Lyon OU Rugby
 | |||
| 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) | Pro D2 | ||
| 2014–15 | 14th (Relegated) | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that will compete in the Top 14, the highest level of the country's professional league system, in the 2014–15 season after winning the 2013–14 title in the second-level Pro D2. They were last relegated from the Top 14 at the end of the 2011–12 season, having earned their spot in the Top 14 by winning the 2010–11 Pro D2 crown.
They were founded in 1896 and play in red and black. They are based in Lyon in Rhône-Alpes, and play at the Matmut Stadium in Lyon, having moved from the Stade Vuillermet in 2011.
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 of 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 Toulon (3-6) but winning the next two against 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 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:
- 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 standings
Template:2015–16 Rugby Pro D2 season
Current squad
2015-16 Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
See also
References
External links
- Template:Link language Lyon OU Official website
- LOU Omnisports Sportsclub