Montpellier Hérault Rugby
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| Full name | Montpellier Hérault Rugby | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Les Cistes, The Cistuses | |||
| Founded | 1986 | |||
| Location | Montpellier, Occitania, France | |||
| Ground(s) | Altrad Stadium (Capacity: 15,697) | |||
| President | Mohed Altrad | |||
| Coach(es) | Vern Cotter | |||
| Captain(s) | Fulgence Ouedraogo | |||
| League(s) | Top 14 | |||
| 2017–18 | 1st (playoff finalists) | |||
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| Official website | ||||
| www | ||||
Montpellier Hérault Rugby (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃.pə.lje eʁo ʁʊɡbi klʊb]) (Occitan: Montpelhièr Erau Rugbi Club) is a professional French rugby union, based in Montpellier, Occitania and named after the Hérault river. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14. They originally played at Stade Sabathé (capacity 5,000) but moved to the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, was for a while known as Altrad Stadium, since renamed the GGL Stadium, in 2007. They wear white and blue.
History
The club was established in 1986 through the merger of two other rugby union clubs, the Stade Montpelliérain and MUC Rugby.
In 1993 the club won the Challenge de l'Espérance.
In 2003 the club became the champion of France's second division national rugby league, the Pro D2. After finishing second in the league table at the end of the 2002–03 season, Montpellier advanced to the playoffs. They defeated Auch in the semi-finals and Tarbes in the finals to win promotion to the Top 14. The following season the club played for the European Shield, and contested the final. Played in May 2004, Montpellier defeated Italian club Viadana 25 points to 19 to win the Shield.
The club barely avoided relegation after the 2006–07 season. Winning only 9 games during a 26-game season, Montpellier found itself in a relegation position with only two games left to play. Thanks to a bonus-point victory in week 25, the team finished just four points ahead of Agen which was relegated to the Pro D2 at the end of the year.
After 2006–07, the club's fortunes began to improve. In June 2007, Fulgence Ouedraogo became the first Montpellier player to play on the French national rugby union team. Also that summer the club's new stadium opened, the Stade Yves-du-Manoir (renamed Altrad Stadium in 2014). In 2007–08 Montpellier enjoyed its first winning season in the Top 14. The club made its next step up the table in 2010–11 when it unexpectedly finished sixth by a single point and made the Top 14 playoffs for the first time. The underdog squad defeated both Castres and Racing Métro to make the championship game where they were defeated 15–10 by Toulouse. Since that season, Montpellier has become a consistent playoff contender, finishing fifth in both 2011–12 and 2012–13 and second on the league table in 2013–14.
Thanks to the club's excellent 2010–11 showing, Montpellier was awarded its first spot in the Heineken Cup tournament for 2011–12. The club returned for the 2012–13 tournament and made the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Clermont. Montpellier returned for the final edition of the Heineken Cup in 2013–14, and are participating in the successor to the Heineken Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup, in 2014–15.
From 2011 the club has been chaired and funded by Mohed Altrad.[1]
Honours
- Top 14
- Rugby Pro D2
- Champions: 2003
- European Rugby Challenge Cup
- Champions: 2016
- European Shield:
- Champions: 2004
- Challenge de l'Espérance:
- Champions: 1993
Finals results
Top 14
| Date | Winners | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Spectators |
| 4 June 2011 | Stade Toulousain | Montpellier Hérault RC | 15–10 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 77,000 |
| 2 June 2018 | Castres Olympique | Montpellier Hérault RC | 29–13 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 79,441 |
European Shield
| Date | Winners | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Spectators |
| 21 May 2004 | Montpellier Hérault RC | Viadana | 25-19 | Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma | 2,553 |
European Challenge Cup
| Date | Winners | Runners-up | Score | Venue | Spectators |
| 13 May 2016 | Montpellier Hérault RC | Harlequins | 26-19 | Grand Stade de Lyon, Lyon | 28.556[2] |
Current standings
Current squad
The Montpellier squad for the 2018–19 season is:[3][a][b]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
- Notes:
Notable former players
 | This list of "famous" or "notable" people has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help improve this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (June 2012) |
Martin Bustos Moyano- Agustin Creevy
- Santiago Fernandez
- Lucas González Amorosino
- Federico Todeschini
David Attoub- David Aucagne
- Yoan Audrin
- Alexandre Bias
- Aliki Fakate
- Anthony Floch
- Rémy Martin
- Nicolas Mas
- Louis Picamoles
- Thibaut Privat
- Olivier Sarramea
- Benjamin Thiery
- Julien Tomas
- François Trinh-Duc
Davit Kubriashvili- Goderdzi Shvelidze
- Mamuka Gorgodze
- Shalva Mamukashvili
- Giorgi Chkhaidze
- Gagi Bazadze
David Bortolussi- Cristian Stoica
Justin Marshall- Alex Tulou
Gonçalo Uva
Johnnie Beattie- Jim Hamilton (rugby union)
Demetri Catrakilis
See also
References
- ^ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-am-the-product-of-a-rape-my-dad-then-killed-my-brother-fl002drv7
- ^ http://www.epcrugby.com/matchcentre/33095.php
- ^ a b "Effectif | MHR". Montpellier Hérault Rugby (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Officiel : Julien Tomas de retour en tant que joker médical" (Press release) (in French). Montpellier Rugby. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
External links
- Template:Link language Montpellier Hérault Rugby Club official website