US Montauban (Occitan: Union Esportiva Montalban) is a French rugby union club that currently competes in 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.
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| 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 | ||
| 2023–24 | 15th | ||
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| Official website | |||
| usmsapiac | |||
In April 2010, it was announced the club would be relegated from the Top 14 to the 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
editThe 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.
Honours
edit- French championship Top 14
- Champions (1): 1967
- Pro D2
- Champions: 2001, 2006
- Fédérale 1
- Champions (Trophée Jean-Prat): 2014
Finals results
editFrench championship
edit| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 28 May 1967 | US Montauban | 11-3 | CA Bègles | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 32,115 |
Trophée Jean-Prat
edit| Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June 2014 | US Montauban | RC Massy | 18-14 | Stade Jean-Antoine Moueix, Libourne | 4,500 |
Current standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provence | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 245 | 192 | +53 | 3 | 2 | 31 | Semi-final promotion playoff place |
| 2 | Grenoble | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 263 | 229 | +34 | 2 | 1 | 31 | |
| 3 | Montauban | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 274 | 251 | +23 | 1 | 2 | 31 | Quarter-final promotion playoff place |
| 4 | Brive | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 265 | 217 | +48 | 3 | 2 | 29 | |
| 5 | Biarritz | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 249 | 234 | +15 | 2 | 1 | 27 | |
| 6 | Béziers | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 252 | 191 | +61 | 2 | 5 | 27 | |
| 7 | Soyaux Angoulême | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 225 | 215 | +10 | 1 | 1 | 26 | |
| 8 | Colomiers | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 212 | 235 | −23 | 0 | 2 | 24 | |
| 9 | Agen | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 230 | 232 | −2 | 0 | 5 | 21 | |
| 10 | Mont-de-Marsan | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 264 | 247 | +17 | 2 | 3 | 21 | |
| 11 | Dax | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 192 | 219 | −27 | 0 | 1 | 21 | |
| 12 | Nevers | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 194 | 243 | −49 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |
| 13 | Oyonnax | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 201 | 217 | −16 | 1 | 1 | 18 | |
| 14 | Aurillac | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 231 | 282 | −51 | 0 | 1 | 17 | |
| 15 | Nice | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 193 | 267 | −74 | 0 | 4 | 16 | Relegation play-off |
| 16 | Valence Romans | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 255 | 274 | −19 | 0 | 3 | 15 | Relegation to Nationale |
Current squad
editThe Montauban squad for the 2023–24 season is:[5][6]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Espoirs squad
editNote: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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References
edit- ^ "Planet Rugby | Rugby Union Tournaments | Top 14 | Delasau begins likely Montauban exodus". www.planetrugby.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13.
- ^ "Yahoo UK & Ireland - Sports News - Live Scores - Results". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "Demi-finale Fédérale 1 - Massy et Montauban retrouvent la Pro D2". Midi Olympique (in French). 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Rugby: Montauban champion de France de Fédérale 1". L'Équipe (in French). 7 June 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "USM Sapiac - Les Joueurs". US Montauban (in French). Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Montauban squad for season 2023/2024". all.rugby. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- USM Rugby - 100 photos pour un centenaire, 2003
External links
edit- (in French) Official site