Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (; ), usually known simply as Biarritz, is a French professional
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 its m ...
team based in the
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...
which competes in the
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 ...
, the second division of French rugby. Biarritz plays its home matches at the
Parc des Sports Aguiléra
Parc des Sports Aguiléra is a multi-purpose stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a t ...
, which is a multi-use stadium in Biarritz and which has a capacity of around 13,500 people, though for games that need a larger capacity, Biarritz may play at the
Estadio Anoeta
Anoeta Stadium ( es, Estadio de Anoeta), currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain that was inaugurated in 1993.
The stadium lies at the Anoeta Sports Comple ...
in
San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
. Biarritz play in red and white colours. Biarritz won a number of major honors, including the French championship on five occasions.
Biarritz Olympique was formed in 1913 through a merger of the Biarritz Stade and Biarritz Sporting Club rugby teams. Biarritz made their way to the final of the French championship for the first time in the 1934 season where they were defeated by
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 re ...
. The following season they claimed their first championship, defeating Perpignan in the final. That decade Biarritz met Perpignan twice again in the final, winning one and losing one. It would not be until 1992 when the club made the final again, and then a decade later, winning the championship in 2002. The club won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006, and were runners-up in Europe in 2006 and 2010 as well. In 2013–14, Biarritz won just five matches out of 26, and were relegated to the Pro D2 League. In 2020–21, they were promoted back to the Top 14 after a 7 year absence.
History
Early years
The history of the club extends back to the late 19th century. An athletic club, Biarritz Stade (named that, in 1902) opened up a rugby quarter. In 1909, the Biarritz Sporting Club was established. On 26 April 1913, the fusion of the two clubs took place. The new name of the club was Biarritz Olympique and its inaugural president was M. P. Campagne. On 13 May 1934, Biarritz Olympique played in the final of the French premiership; they were however, defeated by
Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais ( eu, Baionako Arrauna), commonly called Bayonne, is a French rugby union club from Bayonne (''Baiona'', in Basque) in Pyrénées-Atlantiques which, for the 2016-17 season, competed in the top tier of the French league system, ...
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 Par ...
in front of 18,000 people. It was the only all-Basque final and is still the final in which the two contenders were separated by the shortest distance (3 miles), outside the all-Parisian finals of the late 19th century.
A year later, Biarritz again found themselves in the final of the national championship, this time against
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, Franc ...
. They emerged victorious, winning three points to nil, claiming their first ever national championship. The success continued in the latter stages of the decade. In the 1938 championship, Biarritz again met USAP in the final, though this time, the Perpignan club were able to get the win, Biarritz losing 11 points to six. A year later, the two clubs met in the final again, with Biarritz coming out as the better club on the day, winning six points to nil, and claiming the second national championship. But for almost 50 years, Biarritz was not going to feature prominently in the French league.
The 1980s and 90s
It was not until the late 1980s that BO, as it is nicknamed, was going to reach the top again. In 1989 Biarritz contested their first Challenge Yves du Manoir final since the 1937 season. However, they were defeated by
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 ...
18–12 in the final. In 1992, Biarritz made it to the national final, played at
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. However, Biarritz went down to
RC Toulon
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 ...
19 points to 14. In the 1997–98 season, Biarritz competed in their first European Rugby Cup competition, playing in the European Challenge Cup. Biarritz won three of their six fixtures, and did not make it past the pool stages. The 1998–99 season was similar to the previous, though they were able to win one more of their pool fixtures, but finished third in the pool standings after other French clubs Agen and Brive.
In their third Challenge Cup, Biarritz only lost one pool game and finished first in the standings. However, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by English club Bristol. As well as the success in the Challenge Cup, in the 1999–00 season, they also won the Coupe de France for the first time since 1937, defeating
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department. They compete in the first-tier Top 14 competition.
Briv ...
24–13 in the final. Biarritz also earned qualification for the Heineken Cup.
2000s
The club finished at the top of their pool In the Heineken Cup, but were eliminated by Irish team Munster, losing 38–29 in the quarter-finals at Thomond Park. In the 2001–02 Heineken Cup Biarritz did not make the finals, finishing second in their pool, winning two of their six pool fixtures.
In 2002, Biarritz made their way to the domestic final for the first time in a decade. They defeated
Agen
The communes of France, commune of Agen (, ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
...
25 to 22 at
Stade de France
The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
in Saint-Denis in front of 78,457. That season they were also runners-up to
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
in the Coupe de France final, losing 21–19. The 2002–03 Heineken Cup was also a success for Biarritz, finishing at the top of their pool standings, they were quarter-finalists, but lost to Leinster 18–13 at Lansdowne Road in Dublin.
