2011–12 Top 14 season

French domestic rugby union club competition October 2011 View on place du Capitole from the balcony of the Capitole - 2012-06-10.jpg 200px France Toulouse Toulon BriveLyon 183 2566416 ENG Jonny Wilkinson (273) FJI Timoci Nagusa (11) 2010–11 2012–13 The 2011–12 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Home-and-away play began on August 26, 2011. Two new teams from the 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Lyon and Bordeaux Bègles in place of the two relegated teams, La Rochelle and Bourgoin. Toulouse claimed the Bouclier de Brennus as champions for the 19th time, defeating Toulon 18–12 in the final on June 9, 2012, at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. At the other end of the table, Brive and Lyon were relegated. Competition format Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season was conducted in the same order as the first, with the club at home in the first half of the season away in the second. This season maintained the format introduced the previous season for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualified directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualified for a quarterfinal held at the home ground of the higher-ranked team. The teams France center 395 Locations of the 2011–12 Top 14 teams France 44.204931 0.621153 Agen France 43.485469 -1.479289 Bayonne France 43.483333 -1.556111 Biarritz left France 44.81 -0.55 Bordeaux Bègles France 45.162872 1.546872 Brive France 43.61087 2.25271 Castres France 45.78938 3.10609 Clermont France 45.76 4.84 Lyon France 43.593 3.8496 Montpellier France 42.715278 2.891389 Perpignan France 48.923611 2.252222 Racing Métro left France 48.856667 2.350833 Stade Français France 43.118947 5.936531 Toulon France 43.621944 1.415556 Toulouse bottom Team Captain Head coach Stadium Capacity Agen ZAF Adri Badenhorst FRA Christophe DeylaudFRA Christian Lanta Stade Armandie 14600 Bayonne FRA Pépito Elhorga FRA Didier Faugeron Stade Jean-Dauger 16934 Biarritz FRA Imanol Harinordoquy AUS Jack Isaac andFRA Jean-Michel Gonzalez Parc des Sports Aguiléra 15000 Bordeaux Bègles NZL Matthew Clarkin FRA Marc Delpoux FRA Laurent ArmandFRA Vincent Etcheto Stade André Moga 9088 Brive RSA Antonie Claassen FRA Ugo Mola Stade Amédée-Domenech 15000 Castres FRA Alexandre AlbouyFRA Sébastien Tillous-Borde FRA Laurent Labit andFRA Laurent Travers Stade Pierre-Antoine 11500 Clermont FRA Aurélien Rougerie NZL Vern Cotter Stade Marcel-Michelin 16334 Lyon FRA Matthieu LazergesFRA Raphaël Saint-André Matmut Stadium 8000 Montpellier FRA Fulgence Ouedraogo FRA Fabien Galthié Stade Yves-du-Manoir 15000 Perpignan FRA Nicolas Mas FRA Bernard GouttaFRA Christophe Manas Stade Aimé-Giral 16593 Racing Métro FRA Lionel Nallet FRA Pierre Berbizier Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir 14000Stade Français ITA Sergio Parisse AUS Michael Cheika Stade Charléty 20000 Stade de France 80000 Toulon ZAF Joe van Niekerk FRA Bernard Laporte Stade Mayol 14700Toulouse FRA Thierry Dusautoir FRA Guy Novès Stade Ernest-Wallon 19500 Stadium Municipal 35472 During the regular season, three teams changed coaches a total of four times: Toulon was forced to find a replacement for Philippe Saint-André once he was named to become the new head coach of the France national team, effective 1 December.http://www.espnscrum.com/france/rugby/story/147057.html Saint-Andre confirmed as next France coach ESPN Scrum 25 August 2011 27 August 2011 Bernard Laporte, a former France head coach (1999–2007), was named as Toulon's new head coach, and took over in September after Saint-André was granted an early release by Toulon.http://www.espnscrum.com/france-top-14-2011-12/rugby/story/148926.html Laporte takes charge at Toulon ESPN Scrum 12 September 2011 20 November 2011 Perpignan sacked Jacques Delmas on 21 November, only four months after he had taken over from Jacques Brunel, who left to become the new head coach of Italy. The Catalans had lost seven of their 12 matches in all competitions under Delmas. Assistants Bernard Goutta and Christophe Manas were named as replacements.http://www.espnscrum.com/france-top-14-2011-12/rugby/story/148926.html Bernard Laporte takes charge at Toulton ESPN Scrum 21 November 2011 21 November 2011 Bayonne sacked their entire coaching staff—director of rugby Christian Gajan, forwards coach Thomas Lièvremont and backs coach Frédéric Tauzin—on 6 December. Gajan's position was filled by Jean-Pierre Élissalde, former Japan head coach and also father of former France international and current Toulouse backs coach Jean-Baptiste