Section Paloise (, Bearnese: ), commonly referred to as ''Section'' or as ''Pau'' , is a 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 ...

club based in Pau,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. They compete 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 ...

, France's top division of rugby, and the

EPCR 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 ...

. Their home ground is the Stade du Hameau, after 80 years of playing at the Croix du Prince stadium (1910-1990). The club won the

Bouclier de Brennus The Bouclier de Brennus, or Brennus Shield in English, is a trophy awarded to the winners of the French rugby union domestic league. The shield was not named, as it is often believed, after the famous Gallic warrior Brennus but rather artist Ch ...

three times in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

and the European Challenge in 2000. The club 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 ...

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, 1952 and

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, as well as a French

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 ...

title in 2015. A stronghold of French rugby, the club has become a symbol of

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

culture and heritage. The official ''Section Paloise'' anthem is the ''Honhada,'' since March 2012. The lyrics of the song were composed on the air of the famous Scottish ballad The water is wide. Section are sponsored by French

petroleum company The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...

TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French Multinational corporation, multinational integrated energy and List of oil exploration and production companies, petroleum company founded in 1924 and one of the seven Big Oil, supermajor oil companies. Its businesses ...

. Recent

internationals

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Lionel Beauxis Lionel Beauxis () (born 24 October 1985) is a former 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 cod ...

began their professional club careers with Section.

History

Rugby in Pau and Béarn

After

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

, Pau was the third major provincial French city to host rugby. As a matter of fact, the sport's presence has been attested since

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

by the Coquelicots de Pau (Poppies of Pau), playing matches against the neighbouring teams of the Montagnards de

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 ...

(Mountaineers of Bayonne) and the Pyrénéenne de

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

. ''Stade Palois'' was founded in 1899 by former students of the Lous-Barthou high school, who were imbued with

Anglophilia An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word '' Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frie ...

, in vogue in Pau during the

Belle Epoque Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania ...

Beginnings and first title (1902 - 1939)

Founded in April 1902, the ''Section paloise de ligue girondine'' is an all-round sports club in Pau. Since 1905, it is simply called ''Section paloise''. At that time, rugby or "''rugby football''" was hugely popular. The club was first established as a

Barette (sport) Barette, Barrette or Barrette Acquitaine was a form of football, originating in the south-west of France. Very similar in outward appearance to rugby union, it was codified in the 1880s and evolved into a popular women's team sport in the 1920s be ...

team, yet the club very quickly turned towards this new sport of rugby union. A rugby club had already been formed on November 12, 1899, since the ''Stade palois'', had been founded in café on rue Bayard. The Stade Palois was thus integrated into Section to form the dominant club in bearnese rugby. In 1912, Section Paloise abandoned its blue and black jerseys, in order to definitively adopt green and white as its colours. The club was then led by Welshman Tom Potter, who took on the role of player-coach until the outbreak of the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The club (all sports combined) paid a heavy price, with around forty deaths on the battlefields. La Section Paloise, championne de France de rugby 1927-1928

La Section Paloise, championne de France de rugby 1927-1928

During the 1927-1928 season, the first team won the title of Côte Basque champion for the second consecutive year. Subsequently, it finished first in its pool of 5 in the French championship. In the following groups of 4, it defeated

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

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 ...

and

Lyon OU Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team based in Lyon that currently competes in the Top 14, the highest level of the country's professional league system, having been most recently promoted for the 2016–17 season af ...

as well as the defending champions

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () ( oc, Estadi Tolosenc), also referred to as Toulouse, is a professional rugby union club based in Toulouse, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Toulou ...

in the semi-final by 3-0 after extra time (1 try at zero). Section paloise won the final by beating Quillan 6-4 in Toulouse in May 1928. That day the local newspaper, Le Patriote, reported that the "berets" beat the "hats". Before the war, the Section paloise won the

in the 1938-1939 edition against RC Toulon by a score of 5-0 after extra time, courtesy of a try by Desperbasque and transformed by the full-back Courtade.

After WWII

In 1946, at the end of the war, the club was once again crowned French champions. Section Paloise, won the prize, beating the likes of Toulouse and Agen. In spite of some uninspiring results during the first phase of the championship, Section successively beat Stade Toulousain in the quarter-finals and Perpignan in the semi-finals (6-3 after extra time) to reach the final against their neighbours from the French capital. However, guided by a series of 12 consecutive victories, FC Lourdes were largely defeated 11-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The press noted then that the Section had a very homogeneous team without "stars" but with a perfect physical and moral condition. Theo Cazenave, Pierre Lauga and captain André Rousse are some of the figures of this remarkable XV. Section Paloise lost in the semi-fi+nals of the 1950 French championship against the future French Olympic champion, Castres Olympique. After a French Cup semi-final in 1951, the team won the Yves du Manoir challenge in 1952. In 1959, François Moncla, then international and title holder with

Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French Sports club, omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located a ...

