Wikipedia

RC Toulon

Rugby Club Toulonnais(French pronunciation:[ʁyɡbiklœbtulɔnɛ]), also referred to asRugby Club Toulonor simplyToulon,is a French professionalrugby unionclub based inToulonand competing in theTop 14.Located on theFrench Riviera,in theProvenceregion, the club plays its home games at the 17,500-capacityStade Mayol.

RC Toulon
Full nameRugby Club Toulonnais
Nickname(s)Le RCT
Les Rouge et Noir(The Red and Blacks)
Founded3 June 1908;116 years ago(1908-06-03)
LocationToulon,France
Ground(s)Stade Mayol(Capacity: 17,500)
ChairmanBernard Lemaître
Coach(es)Pierre Mignoni
Captain(s)Charles Ollivon
Baptiste Serin
Top scorerJonny Wilkinson(1,884)
League(s)Top 14
2023–244th
1stkit
2ndkit
Official website
rctoulon.com

Founded in 1908, Toulon is one of the most important and widely supported rugby clubs in France. Domestically, the club has won a total of four league titles, twoPro D2titles and twoChallenge Yves du Manoir.In international competitions, Toulon is the only one to have won theHeineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cupthree times in a row, and succeeded in winning the league/European cup double in 2014 too. Toulon has also won theEPCR Challenge Cupin 2023 after reaching the final on four occasions. The club established itself as a major force in domestic and European rugby in the 2010s whenJonny Wilkinson,Mathieu Bastareaud,Bakkies Botha,Matt Giteauand other rugby stars played at Mayol underBernard Laporte's management.

A club renowned for its fans fervour and its stadium atmosphere, Toulon has rivalries withToulouseandClermontand has traditionally worn a red and black home kit since its inception. The club's crest features a sprig oflily of the valley,symbol of the club's benefactor andBelle ÉpoquesingerFélix Mayolwho used to wear one on his jacket. A few times per season, important matches against major teams are played at the 67,394-capacityStade Vélodromelocated in Marseille 50 kilometres (31 mi) away.

History

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Rugby Club Toulonnaiswas founded on 3 June 1908 as a merger ofÉtoile Sportive Varoiseand members of theStade Varois,a club based in nearbyLa Seyne-sur-Mer.It took the club 23 years to reach the top of French rugby, when they won the 1931 championship againstLyon Olympique Universitaire(6–3, 2 tries to 1). The players were greeted by 30,000 people when they returned fromBordeaux,where the final had been held.

Toulon remained one of the top French clubs, but they lost four finals scattered over 35 years (1948, 1968, 1971 and 1985). The 1985 extra-time defeat byStade Toulousainleft them with many regrets, and playing a spectacular final (36–22) did nothing to alleviate the pain of losing. The Red and Black waited only two more years to finally lay their hands on the Bouclier de Brennus, as they defeatedRacingat theParc des Princes.The third title came in 1992, againstBiarritz Olympique,inSerge Blanco's last match and last chance to win the title.

For eight years, Toulon were not particularly successful and were in heavy financial trouble (a 10 million franc deficit) forced theLigue Nationale de Rugbyto demote them to the Second Division in July 2000. The club missed an immediate return the next year, going down in the final toMontauban,as only one club was promoted that year. It took them five more years to do so as Toulon went on to win thePro D2title. But despite immense popular support (gates averaged more than 12,000), and much enthusiasm, they managed to win only three games out of 26 and were relegated after only a season.

Toulon signs star players

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A new president,Mourad Boudjellal,aToulonnaiswho made his fortune in thecomic stripbusiness, promised to build a huge team. He said: "I invented the Top 15, with a team that could be competitive in the Top 14".[1]He signed a high number of first-class players, some of them well above 30, likeJean-Jacques Crenca,Yann Delaigue,Gonzalo QuesadaandDan Luger.He created buzz around the team as he managed to sign formerAll BlackscaptainTana Umaga,who arrived in Toulon right after the end of theAir New Zealand Cupon 26 October 2006. The contract was rumoured to be around €300,000 (£200,000), which Boudjellal claimed to pay from his own pocket, for only eight to ten matches. In a 2010 interview, Boudjellal would say about his decision to pursue Umaga, "It was incredible, because we were in the second division and I was speaking with the best player in the world. But he said yes and came to play with Toulon."[2]

Boudjellal continued to sign high-profile veteran players, includingAustraliacaptain and former all-time international caps leaderGeorge Gregan,reportedly paid €400,000 out of Boudjellal's pocket,[3]All Blacks' former all-time scoring leaderAndrew Mehrtens,[4][5]andJonny Wilkinson.

