The 2006–07 Top 14 competition was the 108th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and the 2nd using the name Top 14. Biarritz were out to defend their crown, after their defeat of Toulouse in the 2005–06 Top 14 final. New teams to the league included Albi and Montauban who were promoted from 2004–05 Pro D2, replacing relegated sides Toulon and Pau.[1] During the season attendance records in the league were once again broken with 79,741 attending the Round 19 clash between Stade Français and Toulouse at the Stade de France, and over 2 million supporters attended games across the campaign.
| 2006–07 Top 14 season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Countries |  France |
| Champions | Stade Français (13th title) |
| Runners-up | Clermont |
| Relegated | Narbonne, Agen |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Attendance | 2,065,975 (average 11,167 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 79,741 Stade Français v Toulouse 27 January 2007 |
| Lowest attendance | 4,553 Bourgoin v Montpellier 26 September 2006 |
| Top point scorer |  Brock James (Clermont)377 points |
| Top try scorer | Aurélien Rougerie (Clermont) 13 tries |
In the league Stade Français jumped out to an early lead, winning their first nine matches. Although they faded somewhat as the season went on, they held on to top the regular-season ladder. Toulouse and Clermont each entered the final week with a chance to top the ladder, but Stade Français' win over Agen (without a bonus point) made it impossible for Clermont to overtake them, while Toulouse failed to secure the bonus point in their win over Bourgoin that would have made it possible for them to pip the Parisians for the top seed. The last playoff berth came down to the last round between Biarritz and Perpignan, with Biarritz securing fourth place in style with a bonus-point win over Castres.
The final Heineken Cup berth came down to the last round as well, with Bourgoin holding off the challenge of Top 14 newcomers Montauban. The relegation battle came down to the last week. Narbone had been assured of the drop after Round 25, while any of six other clubs were in mathematical danger of the drop going into the final week. In the end, Agen, who were next-to-last entering the final week, were consigned to the drop by league leaders Stade Français. Both clubs would be relegated to the 2007–08 Pro D2.
The play-offs saw Stade Français and Clermont win their respective semi-finals to qualify for the final. In the end it was Stade Français who lifted the Bouclier de Brennus as Top 14 champions for the 13th time in the club's history, beating Clermont 23–18 at the Stade de France.
Teams
edit
Table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stade Français (C) | 26 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 667 | 433 | +234 | 9 | 87 | Advance to playoffs Qualified for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup |
| 2 | Toulouse (SF) | 26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 643 | 424 | +219 | 10 | 86 | |
| 3 | Clermont (F) | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 772 | 454 | +318 | 11 | 83 | |
| 4 | Biarritz (SF) | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 549 | 385 | +164 | 10 | 76 | |
| 5 | Perpignan | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 493 | 398 | +95 | 9 | 75 | Qualified for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup |
| 6 | Bourgoin | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 543 | 484 | +59 | 12 | 58 | |
| 7 | Montauban | 26 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 475 | 493 | −18 | 10 | 54 | |
| 8 | Bayonne | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 452 | 647 | −195 | 5 | 51 | |
| 9 | Brive | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 419 | 516 | −97 | 8 | 50 | |
| 10 | Albi | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 333 | 512 | −179 | 4 | 50 | |
| 11 | Castres | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 531 | 576 | −45 | 11 | 49 | |
| 12 | Montpellier | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 442 | 596 | −154 | 10 | 48 | |
| 13 | Agen (R) | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 382 | 520 | −138 | 6 | 44 | Relegated to the 2007–08 Rugby Pro D2 |
| 14 | Narbonne (R) | 26 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 521 | 784 | −263 | 7 | 39 |
The seventh-place team would have received a Heineken Cup place if a French club had advanced farther in that season's Heineken Cup than any club from England or Italy. However, the quarterfinal losses of Biarritz and Stade Français, the last two remaining French sides in the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, to English sides Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, meant that the "extra" Heineken Cup place would go to England. (The remaining two semifinalists were another English side, eventual winners London Wasps, and Welsh side Llanelli Scarlets.)
