2023–24 Top 14 season
French rugby union season
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The 2023–24 Top 14 competition is the 125th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).
France| 2023–24 Top 14 | |
|---|---|
| Countries | France |
| Date | 18 August 2023 – 28 June 2024 |
| Champions | Toulouse (23rd title) |
| Runners-up | Bordeaux Bègles |
| Relegated | Oyonnax |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Attendance | 2,775,951 (average 15,252 per match) |
| Tries scored | 1041 (average 5.7 per match) |
| Top point scorer |  Joe Simmonds(241 points) |
| Top try scorer | Baptiste Couilloud (17 tries) |
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 Vélodrome in Marseille. 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 competed in the 2023–24 Top 14 season, 13 of them returning. Brive were relegated to Pro D2 after finishing at the bottom of the table the previous season. Oyonnax were the sole promoted club, finishing first in the Pro D2 the previous season and winning the Pro D2 playoffs. Perpignan, who finished 13th in the previous Top 14 season, defeated Grenoble in the relegation playoffs to retain their place.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonne | Bayonne | Stade Jean Dauger | 16,934 | 8th |
| Bordeaux Bègles | Bordeaux | Stade Chaban-Delmas[a] | 33,500 | 6th |
| Castres | Castres | Stade Pierre-Fabre | 12,500 | 9th |
| Clermont | Clermont-Ferrand | Stade Marcel-Michelin | 19,022 | 10th |
| La Rochelle | La Rochelle | Stade Marcel-Deflandre | 16,700 | 2nd |
| Lyon | Lyon | Matmut Stadium de Gerland | 25,000 | 3rd |
| Montpellier | Montpellier | Altrad Stadium | 15,697 | 11th |
| Oyonnax | Oyonnax | Stade Charles-Mathon | 11,500 | 1st (D2) |
| Pau | Pau | Stade du Hameau | 14,588 | 12th |
| Perpignan | Perpignan | Stade Aimé Giral | 14,593 | 13th |
| Racing | Nanterre | Paris La Défense Arena | 30,681 | 5th |
| Stade Français | Paris | Stade Jean-Bouin | 20,000 | 4th |
| Toulon | Toulon | Stade Mayol[b] | 18,200 | 7th |
| Toulouse | Toulouse | Stade Ernest-Wallon[c] | 18,754 | 1st |
- In recent years, Bordeaux Bègles has taken occasional home matches to Matmut Atlantique.
- In recent years, Toulon has taken occasional home matches to Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Allianz Riviera in Nice.
- Toulouse often takes high-demand home matches to the city's largest sporting venue, Stadium de Toulouse.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toulouse (C) | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 765 | 592 | +173 | 103 | 72 | 7 | 3 | 76 | Qualification for playoff semi-finals and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 2 | Stade Français | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 539 | 511 | +28 | 57 | 49 | 4 | 1 | 75 | |
| 3 | Bordeaux Bègles | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 677 | 558 | +119 | 80 | 66 | 5 | 4 | 69 | Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 4 | Toulon | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 704 | 519 | +185 | 72 | 58 | 5 | 4 | 69 | |
| 5 | La Rochelle | 26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 595 | 496 | +99 | 69 | 49 | 5 | 7 | 66 | |
| 6 | Racing 92 | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 622 | 546 | +76 | 79 | 56 | 5 | 5 | 62 | |
| 7 | Castres | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 643 | 642 | +1 | 69 | 77 | 4 | 6 | 62 | Qualification for European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 8 | Clermont | 26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 621 | 671 | −50 | 74 | 78 | 6 | 3 | 61 | |
| 9 | Pau | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 630 | 609 | +21 | 68 | 72 | 3 | 5 | 60 | Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Perpignan | 26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 634 | 701 | −67 | 80 | 85 | 5 | 1 | 58 | |
| 11 | Lyon | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 630 | 754 | −124 | 72 | 90 | 5 | 2 | 55 | |
| 12 | Bayonne | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 572 | 669 | −97 | 65 | 77 | 2 | 6 | 52 | |
| 13 | Montpellier | 26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 542 | 655 | −113 | 61 | 79 | 1 | 7 | 44 | Qualification for relegation play-off |
| 14 | Oyonnax (R) | 26 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 539 | 790 | −251 | 58 | 99 | 0 | 4 | 34 | Relegation to Pro D2 |
Regular season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Round 23
Round 24
Round 25
Round 26
Relegation play-off
| 16 June 2024 18:00 |
| Grenoble | 18–20 | Montpellier |
| Try: Massa 30' c Hepetema 40' m Con: Davies (1/2) 30' Pen: Davies (2/2) 10', 19' | Report | Try: Lam 8' c N'Gandebe 15' c Con: Carbonel (2/2) 8', 15' Pen: Carbonel (2/2) 63', 77' |
| Stade des Alpes Attendance: 19,714 Referee: Tual Trainini |
Montpellier won and therefore both clubs remained in their respective leagues.
