2018–19 Top 14 season
The 2018–19 Top 14 competition was the 120th season of the French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2017–18 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 (Perpignan and Grenoble) in place of the two relegated teams, Oyonnax and Brive.
| 2018–19 Top 14 | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  France |
| Date | 25 August 2018 – 15 June 2019 |
| Champions | Toulouse (20th title) |
| Runners-up | Clermont |
| Relegated | Perpignan, Grenoble |
| Matches played | 187 |
| Attendance | 2,734,738 (average 14,624 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 79,786 (play-offs) Toulouse v Clermont 15 June 2019 43,089 (league) Toulon v Toulouse 6 April 2019 |
| Lowest attendance | 6,100 Stade Français v Agen 13 April 2019 |
| Top point scorer |  Ihaia West(La Rochelle) 257 points |
| Top try scorer | Virimi Vakatawa (Racing) 13 tries |
| Official website | |
| www | |
On 27 April 2019, Perpignan were relegated after they lost at home to La Rochelle, condemning the newly promoted side to the drop with three games still to play.[1] It was a truly dreadful season for Perpignan and one of the worst ever by a club in the history of the Top 14 - at one point it even looked like they might go through the whole season without a win but mercifully they finally achieved a victory on 16 February 2019 against Montpellier. They will be joined in 2018–19 Rugby Pro D2 by Grenoble, who lost the relegation playoff game, 22-28, to Brive.[2] Brive and Rugby Pro D2 champions, Bayonne, will play in the 2019–20 Top 14.[3]
The Top 14 final was contested between the top two teams in the league stage – Toulouse (1st) and Clermont (2nd) – who both won their semi-finals with relative ease. In the end it was Toulouse who triumphed at the Stade de France, seeing out a 24-18 victory to win its 20th title and the clubs first since 2012.[4] It was a well deserved victory for Le Stade, who were head and shoulders the best team in the league, finishing 15 points clear of Clermont and beating them twice out of three meetings (the other result was a draw). Despite missing out on the title, it was a still excellent season for Clermont, who massively improved on 2017-18 when they finished 9th, and also won the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
In terms of attendances, the Top 14 once again proved to be the most popular rugby union league in the world, with over 2.7 million supporters watching games that season. This was an average of 14,624 per game, slightly higher than the second best supported league - the 2018–19 English Premiership - which had an average of 14,507.
Teams
Number of teams by regions
| Teams | Region or country | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 |  Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Agen, Bordeaux Bègles, La Rochelle, and Pau |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Occitanie | Castres, Montpellier, Perpignan, and Toulouse | |
| 3 |  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Clermont, Grenoble, and Lyon |
| 2 |  Île-de-France | Racing and Stade Français |
| 1 |  Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Toulon |
Competition format
The top six teams at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away) enter a knockout stage to decide the Champions of France. This consists of three rounds: the teams finishing third to sixth in the table play quarter-finals (hosted by the third and fourth placed teams). The winners then face the top two teams in the semi-finals, with the winners meeting in the final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
The LNR uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match,[5] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[6]
France's bonus point system operates as follows:[6]
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 bonus point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent. This replaces the standard bonus point for scoring 4 tries regardless of the match result.
- 1 bonus point for losing by 5 points (or fewer). The margin had been 7 points until being changed prior to the 2014–15 season.
