US Montauban

US Montauban

Full name	Union Sportive Montalbanaise
Union	Fédération Française de Rugby
Founded	1903
Location	Montauban, France
Ground(s)	Stade Sapiac (Capacity: 12,600)
President	Robert Gomes
Coach(es)	Sébastien Calvet
League(s)	Pro D2
2022–23	13th
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
usmsapiac.fr

US Montauban (Occitan : Union Esportiva Montalban) is a French rugby union club that currently competes in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system. They have also competed at the top level, Top 14, in the past, most recently between 2007 and 2010. The club is based in Montauban in the département of Tarn-et-Garonne in Occitania.

In April 2010, it was announced the club would be relegated from the Top 14 to the Rugby Pro D2 at the end of the 2009/2010 season after breaking budget rules for the league. Although the club appealed the ruling it started to release players to reduce its budget. ^[1] The club was not in the relegation zone at the time, thereby saving CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, Aviron Bayonnais and Montpellier Hérault RC a nervous run in as they were in the relegation battle with Montauban. On the 26 April 2010, the club filed for bankruptcy at a commercial court following a meeting of the club's board of directors. ^[2]

On 24 May 2014, it was announced that they had won promotion back to Pro D2 for the 2014–15 season as a result of winning the Fédérale 1 semi-final 35 – 12 against Lille Métropole Rugby. ^[3] They went on to win the Fédérale 1 title, defeating Massy 18–14 in the final. ^[4]

History

The club was established in 1903. The club made its first championship appearance in the 1967 season, when it captured its first championship title, defeating CA Bègles 11 points to 3 in Bordeaux. It gained promotion from Pro D2 for the 2006–07 season.

In its first match of the 2006-07 season, Montauban defeated Narbonne 41–20, gaining five points (including a bonus point) to go to second in the table after round one. The team continued in surprisingly strong form for a newly promoted team, notably handing early runaway league leaders Stade Français their first defeat of the season, 15–9, in Round 10 on 6 October. Montauban ended the season in seventh place, a respectable position for a newly promoted team. The 2007-08 season saw it consolidate its Top 14 position, again finishing seventh. Because Toulouse advanced to the final of that year's Heineken Cup, which was farther than any team from England or Italy, Montauban was given a place in the 2008-09 Heineken Cup, pooled with champions Munster.

Current standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	B	Pts	Qualification
1	Oyonnax (C, P)	30	23	1	6	904	457	+447	17	111	Top 14 promotion play-offs
2	Grenoble	30	19	3	8	672	588	+84	8	87 [lower-alpha 1]
3	Mont-de-Marsan	30	19	0	11	764	649	+115	10	86
4	Nevers	30	17	3	10	718	551	+167	11	85
5	Vannes	30	17	1	12	718	633	+85	11	81
6	Agen	30	15	1	14	653	583	+70	15	77
7	Colomiers	30	15	0	15	674	678	−4	10	70
8	Provence	30	13	4	13	652	638	+14	9	69
9	Béziers	30	13	1	16	700	716	−16	11	65
10	Aurillac	30	15	0	15	586	706	−120	5	65
11	Biarritz	30	12	2	16	690	699	−9	8	60
12	Rouen	30	12	2	16	594	767	−173	6	58
13	Montauban	30	12	1	17	678	784	−106	6	54 [lower-alpha 1]
14	Soyaux Angoulême	30	11	0	19	569	697	−128	8	52
15	Carcassonne (R)	30	10	1	19	553	677	−124	10	52	Relegation to Nationale
16	Massy (R)	30	7	0	23	499	801	−302	5	33

Source: Pro D2
Rules for classification: When two teams have the same points total, position is determined by head-to-head results before points difference.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. Grenoble were penalised three competition points, and Montauban were penalised two, for financial and administrative issues that made the clubs "non-compliant with the regulatory provisions and decisions of the CCCP". ^{[5] [6]}

Current squad

For player movements before or during the 2022–23 season, see List of 2022–23 Rugby Pro D2 transfers § Montauban.

