US Montauban

Summary

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.

US Montauban
Full nameUnion Sportive Montalbanaise
UnionFédération Française de Rugby
Founded1903
LocationMontauban, France
Ground(s)Stade Sapiac (Capacity: 12,600)
PresidentRobert Gomes
Coach(es)Sébastien Calvet
League(s)Pro D2
2022–2313th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
usmsapiac.fr

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 edit

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 edit

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD B Pts
1 Oyonnax (C, P) 30 23 1 6 904 457 +447 17 111 Semi-final promotion playoff place
2 Grenoble 30 19 3 8 672 588 +84 8 87[a]
3 Mont-de-Marsan 30 19 0 11 764 649 +115 10 86 Quarter-final promotion playoff place
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[a]
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. ^ a b 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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

  • 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 edit

French championship edit

Date Winner Runners-up Score Venue Attendance
28 May 1967 US Montauban CA Bègles 11-3 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

References edit

  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 edit

  • (in French) Official site