The 2003–04 Heineken Cup was the best-ever for Biarritz, as they made it to the semi-finals for the first time. They finished at the top of their pool and defeated the
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
in the quarter-finals. They lost to fellow French club Toulouse 19–11 in the semi-finals. In 2004–05 Biarritz dropped only the one pool game against the London Wasps and finished at the top of their pool. They then defeated Munster in the quarter-finals, to repeat their success of the previous season by making the semi-finals. They, however, lost to Stade Français, 20–17 at Parc des Princes. More success followed in 2005, where they defeated the Stade Français club 37 points to 34 in the domestic final after a very rugged challenge.
In the year 2006, they made it to the Heineken Cup final where they met Munster. Although they lost their first pool game to the Saracens, Biarritz won the remaining matches and finished at the top of their pool, and defeated English clubs Sale and Bath in the finals to make the final. They lost the compelling game 19–23. They were, however, able to make it to the final of the 2005–06 Top 14, where they met Toulouse. Biarritz led nine points to six at half time but stormed to victory in the second half, the final score being 40 to 13, making Biarritz back-to-back winners. In the 2006–07 Heineken Cup Biarritz won all six of their pool games, topping their group with 29 points. They met fellow pool team
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", ...
at Estadio Anoeta in the quarter-finals: Northampton upset Biarritz 8–7. In 2010, after finishing atop their pool, Biarritz defeated Ospreys and Munster, both at the Anoeta, and lost a hard-fought Heineken Cup final to Toulouse, 21–19, at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Saturday, 22 May.
On 18 May 2012, Biarritz beat
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 ...
rivals
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 ...
Twickenham Stoop
Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop) is a sports stadium located in south-west London, England. The stadium is home to Harlequins rugby union team, who play in the Gallagher Premiership. The stadium has a capacity ...
.
Biarritz played poorly during the 2013–14 Top 14 season, and ended up being relegated to the Rugby Pro D2 for the 2014–15 season.
Stadium
Biarritz play their home matches at the
Parc des Sports Aguiléra
Parc des Sports Aguiléra is a multi-purpose stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a t ...
, which is a multi-use stadium in Biarritz. The stadium is used mostly for rugby and is able to hold around 13,500 people. Apart from Biarritz home games, the ground also hosted an international between the
French Barbarians
The Barbarian Rugby Club, more commonly known as the French Barbarians, is a rugby union team formed in 1979 and based in France. It was founded as an amateur invitational team modeled on the Barbarian F.C.
From the start of the 2017–18 season, ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
Biarritz sometimes move larger games across the border to
Estadio Anoeta
Anoeta Stadium ( es, Estadio de Anoeta), currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain that was inaugurated in 1993.
The stadium lies at the Anoeta Sports Comple ...
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The Anoeta is the nearest stadium to Biarritz with a suitable capacity for matches such as a Heineken Cup semi-final, which must be played at a venue which can hold at least 20,000 spectators. The Anoeta holds well above that limit, at slightly over 32,000. The first such match held there was a victory over Munster in a quarter final of the 2004–05 Heineken Cup. In 2005–06 Biarritz played and won both their Heineken Cup quarter and semi-finals at the venue. The 2006–07 quarter-final against Northampton was also played there. In the 2009–10 Top 14 season, Biarritz took two league matches to the Anoeta—their home leg of the Northern Basque derby against
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 re ...
, and a home match against fellow traditional power
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 Par ...
. They also played both of their knockout matches leading up to the 2010 Heineken Cup final at the Anoeta, defeating Ospreys in the quarter-finals and
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
in the semi-finals.
Colours and name
Biarritz Olympique usually play in red and white colours. Green is the club's tertiary colour, as red, white and green are the traditional colours that represent the Basque Country. Their home uniform consists of red socks and shorts with a predominantly white shirt with red sides. A second jersey also has one green arm. For the 2015-16 season, their kit is produced by Macron. The main shirt sponsor is
Capgemini
Capgemini SE is a multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company, headquartered in Paris, France.
History
Capgemini was founded by Serge Kampf in 1967 as an enterprise management and data processing company. The comp ...
.
In 1998, it adopted its current name (Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque), which refers to the club's Basque heritage the name is often abbreviated as BOPB. The club logo is a red and white shield with the B and O in the middle. The words Pays Basque also appear on either side of the logo in green.
Supporters
The Biarritz supporters sometimes wave the Basque flag in the stands. Traditional Basque songs are also heard, as Basque supporters have a reputation for being very good singers. The Parc des Sports Aguilera is considered an intimidating venue to play at, with Biarritz supporters having a reputation for being very vocal.
