 30 December, 18:45 — Montpellier 25 – 23 (1 BP) Stade Français
  • 30 December, 19:00 — Bayonne (1 BP) 19 – 23 Racing Métro
  • 30 December, 19:00 — Biarritz 23 – 6 Bourgoin
  • 30 December, 19:00 — Castres 30 – 7 Montauban
  • 30 December, 19:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 52 – 10 Brive
  • 30 December, 19:00 — Toulon 41 – 13 Albi
  • 30 December, 20:45 — Toulouse 22 – 11 Perpignan (at Stadium Municipal)

Round 17

  • 3 January, 15:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 26 – 10 Montpellier
  • 3 January, 15:00 — Brive (1 BP) 29 – 9 Perpignan
  • 3 January, 15:00 — Castres (1 BP) 41 – 10 Albi
  • 3 January, 15:00 — Montauban 6 – 6 Stade Français
  • 3 January, 15:00 — Racing Métro (1 BP) 17 – 18 Bourgoin
  • 3 January, 17:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 39 – 3 Toulon
  • 3 January, 20:45 — Bayonne (1 BP) 13 – 15 Toulouse

Round 18

  • 8 January, 20:45 — Perpignan (1 BP) 31 – 12 Racing Métro
  • 9 January, 14:30 — Albi (1 BP) 15 – 17 Brive
  • 9 January, 14:30 — Bourgoin P – P Bayonne
    • Postponed due to unplayable conditions at Bourgoin's ground.[18]
  • 9 January, 14:30 — Montpellier 15 – 0 Castres
  • 9 January, 14:30 — Toulon 18 – 7 Montauban
  • 9 January, 16:25 — Stade Français 25 – 15 Biarritz (at Stade de France)
  • 10 January, 20:45 — Toulouse (1 BP) 15 – 16 Clermont (at Stadium Municipal)

Round 19

  • 27 January, 19:00 — Brive 19 – 14 (1 BP) Montauban
  • 27 January, 19:00 — Racing Métro 33 – 24 Clermont
  • 27 January, 19:00 — Toulon (1 BP) 31 – 19 Montpellier
  • 27 January, 20:45 — Castres 32 – 14 Stade Français
  • 28 January, 19:00 — Albi 6 – 24 (1 BP) Toulouse
  • 28 January, 19:00 — Perpignan (1 BP) 49 – 20 Bourgoin
  • 28 January, 20:45 — Bayonne 15 – 0 Biarritz

Makeup match, Round 14

  • 5 February, 20:45 — Bayonne 13 – 30 (1 BP) Perpignan

Round 20

  • 19 February, 20:45 — Biarritz 12 – 6 (1 BP) Brive
  • 20 February, 14:15 — Racing Métro 24 – 24 Castres
  • 20 February, 14:30 — Bourgoin 13 – 22 Stade Français
  • 20 February, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 45 – 18 Albi
  • 20 February, 14:30 — Montauban 16 – 13 (1 BP) Perpignan
  • 20 February, 14:30 — Montpellier (1 BP) 16 – 22 Bayonne
  • 20 February, 16:25 — Toulouse (1 BP) 3 – 6 Toulon

Makeup match, Round 18

  • 27 February, 20:45 — Bourgoin 12 – 6 (1 BP) Bayonne

Rounds 21 to 26

Round 21

  • 5 March, 20:45 — Clermont 22 – 17 (1 BP) Perpignan
  • 6 March, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 46 – 13 Albi
  • 6 March, 14:30 — Bourgoin 22 – 14 Montauban
  • 6 March, 14:30 — Castres (1 BP) 35 – 10 Brive
  • 6 March, 14:30 — Toulon 21 – 20 (1 BP) Biarritz
  • 6 March, 16:25 — Stade Français 0 – 29 Toulouse (at Stade de France)
  • 6 March, 20:45 — Montpellier 22 – 19 (1 BP) Racing Métro