Table
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| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Diff. | Tries For | Tries Against | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toulouse (C) | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 820 | 506 | +314 | 102 | 57 | 9 | 1 | 98 | ||||
| 2 | Clermont (RU) | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 821 | 528 | +293 | 92 | 49 | 9 | 4 | 83 | ||||
| 3 | Lyon (SF) | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 683 | 525 | +158 | 72 | 56 | 7 | 1 | 78 | ||||
| 4 | Racing (QF) | 26 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 743 | 563 | +180 | 94 | 55 | 8 | 4 | 74 | ||||
| 5 | La Rochelle (SF) | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 719 | 616 | +103 | 89 | 66 | 6 | 1 | 71 | ||||
| 6 | Montpellier (QF) | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 659 | 546 | +113 | 82 | 55 | 6 | 6 | 70 | ||||
| 7 | Castres | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 508 | 499 | +9 | 48 | 46 | 3 | 5 | 68 | ||||
| 8 | Stade Français | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 583 | 579 | +4 | 58 | 62 | 4 | 4 | 64 | ||||
| 9 | Toulon | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 572 | 542 | +30 | 69 | 56 | 6 | 3 | 57 | ||||
| 10 | Bordeaux Bègles | 26 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 613 | 711 | —98 | 65 | 84 | 4 | 3 | 57 | ||||
| 11 | Pau | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 501 | 756 | —255 | 51 | 90 | 2 | 5 | 43 | ||||
| 12 | Agen | 26 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 431 | 654 | —223 | 38 | 78 | 0 | 4 | 38 | ||||
| 13 | Grenoble (R) | 26 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 444 | 691 | —247 | 32 | 82 | 0 | 5 | 29 | ||||
| 14 | Perpignan (R) | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 433 | 814 | —381 | 41 | 97 | 0 | 4 | 12 | ||||
|
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
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| Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup. Blue background (rows 3 to 6) receive quarter-final play-off places, and receive berths in the Champions Cup. Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Pink background (row 13) will qualify to the Relegation play-offs. Red background (row 14) will automatically be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Final table — source: | |||||||||||||||||
Relegation
Starting from the 2017–18 season forward, only the 14th placed team will be automatically relegated to Pro D2. The 13th placed team will face the runner-up of the Pro D2 play-off, with the winner of that play-off taking up the final place in Top 14 for the following season.[7]
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
- Perpignan are relegated.[1]
Round 24
Round 25
Round 26
Relegation playoff
The team finishing in 13th place faces the runner-up of the Pro D2, with the winner of this match playing in the 2019–20 Top 14 and the loser in the 2019–20 Pro D2.
2 June 2019 15:15 |
| Brive | 28–22 | Grenoble |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Penalty try 22' m Romanet 35' c Marques 44' c Giorgadze 76' c Con: Laranjeira (1/2) 35' Olding (2/2) 44', 76' |
Report | Try: Guillemin 80' c Con: Pourteau (1/1) 80' Pen: Germain (5/5) 4', 15', 27', 33', 66' |
Playoffs
| Semi-final Qualifiers | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 1 | Toulouse | 20 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Racing | 13 | 5 | La Rochelle | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | La Rochelle | 19 | 1 | Toulouse | 24 | ||||||||
| 2 | Clermont | 18 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Clermont | 33 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Lyon | 21 | 3 | Lyon | 13 | ||||||||
| 6 | Montpellier | 16 | |||||||||||
Semi-final Qualifiers
31 May 2019 21:00 |
| Racing (4) | 13–19 | La Rochelle (5) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Nakarawa 67' c Con: Iribaren (1/1) 67' Pen: Machenaud (1/1) 40' Iribaren (1/1) 73' |