Honours
*
French championship
The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s.
...
** Champions: 1935, 1939,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
** Runners-up: 1934, 1938, 1992
*
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
:
** Runners-up:
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
*
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
:
** Champions:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
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 ...
Federico Martín Aramburú
Federico Martín Aramburú (; 20 January 1980 – 19 March 2022) was an Argentine rugby union player.
Biography
He was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, and primarily played as a wing but could also play centre for Glasgow Warriors i ...
Agustín Creevy
Agustín Creevy (born 15 March 1985 in La Plata) is an Argentine rugby union player. He currently plays for the national Argentina team '' The Pumas'' and for London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. Creevy is the most-capped Argentine rugby ...
Rodney Davies
Rodney Davies (born 18 May 1989) is an Australian international rugby union footballer who plays for the Western Force. He previously played six seasons for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition. Davies has represented Australia i ...
*
Dane Haylett-Petty
Dane Haylett-Petty (born 18 June 1989) is a retired Australian rugby union footballer who played as a fullback or wing for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby and the Wallabies.
Early life
Haylett-Petty was born in Durban in the former Pro ...
Karmichael Hunt
Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt (born 17 November 1986) is a former multi-code international rugby league footballer who last played for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL.
Having played professional rugby league, rugby union and Australian rules ...
* Jack Isaac
*
Joe Roff
Joe Roff (born 20 September 1975) is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for ACT Brumbies and Australia and played 5 tests as ...
*
Haig Sare
Haig Sare (born 25 March 1982) is a former Australian rugby union player. He played as centre or winger for the Western Force in the Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australi ...
*
Evan Olmstead
Evan Olmstead (born 21 February 1991 in North Vancouver, British Columbia) is a rugby union lock and loose forward who currently plays for Biarritz Olympique in Pro D2 having formerly played with Newcastle Falcons and a victorious Mitre 10 s ...
*
Steffon Armitage
Steffon Armitage (born 20 September 1985) is an English professional rugby union player who currently plays for French club Stade Niçois.
Early life and career
Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago in 1985, Armitage grew up in the south ...
*
Iain Balshaw
Iain Robert Balshaw, MBE (born 18 April 1979) is an English former rugby union player who played on the wing or at full back for Bath, Leeds Carnegie, Gloucester and Biarritz Olympique. He won 35 international caps for England between 2000 ...
*
Daniel Caprice
Daniel Caprice (born 20 October 1989 in Chatham, Kent) is a former Rugby Union player who last played as Wing and fullback for London Welsh in the Aviva Premiership.
Dan began playing rugby aged 8 at Medway Rugby Club, Rochester. He moved on ...
Magnus Lund
Magnus Lund (born 25 June 1983 in Manchester) is a retired English Rugby Union player.
He was educated at the Lancaster Royal Grammar School where he played for the first XV. He also studied Business Enterprise at the Manchester Metropolitan U ...
Sireli Bobo
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Early career
Early in his career, he played for Grupo Dramático e Sportivo Cascais, a Portuguese team.
He was in the Nawaqavesi 7s and was subsequently picked to play at ...
*
Seremaia Burotu
Seremaia "Jerry" Burotu (born 19 July 1987) in Tavua is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He currently plays for French team Provence Rugby and the Fiji national rugby union team and usually plays as a Number 8, Inside centre or wing.
Career
...
Kalivati Tawake
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He currently (2021) plays for Biarritz Olympique ...
Jean-Pascal Barraque
Jean-Pascal Barraque (born 24 April 1991) is a French rugby union player. He plays for Clermont. He is a utility back. His usual position is fly-half, although he can play as a centre or fullback. He competed for France at the 2022 Rugby Wor ...
Serge Betsen
Serge Betsen Tchoua (born 25 March 1974) is a former French rugby union player who played as a flanker for London Wasps and Biarritz at club level and for internationally.
He is generally considered to be one of the top flankers of the profes ...
*
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 ...
*
Serge Blanco
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Nicolas Brusque
Nicolas Brusque (born 7 August 1976 in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is a French former rugby union footballer. He has played for the French national team, including being a part of their 2003 Rugby World Cup squad. He usually played at fullback.
...
*
Romain Cabannes
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Jean Condom
Jean Condom (born 15 August 1960 in Saint-André-de-Seignanx) is a retired France, French international rugby union player. He played as a lock.
He played for Boucau, from 1980/81 to 1985/86, for Biarritz Olympique, from 1986/87 to 1995/96. His ...
Benjamin Dambielle
Benjamin Dambielle (born 15 July 1985) is a French former professional 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 t ...
