Stade Toulousain, 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.
Stade Français Paris 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 original Stade Français was founded in 1883. In its current form, the club was founded in 1995 with the merger of the rugby sections of the Stade Français and Club Athlétique des Sports Généraux (CASG).
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 plays its home matches at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra, 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 in San Sebastián. Biarritz play in red and white colours. Biarritz won a number of major honors, including the French championship on five occasions.
Dimitri Yachvili Markarian 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 scoring 373 points. With them he played in the final of the 2011 World Cup losing to New Zealand and won two Grand Slams in 2004 and 2010. In club rugby, he won a European Cup in 2012 and played in two European Cup finals in 2006 and 2010 with Biarritz. With this club, he also won two French championship titles in 2005 and 2006. With his previous club, Gloucester, he was champion of England in 2002. After the end of his playing career, he became a rugby consultant, a career he began while still a player.
Rugby Club Toulonnais, also referred to as Rugby Club Toulon or simply Toulon, is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon and competing in the Top 14. Located on the French Riviera, in the Provence region, the club plays its home games at the 17,500-capacity Stade Mayol.
Fabien Galthié is a French rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of the France national team.
Clément Poitrenaud is a former French rugby union footballer. His usual position is at fullback but he also plays at centre. He most recently played for South African side the Sharks in Super Rugby, having represented Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition between 2000 and 2016, and France between 2001 and 2012, including at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia and the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. He has since transitioned into a role of partner, father and coach.
Sylvain Marconnet is a French rugby union footballer who played for Biarritz Olympique having signed from Stade Français in the Top 14 club competition in France. His usual position is prop. Marconnet has played for France, including representing them at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Rémy Martin is a French rugby union footballer. He has also played for France. His usual position is at flanker.
Census Johnston is a former Samoan rugby union player. He has represented Samoa several times, and was in the Pacific Islanders' team which toured Europe in November 2006 and earned 6 Caps with English Barbarians F.C. His usual position is prop. Johnston previously played for Saracens F.C. in the English Guinness Premiership, as well as for Biarritz Olympique Stade Toulousain. Racing 92 and Aviron Bayonnais, also in the French Top 14. He also played for Taranaki in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup. Census attended Rosebank Primary School and Waitākere College and Avondale college in Auckland before moving to Europe in 2005, winning 3x French Top 14 championships [2006 Biarritz 2011, 2012 Toulouse] and Heineken cup championship in 2010 also with Toulouse. In 2010 he was a replacement for the final as Toulouse won the Heineken Cup. In 2015 he was selected for Manu Samoa.
The 2004–05 Top 16 season was the top level of French club rugby in 2004–05. It was the final season under the 16 club format, as the competition became the Top 14 for the 2005–06 season. Biarritz Olympique won the championship, defeating Stade Français Paris in the final at Stade de France. FC Grenoble, Béziers and Auch were relegated to Rugby Pro D2 after the 2004–05 season.
Arnaud Mignardi is a French rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Stade Montois in the Pro D2. He has previously played for CA Brive, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Biarritz Olympique and SU Agen. His usual position is at centre.
Maxime Médard is a former French rugby union player who plays his club rugby for French club Stade Toulousain in Top 14 and France internationally. He can play as both a full-back and on the wing and is described by assistant national team coach Émile Ntamack as an "incredible talent" that, during the 2010–11 season, was finally "realizing his potential". Medard is a two-time winner of the Heineken Cup and, in 2008, won the Top 14 for the first time. Also referred to as 'The French Wolverine.'
The 2006 Heineken Cup Final was a rugby union match played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 20 May 2006, to determine the winners of the 2005–06 Heineken Cup, European rugby's premier club competition. The match was contested by Irish province Munster and French side Biarritz. It was the 11th Heineken Cup final overall and the third final appearance for Munster, while Biarritz were competing in their first final. It was the second time the Millennium Stadium had hosted the Heineken Cup final, the other being in 2002, and the fourth to take place in Cardiff, including finals played at the old Cardiff Arms Park.
Patrice Lagisquet is a former French rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a wing. He was nicknamed "The Bayonne Express".
The 2010 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup, the 15th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 22 May 2010 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis north of Paris. It was contested by Biarritz and Toulouse, both from France. Toulouse won the final by 21–19, and for a record fourth time in fifteen seasons of the competition.
Wenceslas Lauret is a rugby union footballer, who plays for Racing 92 in the Top 14 French league. His usual position is flanker, but he can also play Lock.
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.
Philippe Bidabe 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 debut for France in 2004 against Canada.
David Couzinet is a French international rugby union player. He played as a Lock for Agen and USA Perpignan. He started his professional career at Stade Toulousain. He moved to SU Agen where he lost the final of the Top 14 against Biarritz Olympique. After the summer he joined it. With Biarritz Olympique he was finalist of the Heineken Cup in 2005 and he won twice Top 14.