Report | Try: Retière 52' c Con: West (1/1) 52' Pen: West (4/4) 11', 16', 30', 38' |
1 June 2019 17:00 |
| Lyon (3) | 21–16 | Montpellier (6) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Barassi 13' m Ngatai 69' c Con: Wisniewski (1/2) 69' Pen: Wisniewski (3/3) 21', 40', 53' |
Report | Try: Cruden 4' c Con: Paillaugue (1/1) 4' Pen: Paillaugue (2/2) 11', 29' Cruden (1/1) 61' |
Semi-finals
8 June 2019 21:00 |
| Toulouse (1) | 20–6 | La Rochelle (5) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Guitoune 13' c Bézy 60' m Kolbe 65' m Con: Ramos (1/1) 13' Pen: Bézy (1/1) 73' |
Report | Pen: West (2/2) 22', 27' |
9 June 2019 16:30 |
| Clermont (2) | 33–13 | Lyon (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Penaud 31' c Raka 53' c Moala 80' c Con: Laidlaw (2/2) 31', 53' Lopez (1/1) 80' Pen: Laidlaw (4/4) 14', 25', 29', 75' |
Report | Try: Gill 10' m Fourie 68' m Pen: Wisniewski (1/1) 20' |
Final
15 June 2019 21:00 |
| Toulouse (1) | 24–18 | Clermont (2) |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Huget (2) 29' m, 55' c Con: Ramos (1/2) 56' Pen: Ramos (4/4) 9', 18', 48', 65' |
Report | Pen: Laidlaw (5/5) 1', 14', 34', 52', 60' Lopez (1/1) 73' |
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Leading scorers
Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
Attendances
- 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 | 109,913 | 8,455 | 10,569 | 6,492 | 60% |
| Bordeaux Bègles | 13 | 265,315 | 20,409 | 30,127 | 13,273 | 58% |
| Castres | 13 | 140,994 | 10,846 | 12,500 | 9,700 | 87% |
| Clermont | 13 | 232,058 | 17,851 | 18,783 | 15,579 | 94% |
| Grenoble | 13 | 166,407 | 12,801 | 15,551 | 10,000 | 64% |
| La Rochelle | 13 | 207,983 | 15,999 | 16,000 | 15,983 | 100% |
| Lyon | 14 | 195,364 | 13,955 | 18,016 | 11,298 | 56% |
| Montpellier | 13 | 134,140 | 10,318 | 13,500 | 8,100 | 66% |
| Pau | 13 | 169,572 | 13,044 | 16,652 | 11,324 | 71% |
| Perpignan | 13 | 150,606 | 11,585 | 14,466 | 10,038 | 79% |
| Racing | 14 | 214,215 | 15,301 | 25,305 | 9,000 | 53% |
| Stade Francais | 13 | 133,812 | 10,293 | 15,500 | 6,100 | 51% |
| Toulon | 13 | 211,819 | 16,294 | 43,089 | 12,585 | 76% |
| Toulouse | 13 | 238,641 | 18,357 | 32,721 | 10,767 | 84% |
See also
Notes
- In recent years, Bordeaux Bègles has taken occasional home matches to Matmut Atlantique.
- Racing would play their semi-final qualifier game at the 14,000 capacity Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir.
- In recent years, Toulon has taken occasional home matches to Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Allianz Riviera in Nice.
- Toulouse often takes high-demand home matches to the city's largest sporting venue, Stadium Municipal.
- Racing would play their semi-final qualifier game at the 14,000 capacity Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir due to a concert behind held at the Paris La Défense Arena.[60]
References
- "Top 14 (J23) : La Rochelle s'impose et condamne Perpignan à la relégation". Orange Sport. 27 April 2019.
- "Bye bye Grenoble, revoilà Brive !". La Dépêche. 3 June 2019.
- "Pro D2: Bayonne sacré champion de France et accède au Top 14". L'Indépendant. 26 May 2019.
- "Résultat En direct : Toulouse - Clermont, Top 14 2018-2019, Finale, Samedi 15 Juin 2019". L'Equipe. 15 June 2019.
- "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
- "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). LNR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
- Mortimer, Gavin (18 August 2016). "French rugby enjoys a popularity boom as it looks to the future". Rugby World. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- "Toulouse et Lyon se neutralisent". La Nouvelle République. 26 August 2018.
- "Agen en cellule de dégrisement à Clermont". La Dépêche. 27 August 2018.
- "1ère journée". L'Equipe. 25 August 2018.
- "Castres : attention aux ratés". La Dépêche. 3 September 2018.
- "Montpellier se rassure". La Dépêche. 2 September 2018.
- "Un Clermont sacrément revanchard". Le Bien Public. 3 September 2018.
- "2ème journée". L'Equipe. 2 September 2018.
