Stade Rochelais

Stade Rochelais (French pronunciation: [stad ʁɔʃlɛ]), commonly called La Rochelle, is a French professional rugby union club based in La Rochelle, France that competes in the Top 14. Founded in 1898 and wearing yellow and black, the club's first-team plays its home matches at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

Stade Rochelais
Full nameStade Rochelais
Nickname(s)Les Maritimes (The Seaborn Men)
Les Jaune et Noir (The Yellow and Blacks)
Les Bagnards (The Convicts)
Founded1898 (1898)
LocationLa Rochelle, France
Ground(s)Stade Marcel-Deflandre (Capacity: 16,700)
ChairmanVincent Merling
Coach(es)Ronan O'Gara
Captain(s)Grégory Alldritt
Uini Atonio
League(s)Top 14
2023–245th
1st kit
2nd kit
3rd kit
Official website
www.staderochelais.com

Alongside other French club Brive, La Rochelle is one of only two clubs that won the European Rugby Champions Cup (twice in its case; beating Leinster in both 2022 and 2023 finals) without succeeding in winning its domestic championship losing on both occasions against Toulouse in the final: the first time in 2021 and the second in 2023. Owned by several shareholders, including club president and coffee magnate Vincent Merling, the club is renowned for the fervour of its supporters and its continual sold-out home matches.

History

Originally formed in 1898, Stade Rochelais won three regional Atlantic championships in the early part of the 20th century, qualifying them for the French Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals twice and the semi-finals once.[1] The popularity of rugby league in the area lessened the number of available players, and in 1935 Stade Rochelais merged with neighbours Union Sportive Rochelaise.[1]

Occupation of La Rochelle by troops from Nazi Germany, accompanied by a banning of rugby league by the Vichy Government, forced the city's rugby league club La Rochelle-Etudiants XIII to also be merged into Stade Rochelais in 1941.[1] This was overseen by club President Marcel Deflandre, who was later executed for his role as part of the French Resistance - the club's stadium is named Stade Marcel-Deflandre in his honour.[1]

The club formed a school for training players and coaches in the 1950s, resulting in them reaching the French Championship quarter-finals three times in the 1960s.[1] They were relegated in 1985, returning in 1997.[1] They were again relegated in 2002, though they won the Challenge Yves du Manoir that same year.[1] They retained the Challenge title the following year but were not promoted again until 2010.[1] They spent one season in Top 16 before being relegated again.[1]

Les Maritimes came third in the 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 season and were promoting after beating Agen in the play-off final.

Honours

Finals results

French Championship
Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
25 June 2021 Stade Toulousain 18–8 Stade Rochelais Stade de France, Saint-Denis 14,000
17 June 2023 Stade Toulousain 29-26 Stade Rochelais Stade de France, Saint-Denis 79,804

European Rugby Champions Cup
Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
22 May 2021 Stade Toulousain 22–17 Stade Rochelais Twickenham Stadium, London 10,000
28 May 2022 Stade Rochelais 24–21 Leinster Orange Vélodrome, Marseille 59,682
20 May 2023 Stade Rochelais 27–26 Leinster Aviva Stadium, Dublin 51,711

European Rugby Challenge Cup
Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
10 May 2019 ASM Clermont 36–16 Stade Rochelais St James' Park, Newcastle 28,438

