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2015–16 Top 14 season

The 2015–16 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).[1] Two new teams from the 2014–15 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Agen and Pau in place of the two relegated teams, Bayonne and Lyon. Home-and-away play began on 22 August 2015 and ended on 23 May 2016. This was followed by a playoff stage involving the top six teams, culminating in the final on 24 June 2016 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The final was moved from its traditional site of the Stade de France in Saint-Denis because of a scheduling conflict with UEFA Euro 2016.[2]

Having defeated Toulouse and table-topping Clermont en route to the final, Racing 92 won their sixth French championship title, and first since 1990, with a 29–21 win over Toulon,[3] despite playing over three-quarters of the game with 14 men after scrum-half Maxime Machenaud was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Matt Giteau.[4][5]

Teams

2015–16 Top 14 season is located in France
Agen
Agen
Bordeaux
Brive
Castres
Clermont
Grenoble
Montpellier
Oyonnax
Pau
Pau
Racing
Stade Français
Toulon
Toulouse
La Rochelle
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Locations of the 2015–16 Top 14 teams

Competition format

The top six teams at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away) enter a knockout stage to decide the Champions of France. This consists of three rounds: the teams finishing third to sixth in the table play quarter-finals (hosted by the third and fourth placed teams). The winners then face the top two teams in the semi-finals, with the winners meeting in the final, held this season at Camp Nou because the traditional site of Stade de France was not available in 2015–16 due to conflict with UEFA Euro 2016.

The LNR uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match,[7] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[8]

France's bonus point system operates as follows:[8]

Table

Source: [citation needed]
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. ^ As 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup winners Montpellier have qualified via their league position

Relegation

Normally, the teams that finish in 13th and 14th places in the table are relegated to Pro D2 at the end of the season. In certain circumstances, "financial reasons" may cause a higher placed team to be demoted instead. This last happened at the end of the 2009–10 season when 12th place Montauban were relegated thereby reprieving 13th place Bayonne.

The outline fixtures schedule was announced in May 2015.

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

Due to the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on 13 November 2015, matches in the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup were postponed to a later date – later announced to take place on the weekend of 8–10 January 2016. This meant the fixtures that featured those teams in their respective domestic leagues, were postponed to a later date.[33] This meant that the entire Round 13 schedule was postponed: one match was moved to mid-February, and the remaining six matches were moved to mid-March.[34]

Round 14

Round 13 rescheduled match

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 13 rescheduled matches

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Round 22

Round 23

Round 24

Round 25

Round 26

Playoffs

Semi-final Qualifiers

Semi-finals

Final

The final took place on 24 June 2016 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. The final was moved from its traditional site of the Stade de France in Saint-Denis because of a scheduling conflict with UEFA Euro 2016.[2]

Leading scorers

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

Attendances

By club

Highest attendances

Notes

  1. ^ Clermont's ground capacity is up to 19,022 from 18,030 the previous season.
  2. ^ Grenoble's traditional home is Stade Lesdiguières; however, beginning in 2012–13, they moved high-demand home matches to the larger Stade des Alpes.[6] Starting in 2014–15, they became the primary tenants of Stade des Alpes.
  3. ^ Montpellier's stadium capacity is currently 15,697 which was in effect from the 2016-17 season. However, Montpellier did achieve a crowd of 15,000 in their game against Toulon on 29 May 2016 so the capacity change could have occurred some time during the 2015-16 season.
  4. ^ Although Oyonnax's home ground of Stade-Charles capacity is listed as 11,400, it was increased for the 2015-16 season by at least 1,000 due to the creation of the north-stand (which was removed the following season). The club also achieved a crowd of 14,000 during their game against Clermont on 5 September 2015, which suggests capacity may have been even more, although this may be due to temporary space being created for what was in effect, a derby game.
  5. ^ In recent years, Racing has taken occasional home matches to Stade de France, MMArena in [[ Le Mans]], and Stade Océane in Le Havre.
  6. ^ Stade Français also played one home game at the 25,000 capacity MMArena in Le Mans.
  7. ^ In recent years, Toulon has taken occasional home matches to Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Allianz Riviera in Nice.
  8. ^ Toulouse often takes high-demand home matches to the city's largest sporting venue, Stadium Municipal. The 2015–16 season was the first since 2013 in which the stadium was available, following renovations for UEFA Euro 2016.
  9. ^ Montpellier's attendance figure includes home semi-final qualifier.
  10. ^ Racing 92's attendance figure includes home semi-final qualifier.

References

  1. ^ Top 14, Calendre. "TOP 14 - CALENDRIER DE LA SAISON 2015-2016". LNR. Retrieved 12 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b "La Finale 2016 du TOP 14 au Camp Nou, à Barcelone !" (Press release) (in French). Ligue nationale de rugby. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Bergogne, Romain (24 June 2016). "En battant Toulon, le Racing 92 est sacré champion de France" [By beating Toulon, Racing 92 is champion of France]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  4. ^ "14-man Racing 92 beat Toulon to be crowned Top 14 champions". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Dan Carter penalty clinches French title as Racing Metro beat Toulon in final". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ^ "ABONNEMENTS SAISON 2013–2014" (in French). www.fcgrugby.com. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  7. ^ "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
  8. ^ a b "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). LNR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  9. ^ "Toulon – Racing 92 (22–27)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ^ "La Rochelle – Clermont (6–44)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Bordeaux-Bègles – Castres (19–16)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Toulouse – Brive (24–7)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Montpellier – Oyonnax (35–19)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Grenoble – Agen (38–23)". L'Équipe. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Stade Français – Pau (34–18)". L'Équipe. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  16. ^ "Un 10 Sur 10 Pour Débuter L'Année !" (in French). ASM Clermont Auvergne. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Agen – Toulouse (9–20)". L'Équipe. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  18. ^ "Oyonnax – Bordeaux-Bègles (37–19)". L'Équipe. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  19. ^ "Racing 92 – La Rochelle (20–19)". L'Équipe. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  20. ^ "Pau – Montpellier (26–16)". L'Équipe. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Brive – Stade Francais (22–13)". L'Équipe. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  22. ^ "Castres – Toulon (24–9)". L'Équipe. 30 August 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  23. ^ "Clermont Insatiable Impose un Train d'Enfer !" (in French). ASM Clermont Auvergne. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  24. ^ "Grenoble – Pau (41–15)". L'Équipe. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  25. ^ "La Rochelle – Brive (21–18)". L'Équipe. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  26. ^ "Agen – Racing 92 (30–18)". L'Équipe. 5 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  27. ^ "Le Stade Maintient le Cap" (in French). Stade Toulousain. 5 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  28. ^ "Stade Français – Toulon (13–20)". L'Équipe. 6 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  29. ^ "Montpellier – Stade Français (44–20)". L'Équipe. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  30. ^ "Clermont Revient de Loin et Préserve Son Invincibilité !" (Press release) (in French). ASM Clermont Auvergne. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  31. ^ "Brive – Agen (18–12)". L'Équipe. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  32. ^ "Pau – Toulouse (9–6)". L'Équipe. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  33. ^ "Postponed European matches rescheduled for second weekend of January 2016". EPCRugby.com. European Professional Club Rugby. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  34. ^ "La 13e journée de Top 14 décalée pour laisser sa place à la Coupe d'Europe" [The 13th round of Top 14 shifted to make way for the European Cup]. L'Équipe (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Top 14 Top Points Scorers". eurosport. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

See also

External links