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2007–08 Top 14 season
French domestic rugby union club competition
French domestic rugby union club competition
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | RugbyTop14Logo.png |
| countries | France |
| champions | Toulouse |
| count | 17 |
| runnersup | Clermont |
| relegated | Auch, Albi |
| matches | 185 |
| attendance | 2188767 |
| highest attendance | 79,779 |
| Stade Français v Toulouse | |
| 22 March 2008 | |
| lowest attendance | 3,159 |
| Auch v Castres | |
| 15 March 2008 | |
| top point scorer | AUS Brock James (Clermont) |
| 301 points | |
| top try scorer | FIJ Napolioni Nalaga (Clermont) |
| 18 tries | |
| prevseason | [2006–07](2006-07-top-14-season) |
| nextseason | [2008–09](2008-09-top-14-season) |
Stade Français v Toulouse 22 March 2008 Auch v Castres 15 March 2008 301 points 18 tries
The 2007–08 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition, operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Because France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the competition did not begin at its normal time of August, but instead started on the last weekend in October 2007, one week after the Rugby World Cup final. The league compensated for the late start by playing on several weekends that it normally skips, namely the weekends of the 2008 Six Nations Championship and the semifinals and final of the 2007–08 Heineken Cup. The season ended on June 28, 2008, with Toulouse defeating regular-season league leader Clermont 26–20 in the final and thereby lifting the Bouclier de Brennus.
This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Auch and Dax, who earned promotion from Rugby Pro D2. Agen and Narbonne were relegated from the Top 14.
As in previous seasons, the top four clubs at the end of the home-and-away season advanced to a single-elimination playoff. The semifinals were held at neutral sites, with the final at Stade de France. Going into the season, the top six clubs were guaranteed of berths in the 2008-09 Heineken Cup. Since Toulouse advanced to the 2007–08 Heineken Cup final against Irish club Munster, thereby assuring a higher finish for a French team in that competition than for any team from England or Italy, the seventh-place club also earned a berth in the 2008-09 Heineken Cup. The bottom two teams were provisionally relegated to Pro D2, with the possibility of one or both of the bottom teams to be reprieved if a team above them failed a postseason financial audit. This happened in 2007-08, as Albi failed the audit, ultimately giving a reprieve to second-from bottom Dax.
This season, LNR trialled a modification to the bonus point system in both the Top 14 and Pro D2. The system to be used this season was:
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent. This replaces the standard bonus point for scoring 4 tries regardless of the match result.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by 7 points (or less).
This system was explicitly intended to prevent a losing team from earning two bonus points, as is possible under the standard system.
- Second division: 2007–08 Rugby Pro D2 season
Teams
| Club | City (department) | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albi | Albi (Tarn) | Stadium Municipal d'Albi | 12,000 | 10th |
| Auch | Auch (Gers) | Stade Jacques Fouroux | 7,000 | Promoted from [Pro D2](2006-07-rugby-pro-d2-season) (champions) |
| Bayonne | Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) | Stade Jean Dauger | 16,934 | 8th |
| Biarritz | Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) | Parc des Sports Aguiléra | 15,000 | Semi-finals (4th in league) |
| Bourgoin | Bourgoin-Jallieu (Isère) | Stade Pierre Rajon | 9,441 | 6th |
| Brive | Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) | Stade Amédée-Domenech | 15,000 | 9th |
| Castres | Castres (Tarn) | Stade Pierre-Fabre | 11,500 | 11th |
| Clermont | Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) | Stade Marcel-Michelin | 16,574 | Runners up (3rd in league) |
| Dax | Dax (Landes) | Stade Maurice Boyau | 16,170 | Promoted from [Pro D2](2006-07-rugby-pro-d2-season) (runners up) |
| Montauban | Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) | Stade Sapiac | 11,500 | 7th |
| Montpellier | Montpellier (Hérault) | Stade Yves-du-Manoir | 15,789 | 12th |
| Perpignan | Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) | Stade Aimé Giral | 16,593 | 5th |
| Stade Français | Paris, [16th arrondissement](16th-arrondissement-of-paris) | Stade Jean-Bouin | 12,000 | Champions (1st in league) |
| Toulouse | Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) | Stade Ernest-Wallon | 19,500 | Semi-finals (2nd in league) |
Number of teams by regions
| Teams | Region or country | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Occitanie | Albi, Auch, Castres, Montauban, Montpellier, Perpignan and Toulouse |
| 4 | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | Bayonne, Biarritz, Brive and Dax |
| 2 | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Bourgoin and Clermont |
| 1 | Île-de-France | Stade Français |
Table
Qualified for the 2008–09 Heineken Cup
Fixtures & Results
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
- Game postponed due to Toulouse playing in Heineken Cup semi-finals on the same date. Game to be rescheduled for 7 May 2008.