Round 22

  • 12 March, 19:00 — Albi 7 – 17 Bourgoin
  • 12 March, 19:00 — Bayonne 22 – 13 Clermont
  • 12 March, 19:00 — Brive 26 – 14 Stade Français
  • 12 March, 19:00 — Toulon 19 – 6 Castres
  • 12 March, 19:00 — Toulouse (1 BP) 34 – 3 Montpellier
  • 12 March, 20:45 — Perpignan 19 – 14 (1 BP) Biarritz
  • 13 March, 20:45 — Montauban 45 – 31 Racing Métro

Round 23

  • 26 March, 20:45 — Bourgoin (1 BP) 9 – 13 Toulon
  • 27 March, 14:15 — Racing Métro 25 – 18 (1 BP) Brive
  • 27 March, 14:30 — Albi 12 – 26 Montauban
  • 27 March, 14:30 — Castres 26 – 10 Bayonne
  • 27 March, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 41 – 3 Montpellier
  • 27 March, 14:30 — Perpignan (1 BP) 44 – 23 Stade Français
  • 27 March, 16:25 — Biarritz 26 – 10 Toulouse (at Estadio Anoeta)

Round 24

  • 2 April, 20:45 — Toulouse 28 – 23 (1 BP) Racing Métro
  • 3 April, 14:30 — Biarritz (1 BP) 42 – 13 Montauban
  • 3 April, 14:30 — Brive 25 – 15 Bourgoin
  • 3 April, 14:30 — Montpellier (1 BP) 62 – 15 Albi
  • 3 April, 14:30 — Toulon (1 BP) 31 – 13 Bayonne
  • 3 April, 16:25 — Stade Français 19 – 10 Clermont (at Stade de France)
  • 3 April, 20:45 — Castres (1 BP) 11 – 17 Perpignan

Round 25

  • 16 April, 20:45 — Clermont 25 – 19 (1 BP) Castres
  • 17 April, 14:30 — Albi 38 – 24 Stade Français
  • 17 April, 14:30 — Bayonne 33 – 25 Brive
  • 17 April, 14:30 — Montauban 6 – 19 Montpellier
  • 17 April, 14:30 — Bourgoin 15 – 13 (1 BP) Toulouse (at Stade Gerland, Lyon)
  • 17 April, 16:25 — Toulon 33 – 23 Perpignan (at Stade Vélodrome)
  • 17 April, 20:45 — Racing Métro 29 – 22 (1 BP) Biarritz

Round 26

  • 24 April, 16:25 — Biarritz (1 BP) 19 – 26 Clermont
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Brive (1 BP) 21 – 26 Toulon
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Montauban 22 – 8 Bayonne
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Montpellier 34 – 27 (1 BP) Bourgoin
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Perpignan (1 BP) 44 – 0 Albi
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 41 -17 Racing Métro (at Stade Charléty, Paris)
  • 24 April, 16:25 — Toulouse 25 – 17 Castres

Playoffs

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
1 Perpignan 21
4 Toulouse 35 4 Toulouse 13
5 Castres 12 1 Perpignan 6
3 Clermont 19
2 Toulon 29
3 Clermont 21 3 Clermont (a.e.t.) 35
6 Racing Métro 17

All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2).

Quarter-finals

7 May 2010
21:00
Clermont21 – 17Racing Métro
Pen: James (2/4) 3', 21'
Parra (5/5) 48', 60', 64', 70', 75'
ReportTry: Cronjé 38' m
Pen: Wisniewski (1/2) 41'
Steyn (1/1) 46'
Drop: Wisniewski 53'
Steyn 62'
Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
Attendance: 15,811[19]
Referee: Pascal Gauzere

8 May 2010
16:30
Toulouse35 – 12Castres
Try: Médard 2' c
Clerc (2) 15' c, 64' m
David 69' c
Con: Élissalde (2/2)
Fritz (1/2)
Pen: Élissalde (3/4) 26', 52', 59'
ReportPen: Teulet (4/4) 20', 31', 41', 55'
Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
Attendance: 34,594[20]
Referee: Jean-Pierre Matheu

