2011–12 Top 14 season

The 2011–12 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Home-and-away play began on August 26, 2011. Two new teams from the 2010–11 Rugby Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Lyon and Bordeaux Bègles in place of the two relegated teams, La Rochelle and Bourgoin.

Toulouse claimed the Bouclier de Brennus as champions for the 19th time, defeating Toulon 18–12 in the final on June 9, 2012, at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. At the other end of the table, Brive and Lyon were relegated.

Competition format Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season was conducted in the same order as the first, with the club at home in the first half of the season away in the second. This season maintained the format introduced the previous season for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualified directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualified for a quarterfinal held at the home ground of the higher-ranked team.

The teams

Team Captain Head coach Stadium Capacity Agen Adri Badenhorst Christophe Deylaud Christian Lanta Stade Armandie Bayonne Pépito Elhorga Didier Faugeron Stade Jean-Dauger Biarritz Imanol Harinordoquy Jack Isaac and Jean-Michel Gonzalez Parc des Sports Aguiléra Bordeaux Bègles Matthew Clarkin Marc Delpoux Laurent Armand Vincent Etcheto Stade André Moga Brive Antonie Claassen Ugo Mola Stade Amédée-Domenech Castres Alexandre Albouy Sébastien Tillous-Borde Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers Stade Pierre-Antoine Clermont Aurélien Rougerie Vern Cotter Stade Marcel-Michelin Lyon Matthieu Lazerges Raphaël Saint-André Matmut Stadium Montpellier Fulgence Ouedraogo Fabien Galthié Stade Yves-du-Manoir Perpignan Nicolas Mas Bernard Goutta Christophe Manas Stade Aimé-Giral Racing Métro Lionel Nallet Pierre Berbizier Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir Stade Français Sergio Parisse Michael Cheika Stade Charléty Stade de France Toulon Joe van Niekerk Bernard Laporte Stade Mayol Toulouse Thierry Dusautoir Guy Novès Stade Ernest-Wallon Stadium Municipal During the regular season, three teams changed coaches a total of four times: Toulon was forced to find a replacement for Philippe Saint-André once he was named to become the new head coach of the France national team, effective 1 December. Bernard Laporte, a former France head coach (1999–2007), was named as Toulon's new head coach, and took over in September after Saint-André was granted an early release by Toulon. Perpignan sacked Jacques Delmas on 21 November, only four months after he had taken over from Jacques Brunel, who left to become the new head coach of Italy. The Catalans had lost seven of their 12 matches in all competitions under Delmas. Assistants Bernard Goutta and Christophe Manas were named as replacements. Bayonne sacked their entire coaching staff—director of rugby Christian Gajan, forwards coach Thomas Lièvremont and backs coach Frédéric Tauzin—on 6 December. Gajan's position was filled by Jean-Pierre Élissalde, former Japan head coach and also father of former France international and current Toulouse backs coach Jean-Baptiste Élissalde. After six weeks, in which Bayonne remained near the bottom of the table with two losses and one draw in league play, Élissalde was sacked on 16 January, with former Stade Français head coach Didier Faugeron named as his replacement.

Table

Due to the interplay between LNR's schedule for Heineken Cup qualification and the rules of European Rugby Cup (ERC), which operates both European cup competitions, it is theoretically possible that a team finishing as high as fourth in the league table may not qualify for the Heineken Cup. Under ERC rules, the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup each earn a place in the following season's Heineken Cup. If a team from France wins one of these competitions, the Top 14 will receive a seventh Heineken Cup place. However, if French teams win both cups, the Top 14 is capped at seven Heineken Cup places. Biarritz' victory in the Challenge Cup gave France an extra place for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup.

The LNR presents teams for the Heineken Cup in the following order, skipping any steps occupied by clubs outside the Top 14 or filled in a prior step. The clubs involved in each step for this season are indicated in the numbered list. Champion – Toulouse Runner-up – Toulon Heineken Cup holder – Skipped (won by Leinster of Pro12) Semifinalist that finished higher in the league table – Clermont Semifinalist that finished lower in the league table – Castres Challenge Cup holder – Biarritz Additional berths based on league position – Montpellier, Racing Métro

Under LNR rules, only Top 14 clubs are eligible for European competition. This means that in the (unlikely) event that the winner of one of the two European Cups is relegated from the Top 14 in the same season, its European place will go to a current Top 14 team, based on league position in that season.