- "Stade Toulousain : quel appétit...offensif". La Dépêche. 9 September 2018.
- "3ème journée". L'Equipe. 9 September 2018.
- "Armandie capitale de l'Aquitaine !". La Dépêche. 17 September 2018.
- "Ce Stade Toulousain a du coffre". La Dépêche. 16 September 2018.
- "4ème journée". L'Equipe. 16 September 2018.
- "Toulon - Agen: 33 - 3". Midi Olympique. 24 September 2018. p. 6.
- "Grenoble - Perpignan: 31 - 22". Midi Olympique. 24 September 2018. p. 11.
- "Racing 92 - Castres: 27 - 11". Midi Olympique. 24 September 2018. p. 12.
- "Montpellier - Toulouse: 66 - 15". Midi Olympique. 24 September 2018. p. 7.
- "5ème journée". L'Equipe. 24 September 2018.
- "Bordeaux-Bègles - La Rochelle: 34 - 22". Midi Olympique. 1 October 2018. p. 7.
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- "6ème journée". L'Equipe. 30 September 2018.
- "7ème journée". L'Equipe. 7 October 2018.
- "ASM - Castres : ce qu'il faut retenir du match". La Montagne. 27 October 2018.
- "8ème journée". L'Equipe. 28 October 2018.
- "9ème journée". L'Equipe. 4 November 2018.
- "10ème journée". L'Equipe. 25 November 2018.
- "Agen a piégé Castres : récit d'un exploit !". La Dépêche. 2 December 2018.
- "11ème journée". L'Equipe. 2 December 2018.
- "12ème journée". L'Equipe. 23 December 2018.
- "13ème journée". L'Equipe. 30 December 2018.
- "14ème journée". L'Equipe. 6 January 2019.
- "Toulon - Paris: 33 - 3". Midi Olympique. 28 January 2019. p. 10.
- "15ème journée". L'Equipe. 27 January 2019.
- "Grande première pour Perpignan". La Nouvelle République. 17 February 2019.
- "Les réactions après Grenoble - La Rochelle". Le Dauphiné Libéré. 17 February 2019.
- "16ème journée". L'Equipe. 17 February 2019.
- "Top 14 : La Rochelle se saborde contre le Stade Français (14-27)". France Bleu. 24 February 2019.
- "17ème journée". L'Equipe. 24 February 2019.
- "18ème journée". L'Equipe. 3 March 2019.
- "Stade : attention, bête blessée !". La Dépêche. 17 March 2019.
- "19ème journée". L'Equipe. 17 March 2019.
- "Montpellier enchaîne à Pau". La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées. 25 March 2019.
- "20ème journée". L'Equipe. 24 March 2019.
- "21ème journée". L'Equipe. 7 April 2019.
- "22ème journée". L'Equipe. 13 April 2019.
- "23ème journée". L'Equipe. 28 April 2019.
- "24ème journée". L'Equipe. 4 May 2019.
- "REFEREES TO 19 MAY 2019". Rugby 365. 15 May 2019.
- "25ème journée". L'Equipe. 19 May 2019.
- "REFEREES TO 26 MAY 2019". Rugby 365. 21 May 2019.
- "Stade Français Pau: 31 - 17". Midi Olympique. 27 May 2019. p. 14.
- "26ème journée". L'Equipe. 25 May 2019.
- "REFEREES TO 2 JUNE 2019". Rugby 365. 29 May 2019.
- "Le Racing 92 de retour à Colombes : «Merci Mylène», disent les supporters". Le Parisien. 26 May 2019.
- "Barrages". L'Equipe. 1 June 2019.
- "REFEREES TO 2 JUNE 2019". Rugby 365. 29 May 2019.
- "Demi-finales". L'Equipe. 9 June 2019.
- "Finale". L'Equipe. 15 June 2019.
- "Classement des réalisateurs Saison 2018/19". sports.fr. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- "Classement des marqueurs d'essais Saison 2018/19". sports.fr. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2019.