, became captain and a new, younger team was formed. The team slowly took its bearings and in 1964, Section Paloise became French champion for the third time, beating the great Béziers 13-0. Its stars at the time were

Moncla Moncla (; oc, Montclar) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ...

, Piqué, Capdouze, Saux, Etcheverry and Abadie. However, all had started badly during this season, the press even published a headline in October entitled La Section en perdition (Section in Perdition). The team had just lost 31-3 in Agen and lost at Croix du Prince by 24-3 to their heavyweight rivals. The players returned to the changing rooms under the whistles and some supporters tore up their season tickets. Year in year out, the team qualified for the finals in extremis with a 3-0 victory against Saint-Girons. Section thus qualifies in thirtieth position out of a total of 32 qualifiers. The adventure gradually took shape with successive victories over Brive, Chalon, Bayonne and Narbonne before the consecration against Béziers.

Robert Paparemborde era (1965 - 1990)

The following seasons were more unspectacular from a sporting point of view, with captain Moncla stopping his career at the beginning of the 1967 season. From 1968 onwards, a new development took place, as the positions of General President and Rugby President could not be held concurrently. It was the departure of Albert Cazenave after 16 years as President, and that of his brother Theo from the role of coach. That same year, the Section saw the birth of a young talent from

Laruns Laruns (; oc, Laruntz) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the Gave d'Ossau and its tributary, the Valentin. Formerly part of the provi ...

in the

Ossau Valley The Ossau Valley (French: ''Vallée d'Ossau''; Gascon: ''Aussau'' / ''la vath d'Aussau'') is a valley of the French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. Administration 18 communes belong to the Valley: Arudy, Aste-Béo ...

Robert Paparemborde Robert Paparemborde (5 July 1948 – 19 April 2001), was a French rugby union player. He was capped 55 times, 5 as captain, for the French national side. He was regarded as one of the greatest prop-forwards and was a member of the French team ...

started his first game as an

inside centre In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...

but it was as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

that he became a world reference. Laurent Cabannes made his debut at the age of 17 and years later became one of the world's best flankers. On a sporting level, the first team lost to Montferrand 14-11 in the quarter-finals in 1970 and reached the semi-finals against Narbonne in 1974, having gone past Agen in the round of 16 by a surprise 24-21. The team spent a single season in Group B, 1977-1978, and then moved back to the elite immediately. Section did not fulfil its ''18-year rule'', after 1928, 1946 and 1964 as they did not win another title in 1982, narrowly defeated by SU Agen in the Round of 16. They did, however, reach the quarter-finals in 1983 against Nice. At the end of the 1980s, with two seasons in Group B, the first team reached the finals of this category but narrowly failed (1989 and 1990). The Section was then in a delicate sporting and economic situation.

Revival then fall (1990 - 2006)

In October 1990, the club left its historic Stade de la Croix du Prince for the more modern Stade du Hameau. This move helped the club to solve its debts, as the Croix du Prince was sold to the Pau Town Hall. The beginning of the 1990s saw the first team begin to recover and they remained in Group A in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, the team even reached the Top 16 but failed to qualify for the quarter-finals in favour of FC Grenoble who were deprived of the title after a refereeing error and RC Narbonne who played their fifth quarter-final in 6 seasons. During the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Section Paloise did not reach the top 16 and participated in the Moga Cup where it failed in the final against Aviron Bayonnais in Mont de Marsan. Rugby Palois moves up in the hierarchy and obtains again good results. Also in 1996, the Section played in the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir and was eliminated in the semi-final of the French championship, each time against Brive. These results enabled the club to qualify for the second edition of the European Rugby XV Cup. In 1997, the Section was once again awarded a national trophy which was the Yves du Manoir challenge, while reaching the quarter-finals of the French championship, again both times against the same team from Bourgoin. In 1998, it reached the semi-finals of the H-Cup, beaten only by the future winner of the competition (the English Bath). In 2000, the Section won the European Shield against Castres by 34-21 in Toulouse. The same season, Pau eliminates Montferrand in the quarter-final of the French championship but misses the final by a hair's breadth against Colomiers in the semi-final. The Section lost 24-22 after extra time, the team is led by Joël Rey, David Aucagne, Thierry Cléda, Frédéric Torossian and David Dantiacq. The following seasons were much more disappointing. The team is often satisfied to play the maintenance in the first division except a qualification in play-off in 2003, and a good course in European challenge in 2005 which sees it only failing in the final against the Sale Sharks. The Section is finally relegated to Pro D2 after the 2005-2006 season, a relegation that it had already avoided by very little the previous season (victory in the play-off). The club plays in Pro D2 from the 2006-2007 season hoping for a better tomorrow, betting a lot on training, like those youngsters trained at the club and who wore the jersey of the French Rugby team during the 2000s: Beauxis, Brusque, Harinordoquy, Traille and Bernat-Salles.