André Darrieussecq
André Darrieussecq (4 June 1947 – 31 July 2020) was a French rugby union player who played in the prop position.
Biography
Darrieussecq began his career with his hometown team, Saint-Jean-de-Luz Olympique. From 1968 to 1977, he played with Bi ...
*
Thibault Dubarry
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The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in ...
Julien Dupuy
Julien Dupuy (born 19 December 1983) is a former rugby union player for Stade Français in the Top 14. He is now skills and attack coach for RC Toulonnais.
Julien Dupuy played as a Scrum-half.
Julien Dupuy played for Biarritz and Toulouse in the ...
*
Thierry Dusautoir
Thierry Dusautoir (; born 18 November 1981) is a French former rugby union player who last played for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. Dusautoir was considered a strong ball carrier and possessed i ...
Jean-Martin Etchenique
Jean-Martin is a French masculine given name. It may refer to:
* Jean-Martin Aussant, Canadian politician
* Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), French neurologist
* Jean-Martin de Prades (c. 1720–1782), French Catholic theologian
* Jean-M ...
Fernand Forgues
Fernand Forgues (1884–1973) was a French rower and rugby union player.
1884 births
1973 deaths
Biarritz Olympique players
French male rowers
French rugby union coaches
French rugby union players
Sportspeople from Pyrénées-Atlantiq ...
Jean-Baptiste Gobelet
Jean-Baptiste Gobelet (born 13 March 1983) is a French rugby union player. He currently plays for Stade Français in the Top 14. His usual position is on the wing but he can also play at centre. He previously played for Biarritz Olympique, whilst ...
Imanol Harinordoquy
Imanol Harinordoquy, . (born 20 February 1980) is a French former rugby union player. He typically played as a number 8 for Stade Toulousain at club level in the Top 14 and for France internationally. Before signing with Biarritz ahead of the 2 ...
*
Arnaud Héguy Arnaud Héguy (born 23 January 1985) is a former French international professional rugby union player.
As a Hooker, Héguy played for Aviron Bayonnais where he was very appreciated by the fans of the club because he's from Bayonne. In 2011 he le ...
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 ...
Jean Larribau
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
Benoît Lecouls
Benoît Lecouls (born 22 March 1978, in Agen) is a French rugby union footballer. He played for Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14 competition during the 2007/08 season, but has transferred back to Stade Toulousain during the close season. He usually ...
*
Yann Lesgourgues
Yann Lesgourgues (born 17 January 1991) is a French rugby union footballer. He plays for Bordeaux Bègles.
He is a member of a young talented generation with Jean-Pascal Barraque and Jean-Marc Doussain. His usual position is scrum-half, alth ...
*
Marc Lièvremont
Marc Lièvremont (born 28 October 1968) is a former rugby union footballer and was the head coach of the French national rugby union team. He played as a back-row forward for France, gaining 25 caps from 1995 to 1999, and was selected in France's ...
Arnaud Mignardi Arnaud Mignardi (born 1 November 1986 in Auch, France) is a French rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Stade Montois in the Rugby Pro D2, Pro D2. He has previously played for CA Brive, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Biarritz Olympique and SU Agen ...
Pascal Ondarts Pascal Ondarts (born 1 April 1956, in Méharin) is a former French Basque rugby union player. He played as a prop and as a hooker. He was considered by The Times one of the 10 most frightening French players ever to represent his National Team.
On ...
*
Julien Peyrelongue
Julien Peyrelongue (born 2 April 1981, in Bayonne) is a French rugby union fly-half, currently playing for the Pro D2 team Dax.
Club career
Having spent his youth years at Peyrehorade, Peyrelongue left in 2000 for Biarritz, where he spent his en ...
Olivier Roumat
Olivier Roumat (born 16 June 1966 in Mont-de-Marsan) is a former French rugby union footballer. He played as a number-eight, openside flanker and lock.
Club career
Roumat first played at Villeneuve-de-Marsan, moving then to US Dax, where he prem ...
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David Roumieu
David Roumieu (born 15 October 1981) is a retired French professional 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 ...
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Romain Ruffenach
Romain Ruffenach (born 4 September 1994) is a French Rugby Union player. His position is Hooker (rugby union), Hooker and he currently plays for French side in the Top 14 competition.
References
External linksRomain Ruffenach on ''itsrugby. ...
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Julien Saubade
Julien Saubade (born 5 November 1983 in Bayonne) is a French rugby union footballer, currently playing for the Paris rugby club Racing Métro in the top level of French club rugby, the Top 14. His usual position is on the wing.
Saubade was ori ...
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Benjamin Thiéry
Benjamin Thiéry (born 6 February 1984) is a French former rugby union player.
