Aviron Bayonnais ( eu, Baionako Arrauna), commonly called Bayonne, is a French

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 from

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

(''Baiona'', in Basque) in

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

which, for the 2016-17 season, competed in the top tier of the French league system, in the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

competition. In the 2015–16

Rugby Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was in ...

Season they were promoted after finishing 2nd and winning the playoff final against

Aurillac Aurillac (; oc, Orlhac ) is the prefecture of the Cantal department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aurillacois'' or ''Aurillacoises''. Geography Aurillac is at above sea leve ...

. In the 2016-2017 season, they finished in last place, and will be relegated back to Pro D2 for the 2017-18 season. Founded in 1904, they play at the Parc des Sports also known as Stade Jean-Dauger in Bayonne. Their mascot is a pottok pony called ''pottoka''. They have ties to the French Basque community.

History

The club was established in 1904, making their first final appearance in the 1913 season, where they defeated S.C.U.F. 31-8 at the

Stade Yves-du-Manoir The Stade Yves-du-Manoir (officially Stade olympique Yves-du-Manoir, also known as the Stade olympique de Colombes, or simply Colombes to the locals) is a rugby, track and association football stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France. History ...

. The national domestic championship was replaced by the

Coupe de l'Espérance The Coupe de l'Espérance was a rugby union competition that was played in France to replace the national championship during World War I, as many players were sent to the front. The teams used mostly young boys who had not been drafted yet. The cu ...

during World War I. The competition was played for four seasons, with Aviron Bayonnais contesting the last final, which they lost to Stadoceste Tarbais 4 to 3. With the French championship resumed, the club made their next championship game in the 1922 season where they met

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 fr ...

. Aviron Bayonnais lost the final 6 to nil. The two clubs would meet again the next season to again contest the championship final, which Toulouse won again, 3 to nil. Aviron Bayonnais enjoyed success during the mid-1930s, defeating

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spa ...

13 to 8 in Toulouse to win their second championship, and first since 1913. They also won the

Challenge Yves du Manoir The Challenge Yves du Manoir was a rugby union club competition that was played in France between 1931 and 2003 under different names. It is named after former player Yves du Manoir. History The Challenge Yves du Manoir was officially created on ...

in 1936, defeating

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

in the final. The club saw similar results during the mid-1940s as well, with two championship final appearances; defeating

SU Agen Sporting Union Agen Lot-et-Garonne (), commonly referred to as SU Agen, Agen () or SUALG, is a French professional rugby union club based in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne that competes in the Pro D2, France's second division of rugby. Founded in 1908, A ...

in the 1943 final at

Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin and Stade Roland Garros. The stadium, with a seating capacity of 47 ...

in Paris and losing the 1944 season final to Perpignan. Since the 1940s the club did not find a lot of success over the coming years, as they would have to wait until the 1980s until they would again reach any of the championship finals. In 1980 they contested the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir, defeating AS Béziers 16 to 10 to gain their second title of that competition. They made it to the final of the 1982 season, although they were defeated by SU Agen, 18 to 9. Aviron Bayonnais was relegated to the Group A2 in 1996, where it spent eight seasons. The team was promoted to the Top 16/14 in 2004, remaining there for 11 consecutive seasons. The team was relegated to the Pro D2 in 2015, and has been a

yo-yo club A yo-yo club is a sporting side that is regularly promoted and relegated. The phrase is most typically used in association football in the United Kingdom, especially in reference to promotion to and relegation from the Premier League. The name ...

since then.

Honours

* French championship: ** Champions:

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

and

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

** Finalist: 1922, 1923, 1944 and 1982 *

: ** Champions: 1936 and 1980 *

: ** Champions: 1919 * Coupe André Moga: ** Champions: 1995 *

Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was i ...

** Champions:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

* Euro Basque Rugby Challenge ** Champions: 2019

Finals results

French championship

Challenge Yves du Manoir

Coupe de l'Espérance

Current standings

Current squad

The Bayonne squad for the 2022–23 season is:

Notable former players

Lisandro Arbizu Lisandro Arbizu (born September 29, 1971 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine rugby union footballer. He plays at fly-half or inside centre. He began playing for the local traditional club Belgrano Athletic Club and was one of the first Argentine pla ...

* Martín Bustos Moyano * Matías Cortese * Nicolás Fernández Miranda * Santiago Fernández *

José María Núñez Piossek José María Núñez Piossek (born 6 December 1976, in Tucumán) is an Argentine rugby union footballer, currently playing for Scottish club Glasgow Warriors in the Celtic League. He has also represented the Argentina national team, including ...

Juan Pablo Orlandi Juan Pablo Orlandi (born 20 June 1983) is an Argentine former rugby union footballer who played at prop. He previously played for Racing Métro in France and Rovigo in Italy. Orlandi has also represented the Argentina national rugby union tea ...

Rodney Blake Rodney Blake (born 29 April 1983) is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. He played as a prop in Super Rugby for the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels, and played for Bayonne in the Top 14 in France. He is sometimes referred to ...

Mark Chisholm Mark Chisholm (born 18 September 1981) is a retired Australian rugby union player. Chisholm usually played as a lock, but could also cover blindside flanker. Career Chisholm represented Australia's under-19 side in 2000 as well as being name ...

* Cameron Treloar * Ramón Ayarza * Phil Davies * Filimoni Bolavucu *

Gabiriele Lovobalavu Gabiriele Voduadua Lovobalavu (born 20 June 1985 in Savusavu) is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a centre. Lovobalavu is from Kanakana, Tunuloa in Cakaudrove Province. Prior to completing his Diploma in Teaching at Corpus Christi Coll ...