Round 20
Round 19 (rescheduled game)
- Rescheduled from 26 April 2008.
Round 21
Round 22
Round 23
- Game postponed due to Toulouse playing in Heineken Cup final on the same date. Game to be rescheduled for 3 June 2008.
Round 24
Round 23 (rescheduled game)
- Rescheduled from 24 May 2008.
Round 25
Round 26
Knock-out stages
Semi-finals
Con: James (1/2) Pen: James (2/3) 21', 40' Drop: James (1/1) 10' Con: Montgomery (1/1)
Jauzion (2) 56' c, 60' m Con: Élissalde (1/1) Kunavore (1/2) Pen: Élissalde (2/2) 20', 22' Kunavore (1/1) 48' Drop: Fritz (1/1) 77' Con: Hernández (1/1) Pen: Hernández (2/2) 24', 52'
Final
Main article: 2007–08 Top 14 Final
| {{Football kit | pattern_la = _navyshoulders | pattern_b = | pattern_ra = _navyshoulders | pattern_so = | leftarm = FFF146 | body = FFF146 | rightarm = FFF146 | shorts = 102773 | socks = FFF146 | title = Clermont | {{Football kit | pattern_la = | pattern_b = _black_streak | pattern_ra = | pattern_sh = _black_streak | pattern_so = | leftarm = ffffff | body = ffffff | rightarm = ffffff | shorts = ffffff | socks = ffffff | title = Toulouse |
|---|
Zirakashvili 80' c Con: James (2/2) Pen: James (2/2) 13', 69' Médard 60' c Con: Élissalde (2/2) Pen: Élissalde (2/3) 33', 56' Kunavore (1/1) 74' Courrent (1/1) 79'|
| NZL Vern Cotter |
|---|
| FRA Guy Novès |
|---|
Leading scorers
- Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AUS Brock James | Clermont | 301 |
| 2 | FRA Richard Dourthe | Bayonne | 245 |
| 3 | ARG Juan Martín Hernández | Stade Français | 227 |
| 4 | FRA Romain Teulet | Castres | 221 |
| 5 | FRA Fabien Fortassin | Montauban | 212 |
| 6 | FRA Benjamin Boyet | Bourgoin | 191 |
| 7 | FRA Jean-Baptiste Élissalde | Toulouse | 155 |
| 8 | FRA Frédéric Couzier | Auch | 140 |
| 9 | FRA Andre Hough | Albi | 134 |
| 10 | ITA Luciano Orquera | Brive | 122 |
Top try scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIJ Napolioni Nalaga | Clermont | 18 |
| 2 | FRA Maxime Médard | Toulouse | 14 |
| 3 | FRA Aurélien Rougerie | Clermont | 12 |
| 4 | USA Takudzwa Ngwenya | Biarritz | 8 |
| FRA Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet | Bayonne | 8 | |
| 5 | FRA Vincent Clerc | Toulouse | 7 |
| FRA Yves Donguy | Toulouse | 7 | |
| FRA Julien Saubade | Stade Français | 7 | |
| 6 | FRA Yoan Audrin | Montauban | 6 |
| FRA Yannick Jauzion | Toulouse | 6 | |
| ARG Mario Ledesma | Clermont | 6 | |
| GEO Davit Zirakashvili | Clermont | 6 |
Attendances
The league has seen a major increase in attendance in recent years. In 2006-07, per-game attendance averaged 10,549, up from 9,288 in 2005–06 and 7,255 in 2004–05, when the league consisted of 16 teams instead of its current 14. The 2005-06 and 2006-07 totals are skewed to some degree because Stade Français drew over 79,000 fans to each of the two fixtures they played at Stade de France in both seasons. However, even if the Stade de France fixtures are not included, per-game attendance was 8,549 in 2005-06 and 9,267 in 2006-07, both well above the 2004-05 figures.
