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The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.
2009–10 Top 14 season | |
---|---|
Countries | France |
Champions | Clermont (1st title) |
Runners-up | Perpignan |
Relegated | Montauban Albi |
Matches played | 187 |
Attendance | 2,672,064 (average 14,289 per match) |
Highest attendance | 79,262 (play-offs) Perpignan v Clermont 29 May 2010 78,254 (league stage) Stade Français v Toulouse 6 March 2010 |
Lowest attendance | 4,813 Bourgoin v Montauban 6 March 2010 |
Tries scored | 597 (average 3.2 per match) |
Top point scorer | Romain Teulet (263) |
Top try scorer | Sam Gerber (9) |
This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Racing Métro, winners of the 2009 title in the second-level Pro D2, and Albi, victors in the 2009 promotion playoffs between the second- through fifth-placed teams in Pro D2, thus becoming the first team to achieve promotion to the Top 14 only one year after being relegated. They took the place of the two clubs from Landes, Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, relegated at the end of the 2008–09 Top 14. Mont-de-Marsan, which had been promoted to the Top 14 for 2008–09, finished bottom of the table and went down. The other newly promoted team in 2008–09, Toulon, finished ninth, sending Dax, who had already finished second-to-bottom the previous season before being allowed to stay in the Top 14 due to Albi's financial troubles, to Pro D2.
The two teams promoted for 2009–10 had very different results. Albi finished bottom of the table by a wide margin and went directly back to Pro D2. Racing Métro, on the other hand, finished sixth, giving them a berth in the newly expanded playoffs and a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. Bayonne finished in the other relegation spot of 13th place, but were reprieved due to the financial problems of 12th-place Montauban.
The season ended with Clermont winning their first French national title in their nearly century-long history, defeating defending champions Perpignan 19–6 in a rematch of last season's final. This result ended decades of frustration for Les Jaunards and their supporters, who had previously tasted defeat in all 10 of their previous final-game appearances.[1]
Club | Captain | Head Coach |
---|---|---|
Albi | Vincent Clément | Jean Christophe Bacca Philippe Laurent |
Bayonne | Rémy Martin | Christian Gajan |
Biarritz | Jérôme Thion | Jack Isaac Jean-Michel Gonzalez |
Bourgoin | Julien Frier | Éric Catinot Xavier Péméja |
Brive | Fabrice Estebanez | Ugo Mola Christophe Laussucq |
Castres | Alexandre Albouy Sébastien Tillous-Borde |
Laurent Labit Laurent Travers |
Clermont | Aurélien Rougerie | Vern Cotter |
Montauban | Matthew Clarkin | Sébastien Calvet Marc Raynaud |
Montpellier | Fulgence Ouedraogo | Warren Britz |
Perpignan | Nicolas Mas | Jacques Brunel |
Racing Métro | Lionel Nallet | Pierre Berbizier |
Stade Français | Rodrigo Roncero | Jacques Delmas Didier Faugeron |
Toulon | Joe van Niekerk | Philippe Saint-André |
Toulouse | Thierry Dusautoir | Guy Novès |
Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season is conducted in the same order as the first, with the club at home in the first half of the season away in the second. This season introduced a new format for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualify directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualify for a quarterfinal held at the homeground of the higher-ranked team. The semifinals are then held at neutral sites, with the final being played at the Stade de France. This replaced the classical format consisting of semifinals between the top four teams held at neutral sites.
Going into the season, the top six clubs were guaranteed of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. The winners of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup are assured of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup regardless of their league standing. This means that if a club finishes in the top six and wins one of the European competitions, the seventh-place team will gain a Heineken Cup berth. However, if French clubs win both competitions, only five clubs will qualify for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup via their league position because France is capped at seven Heineken Cup places. France can also secure a seventh berth if clubs from England's Guinness Premiership, also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both Cup competitions, and the top club in the European Rugby Club Rankings among those not already qualified for the Heineken Cup is from the Top 14. As it turned out, France earned a seventh berth when Toulouse won the Heineken Cup; because Toulouse had finished fourth on the regular-season table, the extra berth went to seventh-place Biarritz, who were also their opponent in the Heineken Cup final.
The bottom two teams are provisionally relegated to Pro D2, with the possibility of one or both of the bottom teams to be reprieved if a team above them fails a postseason financial audit (mandatory for all clubs in the league).