Rebuilding and then returning to ambitions (since 2006)

Section Paloise returned to the elite of French rugby in 2011-2012, after a season that saw it finish second in the championship, and undefeated at home, lost in the final against Stade Montois (29-20). In 2012-2013, the club again reached the Pro D2 final to gain promotion to the Top 14. They most recently earned promotion by winning the championship of the second-level

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 ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, nine years after having been relegated from the top flight. On this occasion, the clubs of supporters, partners and other works councils organised a trip that will bring together no less than 142 buses to the Stade Chaban-Delmas. However, at this stage of the competition, the Section still lost to CA Brive by a score of 30-10 in front of 33,175 spectators. After another disappointment the following season against La Rochelle, defeated 35-18 at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in the semi-finals, the club made a good recruitment for the coming season with the arrival of manager

Simon Mannix Simon James Mannix (born 10 August 1971 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand) is a former rugby union footballer who now serves as head coach of Pau in the Top 14 having previously worked as backs coach for Munster and Racing Metro. Mannix played one tes ...

. Section obtained direct access to the Top 14 that year. As soon as the season ended, Simon Mannix used his address book to bring in players like

Colin Slade Colin Richard Slade (born 10 October 1987) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He played primarily at first five-eighth, as well as all other backline positions on occasions. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 200 ...

, Carl Hayman and

Conrad Smith Conrad Gerard Smith (born 12 October 1981) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, who played predominantly at centre. He captained the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, and played for New Zealand from 2004 until 2015. He was a key me ...

, considered at that time to be of the best centres in the world. Smith is now high-performance director at the club. Mannix was dismissed in 2019 after five seasons, when a string of poor results convinced the board to part ways. The first team is now coached by

Thomas Domingo Thomas Domingo (born 20 August 1985) is a French rugby union player. Domingo, who is a loosehead prop, plays his club rugby for ASM Clermont Auvergne. He made his debut for France against Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is pa ...

, Geoffrey Lanne-Petit and

Paul Tito Paul Tito (born 9 June 1978) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He played in the lock position. Playing career Tito attended New Plymouth Boys' High School and represented New Zealand at U19 level in 1997, U21level from 1998–1999, ...

, after joint head coaches Nicolas Godignon and Frédéric Manca took a step back at the end of 2020.

Club Identity

Colours

The colours of Section Paloise have been green and white since 1912. Previously, the players wore blue and black jerseys (a legacy of Stade palois) which were soon abandoned for these new colours. Jean Plaà (manager at the time) justified this choice as green represents the club's hopes and white the snow of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

in Bearn. It has since become customary for the club's teams to wear a white jersey at home and a green jersey away from home. In recent years, a black and green jersey has been regularly used for playing away.

Logo

The coat of arms of Section Paloise represents the Pic du the Midi d'Ossau mountain, surrounded by green and white. Pic du the Midi d'Ossau is a Pyrenean peak, locally nicknamed ''Jean-Pierre'' which symbolises the region for many people from Béarn. A second version of the coat of arms was released in 1998 for the creation of the professional structure, displayed on the jerseys of the first team at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. This one then keeps the famous peak as emblem but evolves towards a darker

bottle green Spring green is a color that was traditionally considered to be on the yellow side of green, but in modern computer systems based on the RGB color model is halfway between cyan and green on the color wheel. The modern spring green, when plott ...

colour. The latest version of the coat of arms dates from the start of the 2012-2013 season. The colour of the coat of arms reverts to the original lighter green and incorporates the new appellation ''Section paloise Béarn Pyrénées''. With this name change, the club symbolises the desire of its directors to further anchor the club as the driving force behind professional rugby in

but more generally in the

Hymn and songs

Section Paloise's official anthem is the Honhada since March 2012. The song, composed by Didier Fois (Arraya, Hestiv'Oc festival, Ostau Bearnés), was met with a mixed reception in its early days and soon became a must for fans, who sing it at the start of every match. The lyrics of the song were composed on the air of the famous Scottish ballad The water is wide, also covered by

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

in the Northern Irish Ballad. Traditional Bearn songs from local band Nadau such as the ''Encantada'' and ''De cap tà l'immortèla'' as well as the famous Béarn anthem Si Canti are also widely popular among the local faithful. ''De cap tà l'immortèla'' had long been considered to be the unofficial anthem Section Paloise as it is so popular with the public.

