2022–23 Top 14
Countries France
Number of teams14
Date3 September 2022 – 17 June 2023
ChampionsToulouse (22nd title)
Runners-upLa Rochelle
RelegatedBrive
Matches played182
Attendance2,701,031
(average 14,841 per match)
Highest attendance
Top point scorerFrance Joris Segonds (Stade Français) (240)
Top try scorerFrance Émilien Gailleton (Pau) (14)

The 2022–23 Top 14 is the 124th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).

Format

The top six teams at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away) enter a knockout stage to decide the Champions of France. This consists of three rounds: the teams finishing third to sixth in the table play quarter-finals (hosted by the third and fourth placed teams). The winners then face the top two teams in the semi-finals, with the winners meeting in the final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The LNR uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match,[1] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[2]

France's bonus point system operates as follows:[2]

  • 4 points for a win.
  • 2 points for a draw.
  • 1 bonus point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent. This replaces the standard bonus point for scoring 4 tries regardless of the match result.
  • 1 bonus point for losing by 5 points (or fewer). The margin had been 7 points until being changed prior to the 2014–15 season.

From the 2017–18 season onwards, only the 14th placed team is automatically relegated to the Pro D2. The 13th placed team play the runner-up of the Pro D2 play-off, with the winner taking up the final place in the Top 14 for the following season.[3]

Teams

Fourteen clubs will compete in the 2022-23 Top 14 season, 13 of them returning. Biarritz were relegated to Pro D2 after finishing at the bottom of the table the previous season. Bayonne is the sole promoted club, finishing second in the Pro D2 the previous season and winning the Pro D2 playoffs. Perpignan, which finished 13th in the previous Top 14 season, defeated Mont-de-Marsan in the relegation playoffs to retain their place.

ClubCity (department)StadiumCapacityPrevious season
Bayonne Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) Stade Jean Dauger 16,934 Promoted from Pro D2 (runners-up)
Bordeaux Bègles Bordeaux (Gironde) Stade Chaban-Delmas[a 1] 33,500 Semi-finals (4th in league)
Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) Stade Amédée-Domenech 13,979 11th
Castres Castres (Tarn) Stade Pierre-Fabre 12,500 7th
Clermont Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) Stade Marcel-Michelin 19,022 Quarter-finals (5th in league)
La Rochelle La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) Stade Marcel-Deflandre 16,000 2nd
Lyon Lyon (Métropole de Lyon) Matmut Stadium de Gerland 25,000 9th
Montpellier Montpellier (Hérault) Altrad Stadium 15,697 10th
Pau Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) Stade du Hameau 18,324 12th
Perpignan Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) Stade Aimé Giral 14,593 Promoted from Pro D2 (champions)
Racing Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) Paris La Défense Arena 30,681 Semi-finals (3rd in league)
Stade Français Paris, 16th arrondissement Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Quarter-finals (6th in league)
Toulon Toulon (Var) Stade Mayol[a 2] 18,200 8th
Toulouse Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) Stade Ernest-Wallon[a 3] 18,784 1st

Table

2022–23 Top 14 Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Diff. Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1Toulouse (CH)261718682474+2088381
2La Rochelle (RU)261709673479+1947378
3Lyon (QF)2614111688626+624567
4Stade Français (QF)2613211616480+1365667
5Racing (SF)2614111734684+505366
6Bordeaux Bègles (SF)2613112576501+754563
7Toulon2614012588557+313261
8Bayonne2613112596662–662258
9Castres2613112532635–1031257
10Clermont2611114588635–394656
11Montpellier2611015624617+74654
12Pau2610115591634–436452
13Perpignan2610016503724–2210343
14Brive (R)267019440731–2911736

If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

  1. Competition points earned in head-to-head matches
  2. Points difference in head-to-head matches
  3. Try differential in head-to-head matches
  4. Points difference in all matches
  5. Try differential in all matches
  6. Points scored in all matches
  7. Tries scored in all matches
  8. Fewer matches forfeited
  9. Classification in the previous Top 14 season
Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup.
Blue background (rows 3 to 6) receive quarter-final play-off places, and receive berths in the Champions Cup.
Yellow background (row 7 and 8) receive berths in the Champions Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup.
Pink background (row 13) will be contest a play-off with the runners-up of the 2022–23 Rugby Pro D2 season for a place in the 2023–24 Top 14 season.
Red background (row 14) will be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Final table

Regular season

Round 1

3 September 2022
15:00
Racing25–19Castres
Report
Paris La Défense Arena
3 September 2022
17:00
(1 BP) Brive27–31Lyon
Report
Stade Amédée-Domenech
3 September 2022
17:00
Toulon40–25Bayonne
Report
Stade Mayol
3 September 2022
17:00
Pau16–14Perpignan (1 BP)
Report
Stade du Hameau
3 September 2022
21:05
La Rochelle26–22Montpellier (1 BP)
Report
Stade Marcel-Deflandre
4 September 2022
21:05
(1 BP) Bordeaux Bègles25–26Toulouse
Report
Stade Chaban-Delmas