The LNR used 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,[8] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. The LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[9]
France's bonus point system operated as follows:[9]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Perpignan (F) | 26 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 582 | 412 | +170 | 12 | 80[lower-alpha 1] | Advance to playoff semi-finals Qualified for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup |
2 | Toulon (SF) | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 541 | 456 | +85 | 6 | 80[lower-alpha 1] | |
3 | Clermont (C) | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 644 | 414 | +230 | 12 | 78 | Advance to playoff quarter-finals Qualified for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup |
4 | Toulouse (SF) | 26 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 524 | 359 | +165 | 12 | 74 | |
5 | Castres (QF) | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 542 | 398 | +144 | 11 | 73 | |
6 | Racing Métro (QF) | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 518 | 530 | −12 | 6 | 64 | |
7 | Biarritz[lower-alpha 2] | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 471 | 442 | +29 | 11 | 59 | Qualified for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup |
8 | Stade Français | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 600 | 572 | +28 | 10 | 58[lower-alpha 3] | |
9 | Brive | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 459 | 513 | −54 | 10 | 58[lower-alpha 3] | |
10 | Montpellier | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 453 | 574 | −121 | 3 | 55 | |
11 | Bourgoin | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 407 | 591 | −184 | 4 | 50 | |
12 | Montauban[lower-alpha 4] (R) | 26 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 422 | 525 | −103 | 5 | 49 | Relegated to the 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 |
13 | Bayonne[lower-alpha 4] | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 492 | 490 | +2 | 11 | 47 | |
14 | Albi (R) | 26 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 349 | 728 | −379 | 8 | 24 | Relegated to the 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 |
21 August 2009 20:35 |
Bayonne | 38–24 | Stade Français |
Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain Attendance: 24,411[19] |
29 August 2009 16:00 |
Montauban | P–P | Castres |
Stade Sapiac |
2 September 2009 19:30 |
Albi | P–P | Castres |
Stadium Municipal d'Albi |
2 September 2009 19:30 |
Montpellier | 22–18 | Biarritz (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 9,826 |
6 September 2009 15:00 |
(1 BP) Racing Métro | 14–18 | Perpignan |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 7,910[26] |
12 September 2009 14:30 |
Montpellier | 21–20 | Toulon (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 11,825 |
12 September 2009 16:25 |
Biarritz | 12–6 | Bayonne (1 BP) |
Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain Attendance: 28,933[19] |
26 September 2009 14:30 |
Racing Métro | 18–14 | Montpellier (1 BP) |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 6,846[26] |
29 September 2009 19:30 |
(1 BP) Albi | 21–25[a 8] | Castres (1 BP) |
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Attendance: 8,704[13] |
3 October 2009 14:30 |
Montpellier | 12–30 | Toulouse |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 14,261 |
3 October 2009 14:30 |
Racing Métro | 17–12 | Montauban (1 BP) |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 6,446[26] |
24 October 2009 14:30 |
Montpellier | 16–9 | Clermont (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 12,292 |
31 October 2009 14:30 |
Racing Métro | 27–20 | Toulouse (1 BP) |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 13,140[26] |
5 November 2009 19:30 |
Biarritz | P–P | Racing Métro |
Parc des Sports Aguiléra |
5 November 2009 19:30 |
Montpellier | 19–0 | Montauban |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 9,094 |
21 November 2009 14:30 |
Racing Métro | 20–18 | Stade Français (1 BP) |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 9,756[26] |
28 November 2009 14:30 |
Montpellier | 3–25 | Brive (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 9,004 |
28 November 2009 16:25 |
Bayonne | P–P | Perpignan |
Stade Jean Dauger |
30 December 2009 18:45 |
Montpellier | 25–23 | Stade Français (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 11,936 |
3 January 2010 15:00 |
(1 BP) Racing Métro | 17–18 | Bourgoin |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 8,834[26] |
9 January 2010 14:30 |
Bourgoin | P–P | Bayonne |
Stade Pierre Rajon |
9 January 2010 14:30 |
Montpellier | 15–0 | Castres |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 9,633 |
20 February 2010 14:30 |
(1 BP) Montpellier | 16–22 | Bayonne |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 10,390 |
6 March 2010 20:45 |
Montpellier | 22–19 | Racing Métro (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 12,032 |
27 March 2010 16:25 |
Biarritz | 26–10 | Toulouse |
Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain Attendance: 21,948 |
3 April 2010 14:30 |
(1 BP) Montpellier | 62–15 | Albi |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 11,456 |
17 April 2010 20:45 |
Racing Métro | 29–22 | Biarritz (1 BP) |
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 13,425[26] |
24 April 2010 16:25 |
Montpellier | 34–27 | Bourgoin (1 BP) |
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Attendance: 13,346 |
24 April 2010 16:25 |
(1 BP) Stade Français | 41 -17 | Racing Métro |
Stade Sébastien Charléty Attendance: 19,508[38] |
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
1 | Perpignan | 21 | ||||||||||||
4 | Toulouse | 35 | 4 | Toulouse | 13 | |||||||||
5 | Castres | 12 | 1 | Perpignan | 6 | |||||||||
3 | Clermont | 19 | ||||||||||||
2 | Toulon | 29 | ||||||||||||
3 | Clermont | 21 | 3 | Clermont (a.e.t.) | 35 | |||||||||
6 | Racing Métro | 17 |
All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2).