Mascot

The club's mascot is a bear named ''Bearnie'' (pronounced "Bernie"). The bear was chosen because it is one of the symbols of the Pyrenees, and its name is a play on words with Béarn, the region of which Pau has been the capital since 1464.

Club honours

* French premiership ** Champions: 1928, 1946, 1964 *

** Champions: 1939, 1952, 1997 *

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: 2000 *

** Champions: 2015

Finals results

French championship

Challenge Cup

Pro D2 promotion playoffs

Current standings

Current squad

The Pau squad for the 2022–23 season is:

Espoirs squad

The Section Paloise Espoirs squad is:

Notable former players

Karim Bougherara Karim Bougherara is a French-Algerian rugby union player who currently plays for Union Sportive Bressane and is an Algerian international. He plays as a prop. Playing career Bougherara started with the Bourgoin-Jallieu during the 2010–11 sea ...

Malik Hamadache Malik Hamadache (born 6 December 1988) is a French-Algerian rugby union player who currently plays for Section Paloise and is an Algerian international. He plays as a prop. Playing career Malik Hamadache was born in Avignon in a family wher ...

Patricio Albacete Patricio Albacete (born 9 December 1981 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine rugby union player. He currently plays for Stade Toulousain in the top level of French rugby, the Top 14 competition. He has also represented the national Argentina team, ...

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 ...

* Santiago Fernandez * Juan Pablo Orlandi *

Gonzalo Quesada Gonzalo Quesada (born 2 May 1974) is a retired Argentine rugby player who presently works as a coach for Stade Français in France's Top 14. Biography Quesada was born May 2, 1974, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He played for amateur club Hindú al ...

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* Ben Mowen *

Matt Philip Matt Philip (born 7 March 1994) is an Australian rugby union footballer who currently plays as a lock for the Melbourne Rebels. He previously played for the Western Force and also the Perth Spirit in Australia's National Rugby Championship. Phi ...

* Afusipa Taumoepeau *

Mike Burak Michael Burak (born October 9, 1980 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian former international rugby union footballer. He won 29 caps for Canada between 2004 and 2009. Early career Originally a standout basketball player at Lord Byng Sec ...

Al Charron Alan Charron (born 27 July 1966 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a former Canadian rugby union rugby player. He played 2nd row and all three loose forward positions at club and international level back-row forward and was capped 76 times for the Canadi ...

* Ryan Smith *

Matt Tierney Matthew or Matt Tierney may refer to: * Matthew Tierney (poet), Canadian poet * Sir Matthew John Tierney, Irish surgeon * Matthew Tierney (Gaelic footballer) * Matt Tierney (rugby union), Canadian rugby union player * Matt Tierney (sound desi ...

* Sergio Valdés *

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 ...

Joseph Mbu Joseph Mbu (born 24 December 1981) is a Nigerian-born English rugby union player who played most recently for US Dax in the Top 14 competition in France. Joe Mbu's position of choice is on the wing. He has previously played for Bristol ...

Sireli Bobo Isireli Bobo (born 28 January 1976), is a Fijian rugby union footballer. 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 ...

Saula Radidi Saula Radidi (born 4 June 1984 in Nausori, Fiji) is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He plays as a centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ...

Aminiasi Tuimaba Aminiasi Tuimaba (born 26 March 1995) is a Fiji national rugby sevens team player. He plays the wing position. He is known for his speed and try scoring. He finished the 2018/19 season as the top try scorer for the Fiji Sevens team and the 2nd ...

* Watisoni Votu *

Dominiko Waqaniburotu Dominiko Maiwiriwiri Waqaniburotu (born 20 April 1986 in Fiji) is a Fijian rugby union footballer. He plays as a loose forward and lock for Section Paloise in France's Top 14, the highest division of domestic rugby union. He previously played ...