Current standings
2023–24 Top 14 Table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Toulouse (Q) 26 16 1 9 765 592 +173 103 72 7 3 76 Playoffs and Qualification for 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup
2 Stade Français (Q) 26 17 1 8 539 511 +28 57 49 4 1 75
3 Bordeaux Bègles (Q) 26 15 0 11 677 558 +119 80 66 5 4 69
4 Toulon (Q) 26 15 0 11 704 519 +185 72 58 5 4 69
5 La Rochelle (Q) 26 13 1 12 595 496 +99 69 49 5 7 66
6 Racing 92 (Q) 26 13 0 13 622 546 +76 79 56 5 5 62
7 Castres 26 13 0 13 643 642 +1 69 77 4 6 62 Qualification for 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup
8 Clermont 26 12 2 12 621 671 −50 74 78 6 3 61
9 Pau 26 13 0 13 630 609 +21 68 72 3 5 60 Qualification for 2024–25 European Rugby Challenge Cup
10 Perpignan 26 13 0 13 634 701 −67 80 85 5 1 58
11 Lyon 26 12 0 14 630 754 −124 72 90 5 2 55
12 Bayonne 26 11 0 15 572 669 −97 65 77 2 6 52
13 Montpellier (Q) 26 9 0 17 542 655 −113 61 79 1 7 44 Qualification for Relegation play-off
14 Oyonnax (R) 26 7 1 18 539 790 −251 58 99 0 4 34 Relegation to Pro D2
Updated to match(es) played on 18 May 2024. Source: Top 14
(Q) Qualified for the playoffs; (R) Relegated

Current squad
For player movements before or during the 2023–24 season, see List of 2023–24 Top 14 transfers § La Rochelle.

The La Rochelle squad for the 2022–23 season is:[2][3]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Pierre Bourgarit Hooker France
Sacha Idoumi Hooker France
Quentin Lespiaucq Hooker France
Uini Atonio Prop France
Georges-Henri Colombe Prop France
Alexsandre Kuntelia Prop Georgia
Thierry Paiva Prop France
Joel Sclavi Prop Argentina
Reda Wardi Prop France
Ultan Dillane Lock Ireland
Thomas Lavault Lock France
Rémi Picquette Lock France
Thomas Ployet Lock France
Will Skelton Lock Australia
Grégory Alldritt Back row France
Levani Botia Back row Fiji
Paul Boudehent Back row France
Judicaël Cancoriet Back row France
Noé Della Schiava Back row France
Matthias Haddad Back row France
Yoan Tanga Back row France
Player Position Union
Thomas Berjon Scrum-half France
Teddy Iribaren Scrum-half France
Tawera Kerr-Barlow Scrum-half New Zealand
Antoine Hastoy Fly-half France
Hugo Reus Fly-half France
Ihaia West Fly-half New Zealand
Jonathan Danty Centre France
Jules Favre Centre France
UJ Seuteni Centre Samoa
Dillyn Leyds Wing South Africa
Jack Nowell Wing England
Raymond Rhule Wing South Africa
Teddy Thomas Wing France
Brice Dulin Fullback France

Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Alexandre Kaddouni Prop France
Louis Penverne Prop France
Karl Sorin Prop France
Nika Sutidze Prop Georgia
Robin Garnier Lock France
Simon Huchet Lock France
Sampie Joubert Lock South Africa
Charles Kante-Samba Lock France
Oscar Jégou Back row France
Edouard Richer Back row France
Player Position Union
Lucas Zamora Scrum-half France
Timothee Castaignede Fly-half France
Simeli Daunivucu Centre Fiji
Romain Lamit Centre France
Seru Tomasi Centre Fiji
Theo Williamson Centre England
Ika Anagu Wing Ireland
Nathan Bollengier Wing France
Hoani Bosmorin Wing France
Mathis Lhomet Wing France
Maxime Tetlow Fullback France

Notable former players

Arnaud, then his son Jean-Pierre and his grandson Jean-Baptiste all played for La Rochelle as scrum-halves.

Coaches

Well known former coaches include

The club only had three head coaches from 1992 to 2017, including Patrice Collaco since 2011.[4]

Leadership and management

Vincent Merling, president as of 2017, had guided the club for 25 years. He was the driving force behind the “Grow Together” campaign launched in 2015 that persuaded 500 local businesses to support/sponsor the club.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Local club La Rochelle now pressing claims at Europe's top table". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  2. "Effectif" (in French). Stade Rochelais. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  3. "La Rochelle squad for season 2023/2024". All Rugby. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. "Europe's team of the season are coming to Murrayfield". www.scotsman.com. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
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