Pro D2

Last updated
Pro D2
Current season, competition or edition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2023–24 Rugby Pro D2 season
Logo ProD2 2012.png
Sport Rugby union
Founded2000;24 years ago (2000)
Administrator LNR
No. of teams16
CountryFlag of France.svg  France
Most recent
champion(s)		 Oyonnax (3rd title)
Most titles Lyon (3 titles)
Level on pyramid2
Promotion to Top 14
Relegation to Nationale
Official website lnr.fr/rugby-pro-d2

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 introduced in 2000. It is the world's best supported second tier rugby union league.

Contents

Season structure

There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition. The top club at the end of the season is automatically promoted to the Top 14; through the 2016–17 season, the 2nd through 5th place teams play each other for the second promotion place. The bottom two are automatically relegated to Fédérale 1. The bottom two clubs of the Top 14 and the top two of Fédérale 1 then enter the Rugby Pro D2 for the next season.

There are 30 rounds in the regular season, with each team playing each other team home and away. The two halves of the season are played in the same order, with the away team in the first half of the season at home in the second half. The semi-finals and final take place in May, with the second- and third-place teams hosting the semi-finals and the final taking place at a predetermined site. At present, 16 clubs compete in the competition.

All promotions are contingent on passing a postseason financial audit required for all clubs. Also, if a club above the bottom two places fails the audit, it may be relegated in the place of a club that would otherwise have been relegated. This was especially an issue in the 2015–16 season, when four clubs faced at least the prospect of relegation for financial reasons. During the season, Tarbes were dropped to Fédérale 1 effective with the 2016–17 season, and Biarritz, Bourgoin and Narbonne were also dropped at the end of the season, pending appeals. [1] Ultimately, Biarritz, Bourgoin, and Narbonne all won their appeals and remained in Pro D2. [2] [3]

Changes for 2017–18 and beyond

In August 2016, LNR released a strategic plan outlining its vision for French rugby through the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The plan includes significant changes to the top levels of the league system, with Pro D2 seeing especially dramatic changes starting with the 2017–18 season. [4]

Current teams

2022–23 season

Table

2023–24 Pro D2 Table
PosTeam
PldWDLPFPAPDTBLBPtsQualification
1 Vannes 161015396244+1525350Semi-final promotion playoff place
2 Provence 161024427342+854351
3 Béziers 161015428319+1094349Quarter-final promotion playoff place
4 Mont-de-Marsan 161006400305+952345
5 Nevers 16907406345+614343
6 Brive 16907328306+223140
7 Aurillac 16817311373−623138
8 Colomiers 16718330331−12436
9 Grenoble 161006432364+684234 [lower-alpha 1]
10 Montauban 16808294367−732034
11 Agen 16718285390−1051233
12 Dax 16718281387−1061233
13 Valence Romans 166010317287+303330
14 Soyaux Angoulême 165110288321−330426
15 Biarritz 165011320434−1142325Relegation to Nationale
16 Rouen 162113270398−1281415
Updated to match(es) played on 12 January 2024. Source:
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Competition points earned in head-to-head matches
  2. Points difference in head-to-head matches
  3. Try differential in head-to-head matches
  4. Points difference in all matches
  5. Try differential in all matches
  6. Points scored in all matches
  7. Tries scored in all matches
  8. Fewer matches forfeited
  9. Classification in the previous Top 14 season
    Notes:
  1. ↑ Following the decisions rendered by the Appeal Commission on July 6, 2023 and December 14, 2023 by the Disciplinary Council, a withdrawal of 12 points applies for FC Grenoble Rugby

Previous seasons

SeasonChampionPlay-off winnerRelegated
2000–01 Montauban N/A [a 1] Nîmes
2001–02 Mont-de-Marsan Grenoble Rumilly, Tours
2002–03 Montpellier Brive Aubenas Vals, Marmande
2003–04 Auch Bayonne [a 2] Bordeaux-Bègles
2004–05 Toulon N/A [a 3] Périgueux, Limoges
2005–06 Montauban Albi [a 4] Tyrosse, Aurillac, Aix
2006–07 Auch Dax Gaillac, Colomiers
2007–08 Toulon Mont-de-Marsan Blagnac, Limoges
2008–09 Racing Métro Albi Béziers, Bourg-en-Bresse
2009–10 Agen La Rochelle Lannemezan
2010–11 Lyon Bordeaux Bègles Saint-Étienne, Colomiers
2011–12 Grenoble Mont-de-Marsan Périgueux, Bourgoin
2012–13 Oyonnax Brive Massy, Aix-en-Provence
2013–14 Lyon La Rochelle Bourg-en-Bresse, Auch
2014–15 Pau Agen Massy
2015–16 Lyon Bayonne Provence, Tarbes
2016–17 Oyonnax Agen Bourgoin, Albi
2017–18 Perpignan Grenoble [a 5] Narbonne, Dax
2018–19 Bayonne Brive Massy, Bourg-en-Bresse
2019–20 Cancelled [a 6]
2020–21 Perpignan Biarritz Soyaux Angoulême, Valence Romans
2021–22 Bayonne Mont-de-Marsan Narbonne, Bourg-en-Bresse
2022–23 Oyonnax Grenoble [a 7] Carcassonne, Massy