Playoffs

Semi-final Qualifiers Semi-finals Final
1 Toulouse 41
4 Stade Français 20 5 Racing 14
5 Racing 33 1 Toulouse 29
2 La Rochelle 26
2 La Rochelle 24
3 Lyon 25 6 Bordeaux Bègles 13
6 Bordeaux Bègles 32

Semi-final Qualifiers

3 June 2022
14:00
Stade Français (4)20–33(5) Racing
Try: Macalou 33' c
Penalty try 40+1'
Con: Segonds (1/1) 35'
Pen: Segonds (2/2) 17', 69'
ReportTry: Imhoff 10' c
Lauret 19' c
Fickou 80' c
Con: Gibert (2/2) 11', 20'
Pen: Russell (4/4) 26', 44', 52', 55'
Stade Jean-Bouin
Attendance: 18,691
Referee: Pierre Brousset
4 June 2022
21:05
Lyon (3)25–32(6) Bordeaux Bègles
Try: Dumortier 10' c
Tuisova 30' c
Maraku 74' m
Con: Sopoaga (2/2) 11', 32'
Pen: Sopoaga (2/2) 40+1', 58'
ReportTry: Jalibert 7' m
Diaby 47' c
Tambwe (2) 67' c, 78' c
Con: Jalibert (3/4) 48', 68', 79'
Pen: Jalibert (1/1) 24'
Lucu (1/1) 71'
Matmut Stadium de Gerland
Attendance: 17,304
Referee: Ludovic Cayre

Semi-finals

9 June 2022
21:00
Toulouse (1)41–14(5) Racing
Try: Lebel 18' c
Meafou 23' c
Roumat 50' c
Retière 58' c
Cros 80' c
Con: Ramos (5/5) 19', 24', 51', 59', 80+1'
Pen: Ramos (2/2) 34', 40+1'
ReportTry: Fickou 71' c
Diallo 76' c
Con: Russell (2/2) 72', 77'
Anoeta Stadium
Attendance: 39,252
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
10 June 2022
17:00
La Rochelle (2)24–13(6) Bordeaux Bègles
Try: Leyds 9' c
Bourgarit 21' c
Boudehent 38' c
Con: Hastoy (3/3) 10', 22', 39'
Pen: Hastoy (1/2) 71'
ReportTry: Penalty try 49'
Pen: Jalibert (2/2) 4', 44'
Anoeta Stadium
Attendance: 39,314
Referee: Adrien Marbot

Final

17 June 2022
21:00
Toulouse (1)29–26(2) La Rochelle
Try: Chocobares 23' c
Ntamack 78' c
Con: Ramos (2/2) 25', 79'
Pen: Ramos (5/6) 10', 21', 51', 60', 63'
ReportTry: Kerr-Barlow 39' c
Atonio 45' c
Con: Hastoy (2/2) 40', 46'
Pen: Hastoy (4/6) 16', 30', 67', 71'
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 79,804
Referee: Tual Trainini
FB15Argentina Juan Cruz Mallia
RW14France Arthur Retiere
OC13France Pierre-Louis Barassi
IC12France Sofiane Guitoune
LW11France Matthis Lebel
FH10France Thomas Ramos
SH9France Antoine Dupont (c)
N88France Anthony Jelonch
OF7South Africa Rynhardt Elstadt
BF6France Thibaud Flament
RL5Australia Emmanuel Meafou
LL4Australia Richie Arnold
TP3France Dorian Aldegheri
HK2France Peato Mauvaka
LP1United States David Ainu'u
Substitutions:
HK16France Julien Marchand
PR17France Maxime Duprat
LK18France Joshua Brennan
LK19France Yannick Youyoutte
FL20France Alexandre Roumat
SH21Italy Ange Capuozzo
WG22France Lucas Tauzin
PR23France Marco Trauth
Coach:
France Ugo Mola
FB15France Brice Dulin
RW14France Teddy Thomas
OC13South Africa Raymond Rhule
IC12France Jonathan Danty
LW11South Africa Dillyn Leyds
FH10Australia Ulupano Seuteni
SH9New Zealand Tawera Kerr-Barlow
N88France Grégory Alldritt
OF7France Yoan Tanga Mangene
BF6Ireland Ultan Dillane
RL5Australia Will Skelton
LL4France Rémi Picquette
TP3France Uini Atonio (c)
HK2France Samuel Lagrange
LP1France Reda Wardl
Substitutions:
HK16France Pierre Bourgarit
PR17France Leo Aouf
LK18France Thomas Lavault
FL19France Noe Della Schiava
SH20France Thomas Berjon
FH21France Antoine Hastoy
CE22Fiji Levani Botia
PR23France Georges-Henri Colombe
Coach:
Ireland Ronan O'Gara

See also

Notes

  1. In recent years, Bordeaux Bègles has taken occasional home matches to Matmut Atlantique.
  2. In recent years, Toulon has taken occasional home matches to Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Allianz Riviera in Nice.
  3. Toulouse often takes high-demand home matches to the city's largest sporting venue, Stadium de Toulouse.

References

  1. "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). LNR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  3. Mortimer, Gavin (18 August 2016). "French rugby enjoys a popularity boom as it looks to the future". Rugby World. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.