The 2006–07 Top 14 competition was the 108th
French domestic
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
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
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
in the
2005–06 Top 14 final. New teams to the league included
Albi
Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig ...
and
Montauban
Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...
who were promoted from
2004–05 Pro D2, replacing relegated sides
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
and
Pau.
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.
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
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
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
The Bouclier de Brennus, or Brennus Shield in English, is a trophy awarded to the winners of the French rugby union domestic league.
The shield was not named, as it is often believed, after the famous Gallic warrior Brennus but rather artist Ch ...
as Top 14 champions for the 13th time in the club's history, beating Clermont 23–18 at the
Stade de France.
Teams
Number of teams by regions
Table
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
, -
, colspan="15" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0",
{, border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
, -
, width=20% style="border:0px",
, style="border:0px", 2006–07 Top 14 Table
, width=20% style="border:0px;text-align:right;",
, -
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="20",
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="130", Club
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="40", Played
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="35", Won
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="35", Drawn
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="35", Lost
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="50", Points For
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="50", Points Against
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="50", Points
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="40", Bonus Points
!style="background-color:#efefef;" width="40", Points
, -style="background-color:#d8ffeb;text-align:center;"
, 1 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Stade Français (C) , , 26 , , 19 , , 1 , , 6 , , 667 , , 433 , , 234 , , 9 , , 87
, -style="background-color:#d8ffeb;text-align:center;"
, 2 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
(SF) , , 26 , , 18 , , 2 , , 6 , , 643 , , 424 , , 219 , , 10 , , 86
, -style="background-color:#d8ffeb;text-align:center;"
, 3 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Clermont (F) , , 26 , , 18 , , 0 , , 8 , , 772 , , 454 , , 318 , , 11 , , 84
, -style="background-color:#d8ffeb;text-align:center;"
, 4 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Biarritz (SF) , , 26 , , 16 , , 1 , , 9 , , 549 , , 385 , , 164 , , 10 , , 76
, -style="background-color:#ccccff;text-align:center;"
, 5 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Perpignan , , 26 , , 16 , , 1 , , 9 , , 493 , , 398 , , 95 , , 9 , , 75
, -style="background-color:#ccccff;text-align:center;"
, 6 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Bourgoin , , 26 , , 11 , , 1 , , 14 , , 543 , , 484 , , 59 , , 12 , , 58
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 7 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Montauban
Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...
, , 26 , , 10 , , 2 , , 14 , , 475 , , 493 , , -18 , , 10 , , 54
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 8 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Bayonne , , 26 , , 11 , , 1 , , 14 , , 452 , , 647 , , -195 , , 5 , , 51
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 9 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Brive , , 26 , , 10 , , 1 , , 15 , , 419 , , 516 , , -97 , , 8 , , 50
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 10 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Albi
Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig ...
, , 26 , , 11 , , 1 , , 14 , , 333 , , 512 , , -179 , , 4 , , 50
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 11 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...
, , 26 , , 9 , , 1 , , 16 , , 531 , , 576 , , -45 , , 11 , , 49
, -style="background-color:#ffffff;text-align:center;"
, 12 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Montpellier , , 26 , , 9 , , 1 , , 16 , , 442 , , 596 , , -154 , , 10 , , 48
, -style="background-color:#ffcccc;text-align:center;"
, 13 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Agen
The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
Geography
The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department ...
(R) , , 26 , , 9 , , 1 , , 16 , , 382 , , 520 , , -138 , , 6 , , 44
, -style="background-color:#ffcccc;text-align:center;"
, 14 , , style="text-align:left;" ,
Narbonne
Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...
(R) , , 26 , , 8 , , 0 , , 18 , , 521 , , 784 , , -263 , , 7 , , 39
, -, style="text-align:left;" ,
, colspan="15" style="border:0px",
Green background Top four advance to playoffs, and receive places in the
2007–08 Heineken Cup.
Blue background Fifth to sixth also qualify for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup.
{ink background Bottom two places are relegated to the
2007–08 Rugby Pro D2
, -, style="text-align:left;" ,
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
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
or
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. 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
Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...
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
Round 1
----
Round 2
----
Round 3
----
Round 4
----
Round 5
----
Round 6
----
Round 7
----
Round 8
----
Round 9
----
Round 10
----
Round 11
----
Round 12
----
Round 13
----
Round 14
----
Round 15
----
Round 16
----
Round 17
----
Round 18
----
Round 19
----
Round 20
----
Round 21
----
Round 22
----
Round 23
----
Round 24
----
Round 25
----
Round 26
Knock-out stages
Semi-finals
Final
{, width="100%"
, valign="top" width="50%",
{, style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
, colspan="4",
, -
!width="25", !!width="25",
, -
, FB , , 15, ,
Nicolas Jeanjean
Nicolas Jeanjean (born 13 March 1981 in Montpellier, France) was a French rugby union footballer, who played for CA Brive in the Top 14. His usual position was at a Fullback (rugby union), Fullback. Prior to joining CA Brive he played for Stade T ...