Number of league titles

Notes

  1. ↑ Only one promotion as the top division reduced from 21 to 16 teams.
  2. ↑ Lost the play-off final to Auch.
  3. ↑ Only one promotion as the Top 16 became Top 14.
  4. ↑ Runner up.
  5. ↑ Both promotion places are now determined by play-offs from 2017–18 onwards, with the winner of the Pro D2 play-offs earning promotion and the runner-up playing the second-from-bottom Top 14 team for the following season's final Top 14 place.
  6. ↑ League suspended after 23 rounds and ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in France. [5]
  7. ↑ Remained in Pro D2 after losing promotion/relegation playoff against Top 14 side Perpignan.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provence Rugby</span> French rugby union club, based in Aix-en-Provence

Provence Rugby is a French rugby union club currently playing in Rugby Pro D2, the second tier of France's league system. They were promoted back to the second level for the 2018–19 season after two seasons in Fédérale 1.

Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, it is the elite of amateur rugby in France. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2000, when it replaced the B2 Group. The championship is contested between 40 teams and named in honor of the famous former FC Lourdes and French International player, Jean Prat.

The major national club competition in France is the Top 14. The Top 14 is played on a home and away basis between the top fourteen club sides in France. The second major competition in France is the Rugby Pro D2 competition. A relegation system exists between the two tiers of competition. Both competitions are operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.

The 2009–10 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2009–10 season. It ran alongside the 2009–10 Top 14 competition; both competitions were operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 was the season of the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2010–11 season. It runs alongside the 2010–11 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2011–12 season. It ran alongside the 2011–12 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2012–13 Rugby Pro D2 is the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2012–13 season. It ran alongside the 2012–13 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 is the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2013–14 season. It ran alongside the 2013–14 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2014–15 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2014–15 season. It ran alongside the 2014–15 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). The average team salaries at the outset of the 2014–15 season were €5.97m; Biarritz and Perpignan had the highest team salaries with €11.07m.

The 2015–16 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2015–16 season. It ran alongside the 2015–16 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2016–17 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2016–17 season. It ran alongside the 2016–17 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2017–18 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2017–18 season. It ran alongside the 2017–18 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2018–19 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2018–19 season. It ran alongside the 2018–19 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2020–21 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2020–21 season. It will run alongside the 2020–21 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). After play was suspended following the 23rd Matchday of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, the season was officially cancelled without any winner or promotion/relegation on 6 May.

The 2020–21 Championnat Fédéral Nationale was the third-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Rugby Pro D2 and Top 14, for the 2020–21 season.

The 2021–22 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, below the Top 14, for the 2021–22 season. It will run alongside the 2021–22 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2021–22 Championnat Fédéral Nationale is the third-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Rugby Pro D2 and Top 14, for the 2021–22 season.

The 2022–23 Rugby Pro D2 is the second-level French rugby union club competition, below the Top 14, for the 2022–23 season. It will run alongside the 2022–23 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

The 2022–23 Championnat Fédéral Nationale is the third-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Rugby Pro D2 and Top 14, for the 2022–23 season.

References

  1. ↑ Mortimer, Gavin (1 June 2016). "Financial penalties in the ProD2 send shockwaves around French rugby". Rugby World. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Biarritz et Narbonne Maintenus en PRO D2" [Biarritz and Narbonne Remain in Pro D2] (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Bourgoin Reste en PRO D2" [Bourgoin Remains in Pro D2] (Press release) (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Mortimer, Gavin (18 August 2016). "French rugby enjoys a popularity boom as it looks to the future". Rugby World. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Top 14 - Pro D2 : les présidents d'accord pour ne pas attribuer de titre". L'Equipe. 6 May 2020.

See also

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