2011–12 Top 14 season

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.

 

 

Agen

 

Bayonne

 

Biarritz

 

Bordeaux Bègles

 

Brive

 

Castres

 

Clermont

 

Lyon

 

Montpellier

 

Perpignan

 

Racing Métro

 

Stade Français

 

Toulon

 

Toulouse

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Locations of the 2011–12 Top 14 teams

Team	Captain	Head coach	Stadium	Capacity
Agen	Adri Badenhorst	Christophe Deylaud   Christian Lanta	Stade Armandie	14,600
Bayonne	Pépito Elhorga	Didier Faugeron	Stade Jean-Dauger	16,934
Biarritz	Imanol Harinordoquy	Jack Isaac and   Jean-Michel Gonzalez	Parc des Sports Aguiléra	15,000
Bordeaux Bègles	Matthew Clarkin	Marc Delpoux   Laurent Armand   Vincent Etcheto	Stade André Moga	9,088
Brive	Antonie Claassen	Ugo Mola	Stade Amédée-Domenech	15,000
Castres	Alexandre Albouy   Sébastien Tillous-Borde	Laurent Labit and   Laurent Travers	Stade Pierre-Antoine	11,500
Clermont	Aurélien Rougerie	Vern Cotter	Stade Marcel-Michelin	16,334
Lyon		Matthieu Lazerges   Raphaël Saint-André	Matmut Stadium	8,000
Montpellier	Fulgence Ouedraogo	Fabien Galthié	Stade Yves-du-Manoir	15,000
Perpignan	Nicolas Mas	Bernard Goutta   Christophe Manas	Stade Aimé-Giral	16,593
Racing Métro	Lionel Nallet	Pierre Berbizier	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir	14,000
Stade Français	Sergio Parisse	Michael Cheika	Stade Charléty	20,000
			Stade de France	80,000
Toulon	Joe van Niekerk	Bernard Laporte	Stade Mayol	14,700
Toulouse	Thierry Dusautoir	Guy Novès	Stade Ernest-Wallon	19,500
			Stadium Municipal	35,472

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.^[1] 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.^[2]
• 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.^[3]
• 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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[8] The clubs involved in each step for this season are indicated in the numbered list.

1. Champion – Toulouse
2. Runner-up – Toulon
3. Heineken Cup holder – Skipped (won by Leinster of Pro12)
4. Semifinalist that finished higher in the league table – Clermont
5. Semifinalist that finished lower in the league table – Castres
6. Challenge Cup holder – Biarritz
7. 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.^[8]

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.

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

FB 15   Clément Poitrenaud RW 14   Vincent Clerc OC 13   Yann David   61' IC 12   Florian Fritz LW 11   Timoci Matanavou FH 10   Luke McAlister   70' SH 9   Jean-Marc Doussain   50' N8 8   Louis Picamoles OF 7   Thierry Dusautoir (c) BF 6   Jean Bouilhou   53'   62'   68' RL 5   Patricio Albacete LL 4   Yoann Maestri   76' TP 3   Census Johnston HK 2   William Servat   51' to 62' LP 1   Gurthrö Steenkamp   76' Replacements: HK 16   Christopher Tolofua   53'   62' PR 17   Daan Human   76' FL 18   Yannick Nyanga   68' FL 19   Grégory Lamboley   76' SH 20   Luke Burgess   50' FH 21   Lionel Beauxis   70' CE 22   Yannick Jauzion   61' PR 23   Yohan Montes Coach:   Guy Novès

FB 15   Benjamin Lapeyre RW 14   Alexis Palisson OC 13   Mathieu Bastareaud IC 12   Matt Giteau LW 11   David Smith FH 10   Jonny Wilkinson SH 9   Sébastien Tillous-Borde N8 8   Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe OF 7   Steffon Armitage BF 6   Joe van Niekerk (c)   53'   62'   68' RL 5   Simon Shaw   61' LL 4   Bakkies Botha TP 3   Davit Kubriashvili   63' to 73'   73' HK 2   Sébastien Bruno   51' to 62'   70' LP 1   Eifion Lewis-Roberts   74' Replacements: HK 16   Mickaël Ivaldi   53'   62'   70' PR 17   Laurent Emmanuelli   74' LK 18   Christophe Samson   61' FL 19   Pierrick Gunther   68'   70'   73' CE 20   Geoffroy Messina FB 21   Luke Rooney SH 22   Fabien Cibray PR 23   Levan Chilachava   70' Coach:   Bernard Laporte

Updated 19 May 2012

•  
  Jonny Wilkinson
  (RC Toulon)
•  
  Romain Teulet
  (Castres Olympique)
•  
  Martín Bustos Moyano
  (Montpellier HR)
•  
  Julien Dupuy
  (Stade Français)
•  
  Benjamin Boyet
  (Aviron Bayonnais)

Updated 6 May 2012

•  
  Yves Donguy
  (Stade Toulousain)
•  
  Timoci Matanavou
  (Stade Toulousain)
•  
  Sireli Bobo
  (Racing Métro 92)
•  
  Henry Chavancy
  (Racing Métro 92)
•  
  Blair Connor
  (Bordeaux Bègles)

• 2011–12 Rugby Pro D2 season

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Top 14 2011-2012.

• (in French) Ligue Nationale de Rugby – Official website
• Top 14 on Planetrugby.com