Stade Rochelais

Full name	Stade Rochelais
Nickname(s)	Les Maritimes (The Seaborn Men) Les Jaune et Noir (The Yellow and Blacks) Les Bagnards (The Convicts)
Founded	1898 (1898)
Location	La Rochelle, France
Ground(s)	Stade Marcel-Deflandre (Capacity: 16,000)
Chairman	Vincent Merling
Coach(es)	Ronan O'Gara
Captain(s)	Grégory Alldritt Uini Atonio
League(s)	Top 14
2022–23	2nd
1st kit 2nd kit 3rd kit
Official website
www.staderochelais.com

Stade Rochelais (French pronunciation: [stad ʁɔʃlɛ]), commonly called La Rochelle, is a French professional rugby union club based in La Rochelle, France that competes in the Top 14. Founded in 1898 and wearing yellow and black, the club's first-team plays its home matches at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

Alongside other French club Brive, La Rochelle is one of only two clubs that won the European Rugby Champions Cup (twice in its case; beating Leinster in both 2022 and 2023 finals) without succeeding in winning its domestic championship losing on both occasions against Toulouse in the final: the first time in 2021 and the second in 2023. Owned by several shareholders, including club president and coffee magnate Vincent Merling, the club is renowned for the fervour of its supporters and its continual sold-out home matches.

History

Originally formed in 1898, Stade Rochelais won three regional Atlantic championships in the early part of the 20th century, qualifying them for the French Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals twice and the semi-finals once.^[1] The popularity of rugby league in the area lessened the number of available players, and in 1935 Stade Rochelais merged with neighbours Union Sportive Rochelaise.^[1]

Occupation of La Rochelle by troops from Nazi Germany, accompanied by a banning of rugby league by the Vichy Government, forced the city's rugby league club La Rochelle-Etudiants XIII to also be merged into Stade Rochelais in 1941.^[1] This was overseen by club President Marcel Deflandre, who was later executed for his role as part of the French Resistance - the club's stadium is named Stade Marcel-Deflandre in his honour.^[1]

The club formed a school for training players and coaches in the 1950s, resulting in them reaching the French Championship quarter-finals three times in the 1960s.^[1] They were relegated in 1985, returning in 1997.^[1] They were again relegated in 2002, though they won the Challenge Yves du Manoir that same year.^[1] They retained the Challenge title the following year but were not promoted again until 2010.^[1] They spent one season in Top 16 before being relegated again.^[1]

Les Maritimes came third in the 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 season and were promoting after beating Agen in the play-off final.

Honours

• Top 14
  • Runners-up (2): 2020–21, 2022-23
• European Rugby Champions Cup
  • Champions (2): 2021–22, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (1): 2020–21
• EPCR Challenge Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2018–19
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (2): 2002, 2003

Current standings

Current squad

The La Rochelle squad for the 2022–23 season is:^[2][3]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Pierre Bourgarit Hooker France Sacha Idoumi Hooker France Quentin Lespiaucq Hooker France Uini Atonio Prop France Georges-Henri Colombe Prop France Alexsandre Kuntelia Prop Georgia Thierry Paiva Prop France Joel Sclavi Prop Argentina Reda Wardi Prop France Ultan Dillane Lock Ireland Thomas Lavault Lock France Rémi Picquette Lock France Thomas Ployet Lock France Will Skelton Lock Australia Grégory Alldritt Back row France Levani Botia Back row Fiji Paul Boudehent Back row France Judicaël Cancoriet Back row France Noé Della Schiava Back row France Matthias Haddad Back row France Yoan Tanga Back row France

Player Position Union Thomas Berjon Scrum-half France Teddy Iribaren Scrum-half France Tawera Kerr-Barlow Scrum-half New Zealand Antoine Hastoy Fly-half France Hugo Reus Fly-half France Ihaia West Fly-half New Zealand Jonathan Danty Centre France Jules Favre Centre France UJ Seuteni Centre Samoa Dillyn Leyds Wing South Africa Jack Nowell Wing England Raymond Rhule Wing South Africa Teddy Thomas Wing France Brice Dulin Fullback France

Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Alexandre Kaddouni Prop France Louis Penverne Prop France Karl Sorin Prop France Nika Sutidze Prop Georgia Robin Garnier Lock France Simon Huchet Lock France Sampie Joubert Lock South Africa Charles Kante-Samba Lock France Oscar Jégou Back row France Edouard Richer Back row France

Player Position Union Lucas Zamora Scrum-half France Timothee Castaignede Fly-half France Simeli Daunivucu Centre Fiji Romain Lamit Centre France Seru Tomasi Centre Fiji Theo Williamson Centre England Ika Anagu Wing South Africa Nathan Bollengier Wing France Hoani Bosmorin Wing France Mathis Lhomet Wing France Maxime Tetlow Fullback France

France results

European results

Notable former players

Arnaud, then his son Jean-Pierre and his grandson Jean-Baptiste all played for La Rochelle as scrum-halves.

Coaches

Well known former coaches include

• Arnaud Élissalde
• Jean-Pierre Élissalde

The club only had three head coaches from 1992 to 2017, including Patrice Collaco since 2011.^[4]

Leadership and management

Vincent Merling, president as of 2017, had guided the club for 25 years. He was the driving force behind the “Grow Together” campaign launched in 2015 that persuaded 500 local businesses to support/sponsor the club.^[4]

See also

• List of rugby union clubs in France
• Rugby union in France

References

External links

• (in French) Stade Rochelais Official website