The 2007–08 Heineken Cup was in doubt earlier this season. French clubs announced plans to boycott the competition, and the English PRL clubs joined them, demanding a financial stake in the competition from the RFU. However, recent negotiations have ensured that top teams from both countries will now play.
Fixtures & Results
editRound 1
editRound 2
editRound 3
editRound 4
editRound 5
editRound 6
editRound 7
editRound 8
editRound 9
editRound 10
edit| 7 October 2006 |
| (1 BP) Bourgoin | 22–28 | Clermont |
| Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne[17] Attendance: 16,914 |
Round 11
editRound 12
editRound 13
editRound 14
editRound 15
editRound 16
editRound 17
editRound 18
editRound 19
editRound 20
editRound 21
editRound 22
editRound 23
editRound 24
editRound 25
edit| 12 May 2007 |
| (1 BP) Clermont | 70–6 | Albi |
| Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 13,503 |
Round 26
editKnock-out stages
editSemi-finals
editFinal
edit| 12 June 2007 |
| Stade Français | 23–18 | Clermont |
| Try: Pichot 69' Samo 78' Con: Hernández (2/2) Pen: Hernández (3) 50', 53', 64' | Pen: James (5) 19', 34', 43', 60', 74' Drop: Floch 39' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,654[19] Referee: Franck Maciello (France) |
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Leading scorers
edit- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorersedit
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Top try scorersedit
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Attendances
edit- Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agen | 13 | 97,662 | 7,512 | 11,293 | 5,321 | 58% |
| Albi | 13 | 88,252 | 6,789 | 9,690 | 5,054 | 57% |
| Bayonne | 13 | 146,618 | 11,278 | 13,926 | 7,969 | 67% |
| Biarritz | 13 | 121,583 | 9,353 | 13,013 | 6,711 | 62% |
| Bourgoin | 13 | 87,177 | 6,706 | 16,914 | 4,553 | 61% |
| Brive | 13 | 122,145 | 9,396 | 12,747 | 6,908 | 63% |
| Castres | 13 | 90,932 | 6,995 | 9,293 | 5,652 | 61% |
| Clermont | 13 | 151,950 | 11,688 | 13,685 | 8,943 | 72% |
| Montauban | 13 | 94,007 | 7,231 | 9,053 | 5,669 | 63% |
| Montpellier | 13 | 78,442 | 6,034 | 6,545 | 5,449 | 75% |
| Narbonne | 13 | 100,154 | 7,704 | 9,756 | 6,236 | 64% |
| Perpignan | 13 | 162,576 | 12,506 | 13,860 | 11,116 | 75% |
| Stade Français | 13 | 313,015 | 24,078 | 79,741 | 6,698 | 75% |
| Toulouse | 13 | 243,100 | 18,700 | 33,661 | 13,557 | 81% |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Bourgoin would also play one game at the 35,616 capacity Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne.
- ^ Stade Français would also play three games at the 81,338 capacity Stade de France.
- ^ Toulouse would also play three games at the 35,575 capacity Stadium Municipal.
References
edit- ^ "lnr.fr". Top 14 . Les clubs. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS PARC DES SPORTS AGUILERA". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS JEAN BOUIN". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE MUNCIPAL". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE ALFRED ARMANDIE". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE SAPIAC". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE AIME GIRAL". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS PARC DES SPORTS". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE PIERRE ANTOINE". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "CLASSEMENT DU TOP 14 ET DE PRO D2 DE RUGBY 2007". Rugby Stats. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE PIERRE RAJON". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE ERNEST WALLON". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE JEAN DAUGER". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS PARC DE L\'AMITIE". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE MARCEL MICHELIN". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADIUM". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ "CLASSEMENT DU TOP 14 ET DE PRO D2 DE RUGBY 2007". Rugby Stats. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE DE FRANCE". STADES ET SPECTATEURS. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b c "CLASSEMENT DU TOP 14 ET DE PRO D2 DE RUGBY 2007 (PLAY OFF)". Rugby Stats. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Top 14 : 2006/2007 - Statistiques - Rugby". It's Rugby. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
External links
edit- (in French) Ligue Nationale de Rugby - Official website
- Top 14 on Planetrugby.com