Élissalde.http://www.espnscrum.com/france-top-14-2011-12/rugby/story/155632.html Bayonne sack coaching staff ESPN Scrum 6 December 2011 6 December 2011 After six weeks, in which Bayonne remained near the bottom of the table with two losses and one draw in league play, Élissalde was sacked on 16 January, with former Stade Français head coach Didier Faugeron named as his replacement.http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/157688.html Elissalde axed by Bayonne ESPN Scrum 16 January 2012 17 January 2012 Table main Rugby QR n n y TLS Toulouse CLE Clermont TLN Toulon CAS Castres MTP Montpellier RAC Racing Métro STF Stade Français BOR Bordeaux Bègles BIA Biarritz AGE Agen PER Perpignan BAY Bayonne BRI Brive LYO Lyon 19 1 6 629 448 9 19 2 5 644 364 7 14 5 7 581 393 7 14 4 8 585 522 5 14 1 11 601 505 9 13 1 12 569 538 10 11 2 13 568 588 10 12 0 14 493 619 5 10 2 14 424 518 8 12 1 13 479 573 2 9 2 15 515 578 9 9 3 14 479 619 6 7 1 18 408 488 12 5 3 18 369 591 5 Head-to-head: Toulouse 5–4 TOU Head-to-head: Biarritz 6–2 BIA #FFF60F League championsQualified for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup C #ccffcc Advance to playoff semi-finalsQualified for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup A #d8ffeb Advance to playoff quarter-finalsQualified for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup Q Q #ccccff Qualified for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup B B #ffffcc Qualified for the 2012–13 Heineken CupQualified by winning the 2011–12 European Challenge Cup EC #ffcccc Relegated to 2012–13 Rugby Pro D2 R R complete http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/rugby/top-14/2011-2012/tables/ Yahoo UK | News, email and searchhttp://rugbyradar.com/top-14 Rugby Radar Provides results, fixtures and table information from the top 18 rugby tournaments around the world. 2012-01-11 https://web.archive.org/web/20110925155707/http://rugbyradar.com/top-14 2011-09-25 dead Due to the interplay between LNR's schedule for Heineken Cup qualification and the rules of European Rugby Cup (ERC), which operates both European cup competitions, it is theoretically possible that a team finishing as high as fourth in the league table may not qualify for the Heineken Cup. Under ERC rules, the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup each earn a place in the following season's Heineken Cup. If a team from France wins one of these competitions, the Top 14 will receive a seventh Heineken Cup place. However, if French teams win both cups, the Top 14 is capped at seven Heineken Cup places. Biarritz' victory in the Challenge Cup gave France an extra place for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup. The LNR presents teams for the Heineken Cup in the following order, skipping any steps occupied by clubs outside the Top 14 or filled in a prior step.http://www.lnr.fr/IMG/pdf/Statuts_et_Reglements_generaux_de_la_LNR_saison_2011-2012.pdf Règlement Sportif des Compétitions Professionnelles, Article 328, Participations des clubs français en Coupes d'Europe Statuts et Règlements Généraux de la LNR – Saison 2011/2012 Ligue nationale de rugby fr 134–35 May 18, 2012 The clubs involved in each step for this season are indicated in the numbered list. Champion – Toulouse Runner-up – Toulon Heineken Cup holder – Skipped (won by Leinster of Pro12) Semifinalist that finished higher in the league table – Clermont Semifinalist that finished lower in the league table – Castres Challenge Cup holder – Biarritz Additional berths based on league position – Montpellier, Racing Métro Under LNR rules, only Top 14 clubs are eligible for European competition. This means that in the (unlikely) event that the winner of one of the two European Cups is relegated from the Top 14 in the same season, its European place will go to a current Top 14 team, based on league position in that season. Under another ERC rule, if teams from England, which is also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both European cups, the extra place will go to the highest-ranked non-English team in the European Rugby Club Rankings that is not already qualified for the Heineken Cup. If that club is in the Top 14, it will receive a Heineken Cup place regardless of its league position, as long as it avoids relegation. For a team in the top six to be left out of the Heineken Cup, French teams must win both European Cups, and those teams must have finished outside the top six in the league while also avoiding relegation. Playoffs Quarterfinals Semifinals Final 4 Castres 31 5 Montpellier 15 3 Toulon 17 6 Racing Métro 13 1 Toulouse 24 4 Castres 15 2 Clermont 12 3 