Semi-finals

14 May 2010
21:00
Perpignan21 – 13Toulouse
Pen: Porical (7/8) 9', 17', 22', 42', 51', 62', 78'ReportTry: Bézy 7' c
Con: Skrela (1/1)
Pen: Skrela (2/2) 18', 26'
Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier
Attendance: 32,204[21]
Referee: Romain Poite

15 May 2010
16:30
Toulon29 – 35 (a.e.t.)Clermont
Try: Williams 73' c
Cibray 96' c
Con: Wilkinson (2/2)
Pen: Wilkinson (4/6) 3', 32', 63', 77'
Drop: Wilkinson (1/1) 14'
ReportTry: Zirakashvili 69' c
Malzieu 93' c
Con: Parra (1/1)
James (1/1)
Pen: Parra (4/5) 27', 47', 49', 58'
James (1/1) 89'
Drop: Floch (1/1) 6'
James (1/2) 91'
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne
Attendance: 33,609[22]
Referee: Jérôme Garces

Final

29 May 2010
21:00
Perpignan6 – 19Clermont
Pen: Porical (2/6) 21', 27'ReportTry: Nalaga 17' c
Con: Parra (1/1)
Pen: Parra (3/6) 12', 29', 63'
Drop: Floch (1/1) 69'
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 79,262[23]
Referee: Christophe Berdos
FB 15 France Jérôme Porical
RW 14 France Christophe Manas
OC 13 France David Marty
IC 12 France Maxime Mermoz
LW 11 France Adrien Planté
FH 10 South Africa Gavin Hume downward-facing red arrow 53'
SH 9 France Nicolas Durand downward-facing red arrow 59'
N8 8 Samoa Henry Tuilagi downward-facing red arrow 45' upward-facing green arrow 52' downward-facing red arrow 56'
OF 7 France Jean-Pierre Pérez downward-facing red arrow 52'
BF 6 Romania Ovidiu Toniţa
RL 5 Cameroon Robins Tchale-Watchou downward-facing red arrow 69'
LL 4 France Olivier Olibeau
TP 3 France Nicolas Mas (c) downward-facing red arrow 73'
HK 2 France Guilhem Guirado downward-facing red arrow 54'
LP 1 England Perry Freshwater downward-facing red arrow 63'
Replacements:
HK 16 Romania Marius Tincu upward-facing green arrow 54'
PR 17 France Jérôme Schuster upward-facing green arrow 63'
LK 18 France Guillaume Vilaceca upward-facing green arrow 56'
FL 19 France Grégory Le Corvec upward-facing green arrow 45'
SH 20 France David Mélé upward-facing green arrow 59'
CE 21 France Jean-Philippe Grandclaude upward-facing green arrow 69'
FH 22 France Nicolas Laharrague upward-facing green arrow 53'
PR 23 Tonga Kisi Pulu upward-facing green arrow 73'
Coach: France Jacques Brunel
FB 15 France Anthony Floch
RW 14 Fiji Napolioni Vonowale Nalaga
OC 13 France Aurélien Rougerie (c)
IC 12 South Africa Marius Joubert
LW 11 France Julien Malzieu
FH 10 Australia Brock James
SH 9 France Morgan Parra
N8 8 France Elvis Vermeulen
OF 7 France Alexandre Lapandry downward-facing red arrow 59'
BF 6 France Julien Bonnaire
RL 5 France Thibaut Privat downward-facing red arrow 52'
LL 4 Canada Jamie Cudmore
TP 3 Argentina Martín Scelzo downward-facing red arrow 43' upward-facing green arrow 72'
HK 2 Argentina Mario Ledesma downward-facing red arrow 70'
LP 1 France Thomas Domingo
Replacements:
HK 16 France Benoît Cabello upward-facing green arrow 70'
PR 17 France Vincent Debaty
LK 18 France Julien Pierre upward-facing green arrow 52'
FL 19 France Alexandre Audebert upward-facing green arrow 59'
SH 20 New Zealand Kevin Senio
FH 21 Samoa Tasesa Lavea
CE 22 Italy Gonzalo Canale
PR 23 Georgia (country) Davit Zirakashvili upward-facing green arrow 43' downward-facing red arrow 72'
Coach: New Zealand Vern Cotter

Scorers

Final statistics at the end of the season (including play-offs). Player nationalities are as recognized by the International Rugby Board; players may have one or more non-IRB nationalities.