The Montauban squad for the 2022–23 season is: ^[7]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Cyril Deligny Hooker France Arnaud Feltrin Hooker France Kevin Firmin Hooker France David Marotel Hooker France Nicolas Agnesi Prop France Thomas Bue Prop France Mirian Burduli Prop Georgia Victor Laval Prop France Simon Renaud Prop France Lucas Seyrolle Prop France Nicolás Solveyra Prop Argentina Malino Vanai Prop France Kevin Yameogo Prop France Kevin Gimeno Lock France Dan Malafosse Lock France Alexandre Manukula Lock France Maselino Paulino Lock Samoa Dimitri Vaotoa Lock France Otar Giorgadze Back row Georgia Tomas Lezana Back row Argentina Epeli Momo Back row Fiji Stephane Munoz Back row France Fred Quercy Back row France Kyllian Ringuet Back row France Tjiuee Uanivi Back row Namibia Tyrone Vi'iga Back row Australia Quentin Witt Back row France

Player Position Union Quentin Delord Scrum-half France Anthony Meric Scrum-half France Shaun Venter Scrum-half South Africa Tedo Abzhandadze Fly-half Georgia Jerome Bosviel Fly-half France Romain Riguet Fly-half France Alexis Bernadet Centre France Paul Bonnefond Centre France Lucas Chaudanson Centre France Sevanaïa Galala Centre Fiji Maxime Mathy Centre France Benjamin Puntous Centre France Raphaël Sanchez Centre France Taleta Tupuola Centre New Zealand Bastien Guillemin Wing France Lucas Poirson Wing France Jean-Bernard Pujol Wing France Semesa Rokoduguni Wing England Josua Vici Wing Fiji Maxime Salles Fullback France Segundo Tuculet Fullback Argentina

Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Armand Carriere Hooker France Theo Olibeau Hooker France Florian Maffre Prop France Evan Surena Prop France Hugo Fuentes Back row France Maxence Bonnin Fly-half France Charly Alban Fullback France Julian Hauw Fullback France

Honours

• French championship :
  • Champions: 1967
• Rugby Pro D2:
  • Champions: 2001, 2006
• Fédérale 1
  • Champions (Trophée Jean-Prat): 2014
• Challenge de l'Espérance:
  • Champions: 1967
• Challenge Antoine Béguère:
  • Champions: 1971
• Challenge Armand Vaquerin:
  • Champions: 2005
  • Runners-up: 2004

Finals results

French championship

Date	Winner	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Attendance
28 May 1967	US Montauban	CA Bègles	11-3	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	32,115

Trophée Jean-Prat

Date	Winner	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Attendance
7 June 2014	US Montauban	RC Massy	18-14	Stade Jean-Antoine Moueix, Libourne	4,500

References

1. "Planet Rugby | Rugby Union Tournaments | Top 14 | Delasau begins likely Montauban exodus". www.planetrugby.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13.
2. "Yahoo UK & Ireland - Sports News - Live Scores - Results". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
3. "Demi-finale Fédérale 1 - Massy et Montauban retrouvent la Pro D2". Midi Olympique (in French). 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
4. "Rugby: Montauban champion de France de Fédérale 1". L'Équipe (in French). 7 June 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
5. "Le FCG sanctionné de trois points de retrait au classement par la Ligue !". Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023. Un retrait de cinq points dont deux points avec sursis au classement du championnat professionnel de Pro D2 de la saison en cours [...] Cette sanction a été prononcée au motif du « non-respect des dispositions réglementaires et décisions de la CCCP ».
6. "Pro D2 : l'US Montauban sanctionnée de cinq points de retrait pour la prochaine saison !" [Pro D2: US Montauban sanctioned with five withdrawal points for the next season!]. La Dépêche (in French). 20 May 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
7. "USM Sapiac - Les Joueurs". US Montauban (in French). Retrieved 19 April 2021.

• USM Rugby - 100 photos pour un centenaire, 2003

External links

• (in French) Official site