Stade Rochelais

Stade Rochelais

Full name	Stade Rochelais
Nickname(s)	Les Maritimes (The Maritimes)
Founded	1898 (1898)
Location	La Rochelle, France
Ground(s)	Stade Marcel-Deflandre (Capacity: 16,000)
President	Vincent Merling
Coach(es)	Ronan O'Gara
League(s)	Top 14
2022–23	2nd
1st kit 2nd 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. They were relegated in 1985, returning in 1997. They were again relegated in 2002, though they won the Challenge Yves du Manoir that same year. They retained the Challenge title the following year but wee not promoted again until 2010. They spent one season in Top 16 before being relegated again.

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 squad

For player movements before or during the 2022–23 season, see List of 2022–23 Top 14 transfers § La Rochelle.

The La Rochelle squad for the 2022–23 season is:

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 Quentin Lespiaucq Hooker France Uini Atonio Prop France Georges-Henri Colombe Prop France 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-Sciava 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 Ihaia West Fly-half New Zealand Jonathan Danty Centre France Jules Favre Centre France Victor Olivier Centre France UJ Seuteni Centre Samoa Jack Nowell Wing England Raymond Rhule Wing South Africa Teddy Thomas Wing France Brice Dulin Fullback France Dillyn Leyds Fullback South Africa

Espoirs squad

The Stade Rochelais Espoirs squad is:

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

Player Position Union Sacha Idoumi Hooker France Tom Sartho Hooker France Nikolozi Sutidze Hooker Georgia Alexandre Kaddouri Prop France Alexsandre Kuntelia Prop Georgia Cola Nail Prop France Louis Penverne Prop France Karl Sorin Prop France Henry Grondin Lock France Simon Huchet Lock France Charles Kante-Samba Lock France Romain Lamit Lock France Baptist Larrouy Lock France Pierre Dupret Back row France Oscar Jegou Back row France Tyreese Leupolu Back row New Zealand Edward Richer Back row France Elouan Troadec Back row France

Player Position Union Mathias Brunet Scrum-half France Vasco Rocard Scrum-half France Lucas Zamora Scrum-half France Hugo Aubry Fly-half France Hugo Reus Fly-half France Romain Lamit Centre France William Wright Centre France Nathan Bollengier Wing France Hoani Bosmorin Wing France Sydney Coubard Wing France Simeli Daunivicu Wing Fiji Luca Gaboriau Wing France Mateo Jeantieu Wing France Ike Makope-Anagu Wing South Africa Maxim Tetlow Fullback France

France results

Top 14 Championship Final

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
25 June 2021	Stade Toulousain	18–8	Stade Rochelais	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	14,000
17 June 2023	Stade Toulousain	29-26	Stade Rochelais	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	79,804

European results

European Rugby Champions Cup Final

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
22 May 2021	Stade Toulousain	22–17	Stade Rochelais	Twickenham Stadium, London	10,000
28 May 2022	Stade Rochelais	24–21	Leinster	Orange Vélodrome, Marseille	59,682
20 May 2023	Stade Rochelais	27–26	Leinster	Aviva Stadium, Dublin	51,711

Notable former players

See also: Category:Stade Rochelais players

• Facundo Bosch
• Ramiro Herrera
• Germán Llanes
• Federico Todeschini
• Zack Holmes
• Brock James
• Ryan Lamb
• Lopeti Timani
• Julien Berger
• Jason Marshall
• Lesley Vainikolo
• Sireli Bobo
• Eneriko Buliruarua
• Norman Ligairi
• Kini Murimurivalu
• Jone Qovu
• Seru Rabeni
• Alipate Ratini
• Savenaca Rawaca
• Albert Vulivuli
• Marc Andreu
• Julien Audy
• Alexi Balès
• Jean-Pascal Barraque
• Steeve Barry
• Pierre Bérard
• Mohamed Boughanmi
• Benoît Bourrust
• Damien Cler
• Thomas Combezou
• Manoël Dall'igna
• Benjamin Dambielle
• Vincent Debaty
• William Demotte
• Geoffrey Doumayrou
• Luc Ducalcon
• Arnaud Élissalde
• Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
• Jean-Pierre Élissalde
• Sébastien Fauqué
• Lionel Faure
• Romain Frou
• Loann Goujon
• Jean-Philippe Grandclaude
• Gabriel Lacroix
• Damien Lagrange
• Grégory Lamboley
• Benjamin Lapeyre
• Benoit Lecouls
• Henri Magois
• Gérald Merceron
• Jean Pambrun
• Vincent Pelo
• Julien Pierre
• Jules Plisson
• Dany Priso
• Vincent Rattez
• Arthur Retière
• David Roumieu
• Christophe Samson
• Laurent Simutoga
• Jérémy Sinzelle
• Rémi Talès
• Jean-Teiva Jacquelain
• Gagi Bazadze
• Guram Papidze
• Robert Mohr
• Gonzalo Canale
• Pietro Ceccarelli
• Leandro Cedaro
• Jason Eaton
• Hamish Gard
• Romana Graham
• David Raikuna
• Rene Ranger
• Victor Vito
• Ihaia West
• Petrișor Toderașc
• Alofa Alofa
• Piula Faʻasalele
• Tamato Leupolu
• Ricky Januarie
• Paul Jordaan

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 1992-2017, including Patrice Collaco since 2011.

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.

See also

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

External links

• (in French) Stade Rochelais Official website