, ,
, -
, RW , , 14, ,
Julien Arias , ,
, -
, OC , , 13, ,
Stéphane Glas
, -
, IC , , 12, ,
David Skrela , ,
, -
, LW , , 11, ,
Christophe Dominici
Christophe Dominici (20 May 1972 – 24 November 2020) was a French rugby union player. In a career spanning seventeen years between 1991 and 2008, he played wing for Stade Français and France, scoring a total of 25 tries in 67 international c ...
, -
, FH , , 10, ,
Juan Martín Hernández
, -
, SH , , 9 , ,
Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot (born 22 August 1974, in Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine rugby union player, formerly captain of the Argentine team and the English club Bristol. In addition to Bristol, he played for French sides Stade Français and Racing ...
(
c) , ,
, -
, N8 , , 8 , ,
Pierre Rabadan , ,
, -
, OF , , 7 , ,
Rémy Martin
Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the commune of Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with Henne ...
, ,
, -
, BF , , 6 , ,
Mauro Bergamasco , ,
, -
, RL , , 5 , ,
Mike James , ,
, -
, LL , , 4 , ,
Arnaud Marchois , ,
, -
, TP , , 3 , ,
Pedro Ledesma , ,
, -
, HK , , 2 , ,
Benjamin Kayser , ,
, -
, LP , , 1 , ,
Rodrigo Roncero , ,
, -
, colspan=3, Replacements:
, -
, HK , , 16, ,
Dimitri Szarzewski , ,
, -
, PR , , 17, ,
Damien Weber , ,
, -
, LK , , 18, ,
David Auradou , ,
, -
, N8 , , 19, ,
Radike Samo , ,
, -
, SH , , 20, ,
Sergio Parisse , ,
, -
, FH , , 21, ,
Jérôme Fillol , ,
, -
, CE , , 22, ,
Brian Liebenberg , ,
, -
, colspan=3, Coach:
, -
, colspan="4",
Fabien Galthié
, valign="top" width="50%",
{, style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"
, colspan="4",
, -
!width="25", !!width="25",
, -
, FB , , 15, ,
Anthony Floch
Anthony Floch (born 12 February 1983 in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme) is a French rugby union player, who normally plays at Fullback (rugby union), fullback. He currently plays for Montpellier Hérault RC, Montpellier in the Top 14.
Top 14
...
, ,
, -
, RW , , 14, ,
Aurélien Rougerie (
c) , ,
, -
, OC , , 13, ,
Tony Marsh
, -
, IC , , 12, ,
Gonzalo Canale , ,
, -
, LW , , 11, ,
Julien Malzieu
, -
, FH , , 10, ,
Brock James
, -
, SH , , 9 , ,
Pierre Mignoni , ,
, -
, N8 , , 8 , ,
Elvis Vermeulen , ,
, -
, OF , , 7 , ,
Alexandre Audebert
, -
, BF , , 6 , ,
Sam Broomhall , ,
, -
, RL , , 5 , ,
Thibaut Privat
Thibaut Privat (born 4 February 1979) is a former French international rugby union player. He played as a Lock for AS Béziers, Montferrand and Montpellier.
He was called up as an injury replacement for Olivier Brouzet at the 2003 Rugby World ...
, ,
, -
, LL , , 4 , ,
Jamie Cudmore , ,
, -
, TP , , 3 , ,
Martín Scelzo , ,
, -
, HK , , 2 , ,
Mario Ledesma
Mario Ledesma Arocena (born 17 May 1973 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine rugby union coach and a former international rugby player. He played in Argentina's successful 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign and had a professional playing career in France s ...
, ,
, -
, LP , , 1 , ,
Laurent Emmanuelli , ,
, -
, colspan=3, Replacements:
, -
, PR , , 16, ,
Davit Zirakashvili , ,
, -
, HK , , 17, ,
Brice Miguel , ,
, -
, LK , , 18, ,
Loïc Jacquet , ,
, -
, LK , , 19, ,
Gonzalo Longo , ,
, -
, N8 , , 20, ,
Alessandro Troncon , ,
, -
, SH , , 21, ,
Seremaia Bai
Seremaia Baïkeinuku (born 4 January 1979) is a retired Fijian rugby union player who played most recently for Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership, and represented Fiji at a National level. He plays at both Fly-half and Inside Centre.
Car ...
, ,
, -
, CE , , 22, ,
Grant Esterhuizen , ,
, -
, colspan=3, Coach:
, -
, colspan="4",
Vern Cotter
Vern is a masculine given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Vernon, Lavern or other names. People named Vern include:
* Vernon Vern Bakalich (1929–2015), New Zealand rugby league player
* Verdi Vern Barberis (1928–2005), Australian ...