Under another ERC rule, if teams from England, which is also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both European cups, the extra place will go to the highest-ranked non-English team in the European Rugby Club Rankings that is not already qualified for the Heineken Cup. If that club is in the Top 14, it will receive a Heineken Cup place regardless of its league position, as long as it avoids relegation.

For a team in the top six to be left out of the Heineken Cup, French teams must win both European Cups, and those teams must have finished outside the top six in the league while also avoiding relegation.

Playoffs

All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+2).

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

FB 15 Clément PoitrenaudRW 14 Vincent ClercOC 13 Yann David IC 12 Florian FritzLW 11 Timoci MatanavouFH 10 Luke McAlister SH 9 Jean-Marc Doussain N8 8 Louis PicamolesOF 7 Thierry Dusautoir (c)BF 6 Jean Bouilhou RL 5 Patricio AlbaceteLL 4 Yoann Maestri TP 3 Census JohnstonHK 2 William Servat LP 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp Replacements:HK 16 Christopher Tolofua PR 17 Daan Human FL 18 Yannick Nyanga FL 19 Grégory Lamboley SH 20 Luke Burgess FH 21 Lionel Beauxis CE 22 Yannick Jauzion PR 23 Yohan MontesCoach: Guy Novès FB 15 Benjamin LapeyreRW 14 Alexis PalissonOC 13 Mathieu BastareaudIC 12 Matt GiteauLW 11 David SmithFH 10 Jonny WilkinsonSH 9 Sébastien Tillous-BordeN8 8 Juan Martín Fernández LobbeOF 7 Steffon ArmitageBF 6 Joe van Niekerk (c) RL 5 Simon Shaw LL 4 Bakkies BothaTP 3 Davit Kubriashvili HK 2 Sébastien Bruno LP 1 Eifion Lewis-Roberts Replacements:HK 16 Mickaël Ivaldi PR 17 Laurent Emmanuelli LK 18 Christophe Samson FL 19 Pierrick Gunther CE 20 Geoffroy MessinaFB 21 Luke RooneySH 22 Fabien CibrayPR 23 Levan Chilachava Coach: Bernard Laporte

Statistics

Top points scorers Updated 19 May 2012

Table of Top points scorers Rank Player Club Points Tries Conversions Penalties Drop goals 1 Jonny Wilkinson RC Toulon 273 0 24 75 0 2 Conrad Barnard SU Agen 267 0 15 75 4 3 Romain Teulet Castres Olympique 249 0 30 62 1 4 Martín Bustos Moyano Montpellier HR 213 3 27 48 0 5 Julien Dupuy Stade Français 206 2 23 50 0 6 Benjamin Boyet Aviron Bayonnais 202 2 12 55 1 7 Lionel Beauxis Stade Toulousain 191 0 19 43 8 8 Luke McAlister Stade Toulousain 191 3 22 44 0 9 Brock James USA Perpignan 190 2 24 40 4 10 Jonathan Wisniewski Racing Métro 92 174 1 20 42 1

Top try scorers Updated 6 May 2012

Table of Top try scorers Rank Player Club Tries 1 Timoci Nagusa Montpellier HR 11 2 Romain Martial Castres Olympique 10 - Yves Donguy Stade Toulousain 10 - Timoci Matanavou Stade Toulousain 10 5 Alex Tulou Montpellier HR 8 6 Lucas Amorosino Montpellier HR 7 - Sireli Bobo Racing Métro 92 7 - Henry Chavancy Racing Métro 92 7 - Blair Connor Union Bordeaux Bègles 7 10 Marc Andreu Castres Olympique 6 - Steffon Armitage RC Toulon 6 - Jean-Marcellin Buttin USA Perpignan 6 - Damien Chouly USA Perpignan 6 - Rudi Coetzee USA Perpignan 6

2011–12 Top 14 season

Bron en licentie