Stade Toulousain
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Stade Toulousain, usually known as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. The club has won the European top club competition, the Heineken Cup, three times (1996, 2003 and 2005) and were losing finalists in 2004. The club has produced over 90 internationals.
The club was founded in 1890 out of the rugby section of a sports club. Its original name was Stade Olympien des Étudiants Toulousains, which roughly translates to Olympian Stadium of the Toulouse Students, but it was renamed Stade Toulousain in 1907. They play at the Stade Ernest-Wallon, with a capacity of 20,000 or at Stade de Toulouse that has a capacity of 37,000. They wear red and black.
History
The club was founded in 1890 as the Stade Olympien des Étudiants Toulousains. Under this name, the club made its first appearance in the final of the French championship in 1903 in Toulouse, being defeated by Stade Français, a club which had already six titles in the short competition history.The club soon became known as Stade Toulousain. In 1909, the club made its first finals appearance under its new title, again being defeated in the final of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby championship, losig 17 points to nil. Only three years later would the club be participating in another final, against the Métro-Racing club. After two disappointing finals, Toulouse finally got their championship, winning 8 points to 6 in front of a home crowd.
Although it would be over a decade until Stade Toulousain claimed another championship, the 1920s were a golden era for the club. Their first final action in the 1920s was in 1921, when they were defeated USA Perpignan. Despite losing in 1921, the side went on to win the 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926 and 1927 championships.
The following decades were relatively quiet after such a dominant era during the 1920s. Stade Toulousain would not make it to any grand finals during the 1930s, and it would not be until the late 1940s when they would return. The club made it to the final of the 1947 championship, and claimed the premiership, beating SU Agen, 10 to 3. However, no such championships followed, the club was again relatively quiet on the championship. It was 22 years in the waiting; Toulouse made it to the final, but were defeated by the CA Bègles club.
Eleven years later the club was again disappointed in the final, being defeated by AS Béziers in the championship game of 1980. The latter end of the decade was however, reminiscent of the 1920s sides. Stade Toulousain claimed their first championship since 1947, defeating RC Toulon in the 1985 final. The following season saw them successfully defend their championship, defeating SU Agen in the final. Both Toulon and Agen won the following premierships but Toulouse won another championship in 1989.
The dominance continued in the 1990s, starting with a grand final loss in 1991. The mid-1990s saw Stade Toulousain become a major force yet again, as the club claimed four premierships in a row, winning the championship in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. The club emmulated its success in the European Rugby Cup, becoming the first ever champions in the 1995-96 season.
The late 1990s and the 2000s saw the club again reach great heights. The club won the 1999 championship as well as the 2001 championship and were runners-up in the 2003 season, losing to Stade Françai] in the final. As the club had done in the mid 1990s, Stade Toulousain replicated this success in the European Rugby Cup, winning the 2002-03 championship and the 2004-05 championship, making them the only club to ever win the title three times. Stade Toulousain is also the only European club to have taken part in all the editions of Heineken Cup since its creation (eleven, with the 2005/2006 season). The club made it to the final of the 2005-06 Top 14, and despite only trailing Biarritz six points to nine at half time, Toulouse eventually went down 40 to 13.
Stadium
The Stade Ernest-Wallon stadium was built in the late 1980s and was recently renovated. It has a capacity of 19,500. The stadium however cannot always accommodate all the fans of the Toulouse club. For the larger fixtures, such as championships or Heineken Cup games or play-offs, the fixture may be moved to Stade de Toulouse, which has double capacity, 38,000.Club honours
- French premiership 1912 1922 1923 1924 1926 1927 1947 1985 1986 1989 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2001
- French cup 1934 1988 1993 1995 1998
- Heineken Cup 1996 2003 2005
Finals results
French championship
Heineken Cup
| Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Venure | Attendance |
| 7 January 1996 |
Stade Toulousian |
Cardiff Blues | 21-18 | Arms Park, Cardiff | 21.800 |
| 24 May 2003 |
Stade Toulousian |
Rugby-Perpignan | 22-17 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | 28.600 |
| 23 May 2004 |
London Wasps |
Stade Toulousian | 27-20 | Twickenham, London | 73.057 |
| 22 May 2005 |
Stade Toulousian |
Stade Français | 18-12 AP | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | 51.326 |
Current squad
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Famous players
- Yves Bergougnan
- François Borde
- Christian Califano
- Thomas Castaignède
- Denis Charvet
- Christophe Deylaud
- Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
- Adolphe Jauréguy
- Frédéric Michalak
- Hugo Mola
- Guy Novès
- Emile N'Tamack
- Fabien Pelous
- Jean-Pierre Rives
- Jean-Claude Skréla
- Gareth Thomas (Wales)
- Pierre Villepreux
- Yannick Nyanga
External links
| Rugby union in France | [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ] | |
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Federation Fédération Française de Rugby | ||
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Competitions Top 14 | Pro D2 | Fédérale 1 | European Challenge Cup | European Shield | Heineken Cup | Rugby World Cup | Six Nations Championship | ||
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National team French national team | ||
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TOP 14 (first division) Agen | Albi | Bayonne | Biarritz Olympique | Bourgoin | Brive | Castres Olympique | Clermont Auvergne | Montauban | Montpellier | Narbonne | Perpignan | Stade Français | Toulouse | ||
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Rugby Pro D2 (second division) Auch | Béziers | Colomiers | Dax | Gaillac | Grenoble | La Rochelle | Limoges | Lyon | Métro-Racing | Mont de Marsan | Oyonnax | Pau | Stade Bordelais | Tarbes | Toulon | ||
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