* Savenaca Rawaca *

Metuisela Talebula Metuisela Talebula (born 20 May 1991) is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He plays fullback, fly-half and wing for Bordeaux Bègles and Fiji. International Talebula was selected to play for the Fiji Juniors to the 2011 IRB Junior World Champi ...

* Saïmoni Vaka * André Alvarez * Clément Ancely * Grégory Arganese * Yoan Audrin * Julien Audy * Denis Avril * Marc Baget * Antoine Battut * Robert Baulon * André Béhotéguy * Henri Béhotéguy * Christian Belascain *

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* Baptiste Chouzenoux * Jean Condom * Jean Dauger * Walter Desmaison * Pierre Dospital * Richard Dourthe * Bernard Duprat * Pépito Elhorga * Jean-Pierre Élissalde * Anthony Étrillard *

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* Fernand Forgues * Xavier Garbajosa * Pierre Gayraud *

Jean-Michel Gonzalez Jean-Michel Gonzalez (born Bayonne, 10 July 1967), nicknamed ''Gonzo'', is a former French rugby union footballer and a current coach. He played as a hooker and as a prop. Gonzalez played for Cambo-Les-Bains, in his first years, Aviron Bayonnais, ...

* Steven Hall * Arnaud Héguy *

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 ...

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* Aretz Iguiniz * Vincent Inigo * Jean Iraçabal *

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* Paul Labadie * Simon Labouyrie * Thibault Lacroix *

Patrice Lagisquet Patrice Lagisquet (born 4 September 1962) is a former French rugby union footballer and a current coach. He played as a wing. He was nicknamed "The Bayonne Express". Lagisquet was born in Arcachon. He first played at U.A. Gujan-Mestras, until mo ...

* Damien Lagrange * Daniel Larrechea * Grégoire Lascubé * René Lasserre *

Christophe Lamaison Christophe "Titou" Lamaison (born 8 April 1971) is a former French rugby union footballer who represented France at international level, and Brive, Agen and Aviron Bayonnais at professional club level. He won 37 caps, and at the time of his reti ...

* Christian Magnanou * Jean-Jo Marmouyet * Romain Martial *

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* Lionel Mazars *

Yannick N'Gog Yannick N'Gog (born 21 May 1982 in Bourg-la-Reine, Hauts-de-Seine) is a French rugby union wing who went on a three-week trial with the Scarlets from SU Agen in 2008. He previously played for Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gas ...

* Marvin O'Connor *

Charles Ollivon Charles Ollivon (born 11 May 1993) is a French professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Top 14 club Toulon and the France national team. Club career Ollivon started his rugby career in the Academy Bayonne side at the age of ...

* Clément Otazo * Laurent Pardo * Patrick Perrier *

Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet (born 5 January 1984) is a French rugby union player. Peyras-Loustalet, who is a winger, plays his club rugby for Montpellier after signing from Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, ...

* Roland Pétrissans * Lucas Pointud * Julien Puricelli * Jérôme Schuster * Scott Spedding * Jacques Rollet * David Roumieu * Benjamin Thiéry * Matthieu Ugalde * Jean-Marie Usandisaga * Giorgi Jgenti * Davit Khinchaguishvili * Avto Kopaliani * Lorenzo Cittadini *

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* Wataru Murata * P. J. van Lill *

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Ross Filipo Ross Ami Filipo (born 14 April 1979) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer. Filipo's career included long stints with Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup, Crusaders in Super Rugby, and Bayonne in the Top 14 competition, and appearances for t ...

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* Gerard Fraser * Dwayne Haare *

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* Blair Stewart *

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* Willie du Plessis *

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* JC Janse van Rensburg * Rassie Jansen van Vuuren *

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* Viacheslav Grachev *

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* Leo Lafaiali'i * Jeremy Tomuli *

Johnnie Beattie John William Beattie (born 21 November 1985) is a Scottish former rugby union player. A number 8, he played for Glasgow Warriors, Montpellier, Castres and Bayonne. Background Beattie is the son of former Scotland number 8 John Beattie and b ...

* James McLaren * Oscar Astarloa * Cédric Garcia * Francisco Puertas Soto *

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* Lisiate Faʻaoso * Pila Fifita * Opeti Fonua *

Ben Broster Benedict Graham John Broster (born 7 May 1982) is a former professional rugby union footballer. Born in Southwark, London, he began his professional career with Saracens, and also played for the Llanelli Scarlets, Northampton Saints, London Was ...

* Mike Phillips

Coaches

* Janu.2010-2010 : Christian Gajan * 2010-Dec.2011 : Christian Gajan, Thomas Lièvremont * Dec.2011-Janu.2012 : Jean-Pierre Elissalde, Didier Faugeron, Pierre-Henry Broncan. * Janu.2012-June 2012 : Didier Faugeron, Denis Avril. * 2012-2013 : Christian Lanta, Christophe Deylaud, Denis Avril. *2013-2014 : Christian Lanta, Christophe Deylaud * 2014-2015 : Patricio Noriega *2015–2017 : Vincent Etcheto *2017–present : Pierre Berbizier

References

External links

*
Aviron Bayonnais
Official website *
Club information
{{Authority control Aviron Bayonnais

Rugby clubs established in 1904 Organizations based in Northern Basque Country 1904 establishments in France