Toulon 15 1 Toulouse 18 3 Toulon 12 All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2). Quarter-finals 25 May 2012 21:00 Castres 31 – 15 Report Montpellier Lacrampe 18' c Teulet (1/1) Bernard (5/5) 2', 33', 44', 50', 80'Teulet (3/3) 15', 38', 72' Tulou 36' mFakate 68' c Bustos Moyano (1/2) Bustos Moyano (1/1) 23' Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse 15,203 Patrick Péchambert 26 May 2012 21:00 Toulon 17 – 13 Report Racing Métro Armitage 66' m Wilkinson 35'Giteau (3) 58', 62', 80' Fall 27' c Descons (1/1) Steyn 16'Descons 32 Stade Mayol, Toulon Mathieu Raynal Semi-finals 2 June 2012 20:45 Toulouse 24 – 15 Report Castres McAlister (6/6) 6', 11', 29', 51', 61', 71'Beauxis (1/1) 39' Beauxis (1/1) 20' Bernard (3) 18', 26', 46'Teulet 37' Bernard (1/1) 22' Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse 36,121https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/match/17661 https://web.archive.org/web/20120605005021/http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/match/17661 dead June 5, 2012 Top 14 2011-2012 - Demi-finales : Toulouse–Castres L'Équipe fr 2 June 2012 4 June 2012 Jérôme Garcès 3 June 2012 16:30 Clermont 12 – 15 Report Toulon Parra (4/5) 8', 30', 62', 73' Wilkinson (5/5) 12', 22', 34', 59', 77' Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse 35,608https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/match/17662 https://web.archive.org/web/20120606004729/http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/match/17662 dead June 6, 2012 Top 14 2011-2012 - Demi-finales : Clermont–Toulon L'Équipe fr 3 June 2012 4 June 2012 Pascal Gaüzère Final 9 June 2012 18:00 Toulouse 18 – 12 Report Toulon McAlister (6/6) 3', 21', 35', 42', 64', 68' Wilkinson (4/6) 1', 27', 32', 46' Stade de France, Saint-Denis 79,612https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/O-toulouse-o-brennus/290162 Ô Toulouse ! Ô Brennus ! L'Équipe fr 9 June 2012 9 June 2012 Romain Poite FB 15FRA Clément PoitrenaudRW 14FRA Vincent ClercOC 13FRA Yann David 61IC 12FRA Florian FritzLW 11FJI Timoci MatanavouFH 10NZL Luke McAlister 70SH 9 FRA Jean-Marc Doussain 50N8 8 FRA Louis PicamolesOF 7 FRA Thierry Dusautoir (c)BF 6 FRA Jean Bouilhou 53 62 68RL 5 ARG Patricio AlbaceteLL 4 FRA Yoann Maestri 76TP 3 SAM Census JohnstonHK 2 FRA William Servat 51 62LP 1 ZAF Gurthrö Steenkamp 76Replacements:HK 16FRA Christopher Tolofua 53 62PR 17ZAF Daan Human 76FL 18FRA Yannick Nyanga 68FL 19FRA Grégory Lamboley 76SH 20AUS Luke Burgess 50FH 21FRA Lionel Beauxis 70CE 22FRA Yannick Jauzion 61PR 23FRA Yohan MontesCoach: FRA Guy Novès FB 15FRA Benjamin LapeyreRW 14FRA Alexis PalissonOC 13FRA Mathieu BastareaudIC 12AUS Matt GiteauLW 11NZL David SmithFH 10ENG Jonny WilkinsonSH 9 FRA Sébastien Tillous-BordeN8 8 ARG Juan Martín Fernández LobbeOF 7 ENG Steffon ArmitageBF 6 ZAF Joe van Niekerk (c) 53 62 68RL 5 ENG Simon Shaw 61LL 4 ZAF Bakkies BothaTP 3 GEO Davit Kubriashvili 63 73 73HK 2 FRA Sébastien Bruno 51 62 70LP 1 WAL Eifion Lewis-Roberts 74Replacements:HK 16FRA Mickaël Ivaldi 53 62 70PR 17FRA Laurent Emmanuelli 74LK 18FRA Christophe Samson 61FL 19FRA Pierrick Gunther 68 70 73CE 20FRA Geoffroy MessinaFB 21AUS Luke RooneySH 22FRA Fabien CibrayPR 23GEO Levan Chilachava 70Coach: FRA Bernard Laporte Statistics Top points scorers Updated 19 May 2012 Table of Top points scorers Rank Player Club Points Tries Conversions Penalties Drop goals 1 Jonny Wilkinson RC Toulon 273 0 24 75 0 2 Conrad Barnard SU Agen 267 0 15 75 4 3 Romain Teulet Castres Olympique 249 0 30 62 1 4 Martín Bustos Moyano Montpellier HR 213 3 27 48 0 5 Julien Dupuy Stade Français 206 2 23 50 0 6 Benjamin Boyet Aviron Bayonnais 202 2 12 55 1 7 Lionel Beauxis Stade Toulousain 191 0 19 43 8 8 Luke McAlister Stade Toulousain 191 3 22 44 0 9 Brock James USA Perpignan 190 2 24 40 4 10 Jonathan Wisniewski Racing Métro 92 174 1 20 42 1 Top try scorers Updated 6 May 2012 Table of Top try scorers Rank Player Club Tries 1 Timoci Nagusa Montpellier HR 11 2 Romain Martial Castres Olympique 10 - Yves Donguy Stade Toulousain 10 - Timoci Matanavou Stade Toulousain 10 5 Alex Tulou Montpellier HR 8 6 Lucas Amorosino Montpellier HR 7 - Sireli Bobo Racing Métro 92 7 - Henry Chavancy Racing Métro 92 7 - Blair Connor Union Bordeaux Bègles 7 10 Marc Andreu Castres Olympique 6 - Steffon Armitage RC Toulon 6 - Jean-Marcellin Buttin USA Perpignan 6 - Damien Chouly USA Perpignan 6 - Rudi Coetzee USA Perpignan 6 See also 2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season References External links fr Ligue Nationale de Rugby – Official website Top 14 on Planetrugby.com Category:Top 14 seasons France