André Abadie André Abadie (27 July 1934 – 7 January 2020) was a French rugby union player who played for the French national team from 1965 to 1968. He played at the prop position. Biography Abadie played for Sporting Club Rieumois, Sporting Club Graul ...

* Jean Michel Agest * Nicolas Agnesi *

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* Laurent Arbo *

David Aucagne David Aucagne (born 14 February 1973) is a retired France, French rugby union player. Aucagne, who played at Rugby union positions#10. Fly-half, fly-half, has been the coach of the France national under-20 rugby union team, French under-20 team sin ...

* Philippe Bernat-Salles * Thomas Bianchin * Pascal Bomati * Hugo Bonneval * Mohamed Boughanmi * Jean Bouilhou * Sébastien Bruno *

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. ...

* Laurent Cabannes *

Romain Cabannes Romain Cabannes (born 2 December 1984) is a French rugby union player. His position is centre and he currently plays for Castres Olympique in the Top 14. He began his career with his home town club, Stade Montois, before moving to Pau and on to ...

* Jean Capdouze *

Philippe Carbonneau Philippe Carbonneau (born 15 April 1971) is a retired French rugby player. He was a utility back. His usual positions were scrum-half and fly-half, although he started his career as a centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * C ...

Paul Cassagne Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Jean-Emmanuel Cassin Jean-Emmanuel Cassin is a French rugby footballer who plays rugby union for Oyonnax Rugby and represented his country at rugby league in the 2000 World Cup. Playing career Cassin played rugby league for Toulouse Olympique and was first select ...

Florian Cazalot Florian Cazalot, (born 22 April 1985 in Aire-sur-l'Adour, Landes) is a rugby union player, who plays as prop or hooker for FC Lourdes (1.83 m, 106 kg).Jean-Charles Cistacq * Marc Dal Maso *

David Dantiacq David Franck Emmanuel Dantiacq (born 10 January 1970) is a French former rugby union international. Born in Paris, Dantiacq was capped once by France, as the centre partner of Christophe Lamaison in a win over Romania at Bucharest's Dinamo Stadiu ...

* Clément Darbo *

Ibrahim Diarra Ibrahim Diarra (25 May 1983 – 18 December 2019) was a French rugby union footballer. He played as a flanker for Castres. Diarra was born in Paris. He made his international debut for France in their fourth match of the 2008 Six Nations Champ ...

* Sébastien Descons * Julien Delannoy *

Mathieu Dourthe Mathieu Dourthe (born 22 July 1976 in Dax, Landes, Dax, France) is a French people, French rugby union player whose usual position is at a Fullback (rugby union), fullback. Prior to joining Section Paloise, he played for US Dax and SU Agen Lot-et- ...

* Louis Dupichot * Marc Etcheverry * Sébastien Fauqué *

Lionel Faure Lionel Faure (born 26 November 1977 in France) is a rugby union player for Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14. Faure plays as a Loosehead prop, and previously played for the Sale Sharks and won the 2005–06 Guinness Premiership with them, starting ...

* Romain Froment * Jean-Michel Gonzalez * Pierrick Gunther *

* Antoine Hastoy * Jean Hatchondo *

Jean Louis Jordana 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 * Jean ...

* Thierry Lacrampe *

Christophe Laussucq Christophe Laussucq (born May 20, 1973, in Bordeaux) is a French former rugby union footballer and current coach for Agen in the Top 14. Christophe Laussucq's position of choice was scrum-half. He earned 4 caps for the France national team, maki ...

Claude Mantoulan Claude Mantoulan, nicknamed ''La Mantoule'', ( Pau, 5 March 1936 – Perpignan, 9 September 1983) is a French former rugby union and rugby league player. Biography A fly-half, centre or fullback, he had excellent technical and offensive qual ...

* Henri Marracq * Lionel Mallier * François Moncla *

Baptiste Pesenti Baptiste Pesenti (born 3 July 1997) is a French rugby union player. His position is lock or flanker and he currently plays for Stade Français in the French Top 14. In 2020, Pesenti was selected on several occasions by Fabien Galthié for the F ...

* Julien Pierre * Jean Piqué * Adrien Planté *

Lucas Pointud Lucas Pointud (born 18 January 1988) is a French professional rugby union player. He currently plays at prop for Brive in the Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, th ...

Bastien Pourailly Bastien Pourailly (born 31 January 1994) is a French rugby union player who plays for ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14. His position is wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accor ...

* Jean Preux * Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet *

Joel Rey Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

* Jean Saux * Atila Septar * Michel Sorondo * Jean-Marc Souverbie * Patrick Tabacco * Fernand Taillantou *

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 (), ...