Back inPro D2for the 2006–07 season, Toulon finish fourth in the league, putting them in the promotion playoffs for a place in theTop 14,but they lost in the promotion semi-finals 21–17 atLa Rochelle.The following season Toulon headed the table from early on, never dropping from the top spot on their way to clinching promotion with two rounds to spare. The 2008–09 season proved to be one of consolidation. Umaga had been handed the coaching reins, but as Boudjellal would later say, "The first season in the Top 14 was very difficult and I learned that Tana Umaga was not yet ready to give up playing – and that he's not a manager."[2]The team managed to survive that season, using a late-season surge to avoid a relegation scare. Toulon had a much more successful 2009–10 campaign, with Wilkinson leading the charge. He would be named the top fly-half of the year in France by leading rugby publicationMidi Olympique,[6]and would also be recalled to the England national team. Domestically, Toulon finished second on the league table, losing out toPerpignanfor the top spot on a tiebreaker. This finish gave them a spot in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup, and also a first-round bye in that season's Top 14 playoffs. Toulon's domestic campaign ended in the semi-finals with a 35–29extra-timeloss to eventual championClermontinSaint-Étienne.

Toulon's2009–10 Challenge Cupcampaign proved more successful. They finished top of their pool and advanced to the knockout stage, crushingScarlets38–12 in the quarterfinals and surviving a hard-fought match againstConnacht19–12. Toulon got their preferred final venue of the Vélodrome on 23 May, where they lost to theCardiff Blues28–21, missing out on silverware for the season.

In May 2013 Toulon won the2013 Heineken Cup Finalby 16–15 againstClermont Auvergne.[7]

Emblem

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On the day of his arrival in Paris, on 1 May 1895, just before his first concert, Félix Mayol was met by a female friend at the station, who gave him somelily-of-the-valley,a flower people traditionally exchange on 1 May in France. He pinned it on his lapel, his concert was a success and Mayol, who was superstitious, made the lily-of-the-valley his personal emblem. It was taken up by the rugby club in 1921.

Stadium

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Main article:Stade Mayol

In 1920, itsstadiumwas inaugurated. It is named afterFélix Mayol,a very popular concert hall singer fromToulonwho had succeeded in Paris in the early 20th century. Shortly after World War I, he purchased what would be the stadium site and donated it to the club. It is one of the few French stadiums to be almost completely surrounded by the city and overlooks the Toulon bay and military harbour in the Mediterranean.

Charity cross-code matches

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The club has played in cross-code charity matches with a half each of rugby union and football. On 18 July 2013 they playedOlympique de Marseillein the first ever match of the kind at the Stade Mayol to benefit a local charity withMarc LièvremontandEric Cantonaas the referees in either half, with Olympique de Marseille winning 36–35.[8][9]

Two years later, the club played another such match to benefit a local children's charity at the Stade Mayol againstFrance 98,the charity association team composed ofFrance's1998 FIFA World Cupwinners, and won 33–26.Bernard Laporteserved as one of the referees.[10]

Honours

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Finals results

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Heineken Cup and European Rugby Champions Cup

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Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
18 May 2013 RC Toulon 16–15 ASM Clermont Aviva Stadium,Dublin 50,148
24 May 2014 RC Toulon 23–6 Saracens Millennium Stadium,Cardiff 67,578
2 May 2015 RC Toulon 24–18 ASM Clermont Twickenham,London 56,662