He has played for the Section Paloise, US Colomiers, Biarritz, Montpellier, Grenoble and Bayonne clubs, and he was also included in France
France (), ...
Damien Traille
Damien Traille (born 12 June 1979) is a former French rugby union player. He usually played as a centre, full-back and fly-half.
He has played for France, including at the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2011 Rugby World Cup as well as France's ...
Dimitri Yachvili
Dimitri Yachvili Markarian (born 19 September 1980, in Brive-la-Gaillarde, Corrèze) is a French former rugby union footballer who played as a scrum-half for Biarritz and France. He played for France from 2002 to 2012, earning 61 caps and scori ...
Andrea Masi
Andrea Masi (born 30 March 1981) is a retired Italian rugby union footballer. His usual position was in the centres but he has also played at fly-half and at full-back. His last club before retirement was the English Premiership club Wasps. In ...
Frano Botica
Frano Michael Botica (born 3 August 1963) is a New Zealand-Croatian rugby union and rugby league coach and former player in both codes, who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is the head coach of the Philippines sevens team.
He represented New ...
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Campbell Johnstone
Campbell Johnstone (born 7 January 1980) is a New Zealand international rugby union player who plays for Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14. In December 2012 he joined Welsh regional team Ospreys until the end of the 2012/13 season, going straig ...
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Glen Osborne
Glen Matthew Osborne (born 27 August 1971) is a New Zealand television presenter, former rugby union player and current Police Constable for the New Zealand Police.
Osborne was born in Wanganui and played representative rugby for Wanganui in th ...
Daniel Waenga
Daniel "Dan" Waenga (born 6 November 1985) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fly-half (and occasionally inside centre) position for the Waikato based Super Rugby side the Chiefs, and for French club Biarritz Olympique
Biarr ...
Petru Bălan
Petru Vladimir Bălan (born 12 July 1976, in Suceava) is a Romanian retired rugby union footballer who played as a prop.
Before moving to play rugby in France he played for Dinamo Bucharest in Romania, including playing for them in the 1998–99 ...
Henry Fa'afili
Henry Fa'afili (born 30 May 1980) is a Samoan-born New Zealand former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand Secondary Schools, t ...
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Census Johnston
Census Johnston (born 6 May 1981) is a former Samoan rugby union player. He has represented Samoa several times, and was in the Pacific Islanders' (combined Fiji, Samoa, Tonga) team which toured Europe in November 2006 and earned 6 Caps with En ...
Nick De Luca
Nick De Luca (born 1 February 1984 in Dumfries, south west Scotland) is a retired, former Scottish international professional rugby union player.
Early years
De Luca was born in Dumfries and grew up in Lockerbie.
Club rugby
De Luca's posit ...
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Wicus Blaauw
Wicus Blaauw (born 8 April 1986) is a South African rugby union footballer.
He previously represented Edinburgh in the Pro12, Biarritz in the French Top 14 Championship, the Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup an ...
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Jacques Cronjé
Jacques Cronjé (born 4 August 1982) ESPN Scrum.com is a South African
Philip van der Walt
Christoffel Philippus van der Walt (born 14 July 1989) is a South African rugby union footballer. He plays as a number eight for the Newcastle Falcons in the IPA Greene King Championship, having previously played for the in Super Rugby, in Sup ...
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Ashwin Willemse
Ashwin Willemse (born 8 September 1981 in Caledon, Cape Province) is a retired South African rugby union player. He played at wing for the national team, the Springboks.
After winning an IRB Under-21 World Cup gold medal for South Africa in 2 ...
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Takudzwa Ngwenya
Takudzwa Ngwenya (born 22 July 1985) is a former rugby union player who played on the wing for the United States national rugby union team and Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14. He made his mark in the 2007 Rugby World Cup with tries against Sout ...
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Thretton Palamo
Thretton Palamo (born September 22, 1988) is an American rugby union player who plays centre for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR).
When he appeared in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he became the youngest ever player to have played in the Rug ...
Kurt Morath
Kurt Morath (born 13 November 1984) is a New Zealand-born Tongan rugby union player who plays at fly-half. He currently plays for the Austin Gilgronis in Major League Rugby (MLR).
He previously played for Doncaster Knights in RFU Championship ...
Aled Brew
Aled Brew (born 9 August 1986) is a former Wales international rugby union player who played as a winger. He made his debut for the Wales national rugby union team against Ireland in the 2007 Six Nations Championship. In his career, as well a ...
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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 ...
See also
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List of rugby union clubs in France
Contents : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z By League
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The oldest rugby club in France is Le Havre AC, founded in 1872 making it the oldest association football and rugby club registered in F ...