2006–07 Top 14 season

2006–07 Top 14 season
Countries  France
Champions Stade Français
Runners-up Clermont
Relegated Agen
Narbonne

The 2006-07 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition that ran from August 2006 through to June 2007. Biarritz were out to defend their crown, after their defeat of Toulouse in the 2005-06 Top 14 final. Both Albi and Montauban were promoted from Rugby Pro D2, whilst Toulon and Pau were relegated from the Top 14.[1]

Stade Français, who had topped the table at the end of the home-and-away season, lifted the Bouclier de Brennus as Top 14 champions with a 23-18 win over Clermont at Stade de France.

Table

Key to colors
     Top four advance to playoffs, and receive places in the 2007-08 Heineken Cup.
     Fifth and sixth place also receive Heineken Cup places
     Bottom two places relegated to Rugby Pro D2.
2006-07 Top 14 Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Bonus points Points
1 Stade Français 26 19 1 6 667 433 9 87
2 Toulouse 26 18 2 6 643 424 10 86
3 Clermont 26 18 0 8 772 454 11 84
4 Biarritz 26 16 1 9 549 385 10 76
5 Perpignan 26 16 1 9 493 398 9 75
6 Bourgoin 26 11 1 14 543 484 12 58
7 Montauban 26 10 2 14 475 493 10 54
8 Bayonne 26 11 1 14 452 647 5 51
9 Brive 26 10 1 15 419 516 8 50
10 Albi 26 11 1 14 333 512 4 50
11 Castres 26 9 1 16 531 576 11 49
12 Montpellier 26 9 1 16 442 596 10 48
13 Agen 26 9 1 16 382 520 6 44
14 Narbonne 26 8 0 18 521 784 7 39

The seventh-place team would have received a Heineken Cup place if a French club had advanced farther in that season's Heineken Cup than any club from England or Italy. However, the quarterfinal losses of Biarritz and Stade Français, the last two remaining French sides in the 2006-07 Heineken Cup, to English sides Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, meant that the "extra" Heineken Cup place would go to England. (The remaining two semifinalists were another English side, eventual winners London Wasps, and Welsh side Llanelli Scarlets.)

The 2007-08 Heineken Cup was in doubt earlier this season. French clubs announced plans to boycott the competition, and the English PRL clubs joined them, demanding a financial stake in the competition from the RFU. However, recent negotiations have ensured that top teams from both countries will now play.

Season synopsis

Stade Français jumped out to an early lead, winning their first nine matches. Although they faded somewhat as the season went on, they held on to top the regular-season ladder. Toulouse and Clermont each entered the final week with a chance to top the ladder, but Stade Français' win over Agen (without a bonus point) made it impossible for Clermont to overtake them, while Toulouse failed to secure the bonus point in their win over Bourgoin that would have made it possible for them to pip the Parisians for the top seed. The last playoff berth came down to the last round between Biarritz and Perpignan, with Biarritz securing fourth place in style with a bonus-point win over Castres.

The final Heineken Cup berth came down to the last round as well, with Bourgoin holding off the challenge of Top 14 newcomers Montauban.

The relegation battle came down to the last week. Narbonne had been assured of the drop after Round 25, while any of six other clubs were in mathematical danger of the drop going into the final week. In the end, Agen, who were next-to-last entering the final week, were consigned to the drop by Stade Français.

Results

Rounds 1 to 5

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Rounds 6 to 10

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Rounds 11 to 15

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Rounds 16 to 20

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Rounds 21 to 26

Round 21

Round 22

Round 23

Round 24

Round 25

Round 26

Knock-out stages

Semi-finals

Final

Notes

  1. "lnr.fr". Top 14 . Les clubs. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.

See also

References

External links

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