European Rugby Challenge Cup

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Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
23 May 2010 Cardiff Blues 28–21 RC Toulon Stade Vélodrome,Marseille 48,990
18 May 2012 Biarritz Olympique 21–18 RC Toulon The Stoop,London 9,376
16 October 2020 Bristol Bears 32–19 RC Toulon Stade Maurice David,Aix-en-Provence 1,000
27 May 2022 Lyon OU 30-12 RC Toulon Stade Orange Vélodrome,Marseille 51,431
19 May 2023 RC Toulon 43-19 Glasgow Warriors Aviva Stadium,Dublin 31,514

French championship

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Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
10 May 1931 RC Toulon 6–3 Lyon OU Parc Lescure,Bordeaux 10,000
18 April 1948 FC Lourdes 11–3 RC Toulon Stade des Ponts Jumeaux,Toulouse 29,753
16 June 1968 FC Lourdes 9–9 (aet) RC Toulon Stadium Municipal,Toulouse 28,526
16 May 1971 AS Béziers 15–9 (aet) RC Toulon Parc Lescure, Bordeaux 27,737
25 May 1985 Stade Toulousain 36–22 (aet) RC Toulon Parc des Princes,Paris 37,000
22 May 1987 RC Toulon 15–12 Racing Club Parc des Princes, Paris 48,000
27 May 1989 Stade Toulousain 18–12 RC Toulon Parc des Princes, Paris 48,000
6 June 1992 RC Toulon 19–14 Biarritz Olympique Parc des Princes, Paris 48,000
9 June 2012 Stade Toulousain 18–12 RC Toulon Stade de France,Saint-Denis 79,614
1 June 2013 Castres Olympique 19–14 RC Toulon Stade de France, Saint-Denis 80,033
31 May 2014 RC Toulon 18–10 Castres Olympique Stade de France, Saint-Denis 80,174
24 June 2016 Racing 92 29–21 RC Toulon Camp Nou,Barcelona 99,124
4 June 2017 ASM Clermont 22–16 RC Toulon Stade de France, Saint-Denis 79,771

Challenge Yves du Manoir

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Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
18 March 1934 Stade Toulousain
RC Toulon 		0–0 (tied, joint winners) Stade des Iris,Villeurbanne
11 December 1939 Section Paloise 5–0 RC Toulon Parc Lescure,Bordeaux 12,000
30 May 1954 FC Lourdes 28–12 RC Toulon Stade Mayol,Toulon
23 May 1970 RC Toulon 25–22 SU Agen Stade Yves-du-Manoir,Colombes
4 June 1983 SU Agen 29–7 RC Toulon Parc des Princes,Paris 5,083

Current standings

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2024–25 Top 14 Table
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Toulouse 13 9 1 3 385 211 +174 48 24 5 3 46 Qualification forplayoff semi-finalsandEuropean Rugby Champions Cup
2 Bordeaux Bègles 13 10 0 3 384 264 +120 50 34 3 2 45
3 Toulon 13 8 0 5 327 279 +48 37 30 3 3 38 Qualification forplayoff semi-final qualifiersandEuropean Rugby Champions Cup
4 Bayonne 13 9 0 4 345 306 +39 39 39 1 1 38
5 Clermont 13 7 0 6 331 319 +12 43 34 4 2 34
6 La Rochelle 13 7 0 6 300 293 +7 37 31 3 1 32
7 Montpellier 13 6 0 7 270 241 +29 24 24 1 4 29 Qualification forEuropean Rugby Champions Cup
8 Castres 13 6 0 7 324 363 −39 37 39 1 2 27
9 Racing 92 13 5 1 7 321 335 −14 36 36 0 4 26 Qualification forEuropean Rugby Challenge Cup
10 Pau 13 5 0 8 304 369 −65 35 48 3 1 24
11 Stade Français 13 5 0 8 285 342 −57 32 42 2 1 23
12 Perpignan 13 5 0 8 228 322 −94 21 35 2 1 23
13 Lyon 13 4 2 7 324 362 −38 36 40 1 1 22 Qualification forrelegation play-off
14 Vannes 13 3 0 10 323 445 −122 38 57 0 3 15 Relegation toPro D2
Updated to match(es) played on 29 December 2024. Source:Top 14


Current squad

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For player movements before or during the2024–25 season,seeList of 2024–25 Top 14 transfers § Toulon.