Top point scorers

# Name Club Points
1 France Romain Teulet Castres 263
2 England Jonny Wilkinson Toulon 230
3 Australia Brock James Clermont 225
4 France Jonathan Wisniewski Racing Métro 185
5 Argentina Federico Todeschini Montpellier 168

Top try scorers

# Name Club Tries
1 South Africa Sam Gerber Bayonne 9
2 Fiji Napolioni Nalaga Clermont 8
3 France Vincent Clerc Toulouse 7
3 France Benjamin Fall Bayonne 7
3 France Anthony Floch Clermont 7
3 Australia Mark Gasnier Stade Français 7
3 New Zealand Chris Masoe Castres 7
3 United States Takudzwa Ngwenya Biarritz 7
3 France François Trinh-Duc Montpellier 7

Awards

Player of the Month

Players were selected by fan vote from a three-player shortlist on the official LNR site, and the results are posted roughly in the middle of the following month.

Month Player of the Month Club
August Joe van Niekerk Toulon
September Jonny Wilkinson Toulon
October Julien Candelon Perpignan
November Not awarded — Test window

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Richards, Huw (2010-05-30). "At Long Last, Clermont Wins the Championship". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 2007-06-27. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Reglements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2008-08-27. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Moriarty, Ian (2009-08-08). "Stade sack McKenzie and Dominici". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2009-08-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Sheridan may be out for 6 months". News in Brief. Scrum.com. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2009-10-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Le staff réorganisé" (in French). L'Équipe. 2009-10-26. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-26. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Dourthe s'en va (officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 2009-11-07. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Salagoïty:"Pas d'autre alternative"" (in French). L'Équipe. 2009-11-07. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Michael Cheika : Directeur du Rugby" (Press release) (in French). Stade Français. 2010-03-19. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-19. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c "Montauban face Top 14 ruin". Scrum.com. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-04-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b "Financial strife sees Montauban relegated". Scrum.com. 2010-04-26. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-27. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Calendrier RUGBY TOP 14 Orange – Saison 2009/2010" (in French). Ligue nationale de rugby. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  13. ^ a b "TOP 14 Orange : Deux matchs reportes" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  14. ^ "Grippe A: 6 cas à Castres" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  15. ^ a b "Report du match Biarritz Olympique P.B / Racing Metro 92 : 12ème journée du TOP 14 Orange" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2009-11-06. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-06. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Report de match : Biarritz Olympique / Racing-Metro 92" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2009-11-27. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  17. ^ "TOP 14 Orange : Match reporte" (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2009-11-27. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  18. ^ "Report du match CS Bourgoin-Jallieu / Bayonne" (PDF) (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  19. ^ "Clermont – Racing Métro 92, Top 14 (vendredi 7 mai 2010), Fiche Match" (in French). L'Équipe. 2010-05-07. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Toulouse – Castres, Top 14 (samedi 8 mai 2010), Fiche Match" (in French). L'Équipe. 2010-05-08. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Perpignan – Toulouse, Top 14 (vendredi 14 mai 2010), Fiche Match" (in French). L'Équipe. 2010-05-14. Archived from the original on 17 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Toulon – Clermont, Top 14 (samedi 15 mai 2010), Fiche Match" (in French). L'Équipe. 2010-05-15. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Perpignan – Clermont, Top 14 (samedi 29 mai 2010), Fiche Match" (in French). L'Équipe. 2010-05-29. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)