7 May 2010 21:00 |
Clermont | 21–17 | Racing Métro |
Pen: James (2/4) 3', 21' Parra (5/5) 48', 60', 64', 70', 75' | Report | Try: Cronjé 38' m Pen: Wisniewski (1/2) 41' Steyn (1/1) 46' Drop: Wisniewski 53' Steyn 62' |
Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand Attendance: 15,811[39] Referee: Pascal Gauzere |
14 May 2010 21:00 |
Perpignan | 21–13 | Toulouse |
Pen: Porical (7/8) 9', 17', 22', 42', 51', 62', 78' | Report | Try: Bézy 7' c Con: Skrela (1/1) Pen: Skrela (2/2) 18', 26' |
Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier Attendance: 32,204[41] Referee: Romain Poite |
15 May 2010 16:30 |
Toulon | 29–35 (a.e.t.) | Clermont |
Try: Williams 73' c Cibray 96' c Con: Wilkinson (2/2) Pen: Wilkinson (4/6) 3', 32', 63', 77' Drop: Wilkinson (1/1) 14' | Report | Try: Zirakashvili 69' c Malzieu 93' c Con: Parra (1/1) James (1/1) Pen: Parra (4/5) 27', 47', 49', 58' James (1/1) 89' Drop: Floch (1/1) 6' James (1/2) 91' |
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Attendance: 33,609[42] Referee: Jérôme Garces |
29 May 2010 21:00 |
Perpignan | 6–19 | Clermont |
Pen: Porical (2/6) 21', 27' | Report | Try: Nalaga 17' c Con: Parra (1/1) Pen: Parra (3/6) 12', 29', 63' Drop: Floch (1/1) 69' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,262[43] Referee: Christophe Berdos |
|
|
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
Players were selected by fan vote from a three-player shortlist on the official LNR site, and the results are posted roughly in the middle of the following month.
Month | Player of the Month | Club |
---|---|---|
August | Joe van Niekerk | Toulon |
September | Jonny Wilkinson | Toulon |
October | Julien Candelon | Perpignan |
November | Not awarded — Test window |
Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albi | 13 | 89,552 | 6,889 | 8,704 | 5,680 | 53% |
Bayonne | 13 | 182,040 | 14,003 | 24,411 | 10,419 | 77% |
Biarritz | 13 | 157,886 | 12,145 | 28,933 | 8,013 | 67% |
Bourgoin | 13 | 113,849 | 8,758 | 29,876 | 4,813 | 68% |
Brive | 13 | 123,756 | 9,520 | 13,847 | 7,996 | 63% |
Castres | 13 | 106,443 | 8,188 | 9,943 | 6,953 | 71% |
Clermont[a 10] | 14 | 212,572 | 15,184 | 15,854 | 12,131 | 92% |
Montauban | 13 | 100,109 | 7,701 | 10,622 | 6,332 | 61% |
Montpellier | 13 | 147,086 | 11,314 | 14,261 | 9,004 | 72% |
Perpignan | 13 | 170,644 | 13,126 | 14,345 | 11,535 | 79% |
Racing Métro | 13 | 117,418 | 9,032 | 13,425 | 6,354 | 65% |
Stade Français | 13 | 451,301 | 34,715 | 78,254 | 7,008 | 79% |
Toulon | 13 | 254,690 | 19,592 | 57,392 | 11,169 | 92% |
Toulouse[a 11] | 14 | 299,643 | 21,403 | 34,594 | 15,001 | 89% |
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