* Julien Tomas * Frederic Torossian *

* Pierre Triep-Capdeville * Quentin Valançon * Merab Kvirikashvili * Mamuka Magrakvelidze * Paddy Butler * James Coughlan * Marco Zanon * Abdellatif Boutaty *

Jamie Mackintosh Jamie Mackintosh (born 20 February 1985) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player currently playing for the Austin Gilgronis in Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for Section Paloise in the French Top 14 competition. He wa ...

* Elijah Niko * Peter Saili *

* Ben Smith *

* Benson Stanley *

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

* Luke Whitelock * Hari Dumitraş *

Iulian Dumitraș Iulian Dumitraş (born 22 June 1982 in Suceava) is a Romanian former rugby union fly-half or fullback. He is the son of former Romania international Hari Dumitraş. He played for a number of clubs in France including US Dax, Tarbes, FC Grenobl ...

Alexandru Manta Alexandru Manta (born 7 June 1977 in Bucharest) is a Romanian former rugby union footballer. Career Manta spent the majority of his career in France, playing for USC Terrasson (1998), Stade Aurillacois (1998/02), Bègles-Bordeaux (2002/03), Sec ...

Răzvan Mavrodin Răzvan Mavrodin (born 29 September 1973 in Bucharest) is a Romanian former rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a hooker. Career Mavrodin played in France for Racing Club (1999/00), USA Perpignan (2000/01), Tarbes Pyrénées Ru ...

Sorin Socol Sorin Socol (born 30 November 1977 in Bucharest) is a Romanian retired rugby union player who played as a lock. He has won 61 caps for Romania. After being voted player of the tournament in the 1996 Under 21 Rugby World Championships where he cap ...

* Marius Tincu *

Lourens Adriaanse Lourens Cornelius Adriaanse (born 5 February 1988) is a South African rugby union rugby player who plays as a tighthead prop for in the South African Currie Cup. Career Adriaanse was born in Cape Town and has played in the youth teams. He repr ...

Elton Jantjies Elton Thomas Jantjies (born 1 August 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the in the Japan Rugby Football Union and the in the Currie Cup. Jantjies made his professional debut with the ...

Viacheslav Grachev Viacheslav Ivanovich Grachev (russian: Вячеслав Иванович Грачёв) (born 22 April 1973 in Tashkent, Soviet Union) is a former Russian rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a number eight. Grachev played in Fran ...

* Jeremy Tomuli *

Euan Murray Euan Murray (born 7 August 1980) is a retired Scottish rugby union footballer, whose last club was Pau in the French Top 14. He started his career with Glasgow Warriors before playing for a number of clubs including Northampton Saints, Newc ...

Mohamadou Diarra Mohamadou Diarra (born 26 September 1983) is a Senegalese rugby union player. He plays as a wing. Diarra plays in France, where his first team was ES Viry Chatillon Rugby, from his debut, joining the first category in 2001/02, to 2003/04. He then ...

* Tonga Leaʻaetoa *

Taniela Moa Taniela Moa (11 March 1985 – 16 December 2021) was a Tongan rugby union player. He last played for Section Paloise. He also played for the Blues and Chiefs in Super Rugby, and Auckland and Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moa ...

Rivalries

The high density of rugby clubs in south-west France has led to numerous rivalries between SectionPaloise and neighbouring clubs. In Béarn, the rivalry has mainly centred around the often muscular clashes against the FC Oloron, also known as ''Fécéo''. However, Stadoceste tarbais has been another great historical rival since the 1910s. Finally, Section has long-standing sporting rivalries dating back to the 1910s with the other major historical clubs of the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

region:

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, ...

Biarritz Olympique Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (; ), usually known simply as Biarritz, is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine which competes in the Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Biarritz p ...

FC Lourdes FC Lourdais is a French rugby union club from Lourdes currently competing in the French league system. Formed in 1911, they have won the French league eight times and the French cup six times. They play in the Stade Antoine-Beguere and traditiona ...

Stade Montois Stade Montois is a French rugby union team that currently is playing in Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system. They were founded in 1908 and play in yellow and black. They are based in Mont-de-Marsan, the capit ...

US Dax Union sportive dacquoise, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Nationale, the third level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They wear ...

. The

basques The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Bas ...

of Aviron Bayonnais have not been able to win in Pau against Section since

References

External links

* *
Section Paloise
Official website {{Authority control Pau Rugby clubs established in 1902 Sport in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1902 establishments in France