The final average attendance for the 2007-08 regular season was 11,106, another increase from the previous season. The LNR also reported that league-wide season ticket sales were up by 11% from 2006-07. The most-attended matches were the three Stade Français matches played at Stade de France, each of which drew more than 75,000, and Toulouse's three games at Stadium Municipal, each of which drew at least 30,000.
- Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.
| Club | Home | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity | |
| Albi | 13 | 93,351 | 7,181 | 10,000 | 5,865 | 55% |
| Auch | 13 | 62,337 | 4,795 | 6,681 | 3,159 | 69% |
| Bayonne | 13 | 161,135 | 12,395 | 14,025 | 9,645 | 73% |
| Biarritz | 13 | 115,573 | 8,890 | 13,044 | 6,000 | 59% |
| Bourgoin | 13 | 82,464 | 6,343 | 8,000 | 4,832 | 67% |
| Brive | 13 | 136,768 | 10,521 | 14,868 | 7,899 | 70% |
| Castres | 13 | 102,095 | 7,853 | 10,000 | 6,560 | 68% |
| Clermont | 13 | 189,327 | 14,564 | 16,574 | 12,827 | 88% |
| Dax | 13 | 94,656 | 7,281 | 15,000 | 4,500 | 45% |
| Montauban | 13 | 90,816 | 6,986 | 9,054 | 5,553 | 61% |
| Montpellier | 13 | 144,520 | 11,117 | 15,789 | 8,895 | 70% |
| Perpignan | 13 | 153,181 | 11,783 | 14,517 | 7,889 | 71% |
| Stade Français | 13 | 323,069 | 24,851 | 79,779 | 7,443 | 79% |
| Toulouse | 13 | 272,011 | 20,924 | 36,000 | 14,066 | 88% |
Notes
References
- "Ligue Nationale de Rugby". lnr.fr. Accessed August 13, 2007.
References
- "Top 14 . Les clubs". [[Ligue Nationale de Rugby]].
- (2007-06-27). "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com.
- European Rugby Cup. "Albi Could Miss Out on Europe Following Appeal Decision".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE MAURICE BOYAU".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE DE FRANCE".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS PARC DES SPORTS AGUILERA".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE PIERRE RAJON".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS PARC DES SPORTS".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE PIERRE ANTOINE".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE YVES DU MANOIR".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADIUM".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE MUNCIPAL".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE DU MOULIAS".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE MARCEL MICHELIN".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE SAPIAC".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE JEAN DAUGER".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS JEAN BOUIN".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE AIME GIRAL".
- "RECORDS DE SPECTATEURS STADE ERNEST WALLON".
- (19 April 2008). "18ème match".
- (10 May 2008). "Top 14. Montauban, coupeur de têtes".
- (17 May 2008). "BRIVE - STADE FRANCAIS 11-3 (5-0)".
- "Affluences – Top 14".
- (17 May 2008). "22ème match".
- (16 June 2008). "Stade Toulusain Bayonne 35-28".
- "CLASSEMENT DU TOP 14 ET DE PRO D2 DE RUGBY 2008 (PLAY OFF)".
- "Top 14 : 2007/2008 - Statistiques - Rugby".
- [[Ligue Nationale de Rugby]]. "Affluence totale par club: TOP 14 - 26 premières journées - Saison 2006-2007".
- [[Ligue Nationale de Rugby]]. "Affluence totale par club: TOP 14 - 26 premières journées - Saison 2005-2006".
- [[Ligue Nationale de Rugby]]. "Affluence totale par club: TOP 16 - 30 premières journées - Saison 2004-2005".
- [[Agence France-Presse]]. (2008-06-27). "Top 14 the 'cash cow' of the French". RugbyRugby.com.
- Ligue Nationale de Rugby. "TOP 14: Les affluences club/club, journée/journée".
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