{, width=100% style="font-size: 90%"
,
Leading scorers
* Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
{, class="wikitable"
! Rank !! Player !! Club !! Points
, -
, 1 , ,
Brock James , ,
Clermont , , 377
, -
, 2 , ,
Cédric Rosalen , ,
Narbonne
Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...
, , 278
, -
, 3 , ,
Romain Teulet , ,
Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...
, , 271
, -
, 4 , ,
Benjamin Boyet , ,
Bourgoin , , 253
, -
, 5 , ,
David Skrela , ,
Stade Français , , 220
, -
, 6 , ,
Dimitri Yachvili , ,
Biarritz , , 208
, -
, 7 , ,
Sébastien Fauqué , ,
Montauban
Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...
, , 198
, -
, 8 , ,
Richard Dourthe , ,
Bayonne , , 180
, -
, 9 , ,
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde , ,
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, , 178
, -
, 10 , ,
Andre Hough , ,
Albi
Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig ...
, , 173
, -
Top try scorers
{, class="wikitable"
! Rank !! Player !! Club !! Tries
, -
, 1 , ,
Aurélien Rougerie , ,
Clermont , , 13
, -
, 2 , ,
Julien Candelon
Julien Candelon (born July 8, 1980 in Agen) is a professional rugby union winger currently playing for USA Perpignan in the Top 14.
Candelon has earned two caps for the France national team, the first one coming on 18 June 2005 against South Afr ...
, ,
RC Narbonne
R&C, RC, R/C, Rc, or rc may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* rc, the default Command line interface in Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs
* .rc (for "run commands"), a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like ...
, , 12
, -
, 3 , ,
Cédric Heymans
Cédric Heymans (born 20 July 1978) is a French former rugby union footballer who played mainly as a wing or a full-back for French Top 14 club Toulouse and the French national team.
Known for his pace and his footwork, he started his club car ...
, ,
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, , 10
, -
, rowspan=4, 4 , ,
Philippe Bidabé
Philippe Bidabe (born 13 January 1978 in Bayonne, France) is a French rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14 championship. His usual position is at wing but he can also play at centre. He made his Test de ...
, ,
Biarritz , , 9
, -
,
Julien Malzieu , ,
Clermont , , 9
, -
,
Laloa Milford , ,
Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...
, , 9
, -
,
Lei Tomiki , ,
RC Narbonne
R&C, RC, R/C, Rc, or rc may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* rc, the default Command line interface in Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs
* .rc (for "run commands"), a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like ...
, , 9
, -
, 5 , ,
Vincent Clerc , ,
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, , 8
, -
, rowspan=3, 6 , ,
Julien Arias , ,
Stade Français , , 7
, -
,
Sam Broomhall , ,
Clermont , , 7
, -
,
Anthony Floch
Anthony Floch (born 12 February 1983 in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme) is a French rugby union player, who normally plays at Fullback (rugby union), fullback. He currently plays for Montpellier Hérault RC, Montpellier in the Top 14.
Top 14
...
, ,
Clermont , , 7
, -
Attendances
* Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.
{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
, -
!Club
!Home
Games
!Total
!Average
!Highest
!Lowest
!% Capacity
, -
, style="text-align:left", Agen , , 13 , , 97,662 , , 7,512 , , 11,293 , , 5,321 , , 58%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Albi , , 13 , , 88,252 , , 6,789 , , 9,690 , , 5,054 , , 57%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Bayonne , , 13 , , 146,618 , , 11,278 , , 13,926 , , 7,969 , , 67%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Biarritz , , 13 , , 121,583 , , 9,353 , , 13,013 , , 6,711 , , 62%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Bourgoin , , 13 , , 87,177 , , 6,706 , , 16,914 , , 4,553 , , 61%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Brive , , 13 , , 122,145 , , 9,396 , , 12,747 , , 6,908 , , 63%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Castres , , 13 , , 90,932 , , 6,995 , , 9,293 , , 5,652 , , 61%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Clermont , , 13 , , 151,950 , , 11,688 , , 13,685 , , 8,943 , , 72%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Montauban , , 13 , , 94,007 , , 7,231 , , 9,053 , , 5,669 , , 63%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Montpellier , , 13 , , 78,442 , , 6,034 , , 6,545 , , 5,449 , , 75%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Narbonne , , 13 , , 100,154 , , 7,704 , , 9,756 , , 6,236 , , 64%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Perpignan , , 13 , , 162,576 , , 12,506 , , 13,860 , , 11,116 , , 75%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Stade Français , , 13 , , 313,015 , , 24,078 , , 79,741 , , 6,698 , , 75%
, -
, style="text-align:left", Toulouse , , 13 , , 243,100 , , 18,700 , , 33,661 , , 13,557 , , 81%
, -
See also
*
2006–07 Heineken Cup
*
2006–07 Rugby Pro D2 season
Notes
References
External links
*
Ligue Nationale de Rugby- Official website
Top 14on Planetrugby.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2006-07 Top 14 season
Top 14 seasons
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...