The Toulon squad for the2024–25 seasonis:

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

Player Position Union
Teddy Baubigny Hooker France
Mickaël Ivaldi Hooker France
Gianmarco Lucchesi Hooker Italy
Daniel Brennan Prop France
Beka Gigashvili Prop Georgia
Jean-Baptiste Gros Prop France
Dany Priso Prop France
Emerick Setiano Prop France
Kyle Sinckler Prop England
Brian Alainu'uese Lock Samoa
Matthias Halagahu Lock France
Swan Rebbadj Lock France
David Ribbans Lock England
Esteban Abadie Back row France
Jules Coulon Back row France
Facundo Isa Back row Argentina
Matteo Le Corvec Back row France
Lewis Ludlam Back row England
Charles Ollivon Back row France
Selevasio Tolofua Back row France
Yannick Youyoutte Back row France
Player Position Union
Jules Danglot Scrum-half France
Baptiste Serin Scrum-half France
Ben White Scrum-half Scotland
Dan Biggar Fly-half Wales
Paolo Garbisi Fly-half Italy
Enzo Hervé Fly-half France
Mathieu Smaili Fly-half France
Antoine Frisch Centre France
Duncan Paia'aua Centre Samoa
Rayan Rebbadj Centre France
Jérémy Sinzelle Centre France
Setariki Tuicuvu Centre Fiji
Gaël Dréan Wing France
Leicester Fainga'anuku Wing New Zealand
Gabin Villière Wing France
Jiuta Wainiqolo Wing Fiji
Melvyn Jaminet Fullback France

Espoirs squad

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

Player Position Union
Pierre Damond Hooker France
Leo Ametlla Prop France
Lohann Gil Prop France
Samuel Jean-Christophe Prop France
Davit Mchedlidze Prop Georgia
Owen Sorhaindo Prop France
Corentin Mezou Lock France
Fabio Zingone Lock France
Logan Dubois Back row France
Marc Essoh Back row France
Joe Quere Karaba Back row France
Edouard Sabotin-Desclaud Back row France
Mikheil Shioshvili Back row Georgia
Player Position Union
Wendemi Viellard Scrum-half France
Thibaut Andral Centre France
Oliver Cowie Centre France
Louis Morland Centre France
Esteban Morvan Wing France
Ulysse Justand-Mercier Wing France
Alberto Carmona Fullback Spain
Marius Domon Fullback France
Barnabe Mechentel Fullback France

Notable former players

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This is a list of former players in alphabetical order showing nationality and the period played for the club.

French

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International

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^"Umaga, l'incroyable transfert".rugbyhebdo.fr. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2007.Retrieved4 November2006.
  2. ^abJenkins, Graham (11 August 2010)."Toulon still dreaming big".ESPNScrum.Retrieved11 August2010.
  3. ^"Gregan puts pen to paper with Toulon".Planet-Rugby.com. 22 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.
  4. ^"Mehrtens agrees to Toulon switch".BBC. 23 May 2007.
  5. ^"Rugby: Mehrtens signs for Toulon".The New Zealand Herald.24 May 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved24 May2007.
  6. ^Jenkins, Graham (5 August 2010)."Wilkinson hints at Toulon stay".ESPNScrum.Retrieved11 August2010.
  7. ^"Toulon claim Heineken Cup glory".ESPN. 18 March 2013.Retrieved20 May2013.
  8. ^"Marseille play Toulon in unusual half football half rugby charity match".Yahoo! Sports.Yahoo. 18 July 2013.Retrieved12 December2022.
  9. ^BeIN Sports (21 July 2013)."Match Caritatif Foot/Rugby RC Toulon - Olympique de Marseille [Match Entier]"[RC Toulon - Olympique de Marseille Football/Rugby Charity Match (Full Match)].YouTube(in French).
  10. ^Wright, Chris (30 July 2015)."Zinedine Zidane scores immense try in strange football/rugby hybrid match".ESPN UK.ESPN.Retrieved12 December2022.
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