Playoffs
Bracket
| Semi-final Qualifiers | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Toulouse | 39 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Toulon | 29 | 5 | La Rochelle | 23 | |||||||||
| 5 | La Rochelle | 34 | 1 | Toulouse | 59 | |||||||||
| 3 | Bordeaux Bègles | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Stade Français | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bordeaux Bègles | 31 | 3 | Bordeaux Bègles | 22 | |||||||||
| 6 | Racing 92 | 17 | ||||||||||||
Semi-final Qualifiers
| 15 June 2024 21:05 |
| Toulon (4) | 29–34 | (5) La Rochelle |
| Try: Penalty try 71' Singleton 80' c Con: Jaminet (1/1) 80' Pen: Jaminet (5/5) 5', 13', 18', 24', 34' | Report | Try: Hastoy 10' c Leyds 31' c Favre 40' c Jegou 47' c Con: Hastoy (4/4) 10', 31', 40', 47' Pen: Hastoy (2/2) 27', 44' |
| Stade Mayol Attendance: 18,200 Referee: Luc Ramos |
| 16 June 2024 21:05 |
| Bordeaux Bègles (3) | 31–17 | (6) Racing 92 |
| Try: Tambwe 19' m Lamothe 40' c Buros 54' c Con: Lucu (2/3) 40', 54' Pen: Lucu (4/4) 5', 13', 30', 47' | Report | Try: Spring 67' m Con: Tedder (0/1) Pen: Tedder (4/4) 3', 17', 24', 36' |
| Stade Chaban-Delmas Attendance: 34,462 Referee: Thomas Charabas |
Semi-finals
| 21 June 2024 20:15 |
| Toulouse (1) | 39–23 | (5) La Rochelle |
| Try: Kinghorn 22' c Mallía (2) 31', 48' c Chocobares 52' c Lebel 80' c Con: Ramos (4/5) 22', 49', 52', 80' Pen: Ramos (2) 2', 72' | Report | Try: Latu 11' c Alldritt 38' c Con: Hastoy (2/2) 11', 38' Pen: Hastoy (3) 19', 35', 63' |
| Matmut Atlantique Attendance: 41,835 Referee: Tual Trainini |
| 22 June 2024 21:05 |
| Stade Français (2) | 20–22 | (3) Bordeaux Bègles |
| Try: Briatte 31' c Leyresblanques (2) 62', 80' Con: Segonds (1/3) 31' Pen: Segonds (1) 5' | Report | Try: Lamothe (2) 17' c, 22' c Bochaton 55' Con: Lucu (2/3) 17', 22' Pen: Lucu (1) 11' |
| Matmut Atlantique Attendance: 41,843 Referee: Pierre Brousset |
Final
| 28 June 2024 21:05 |
| Toulouse (1) | 59–3 | (3) Bordeaux Bègles |
| Try: Dupont (2) 6' c, 23' c Mauvaka 19' m Ramos (2) 63' m, 73' m Marchand 67' m Kinghorn 69' m Ainuʻu 79' c Capuozzo 80' m Con: Ramos (2/6) 6', 23' Kinghorn (1/3) 79' Pen: Ramos (2/2) 13', 43' | Report | Pen: Lucu (1/1) 10' |
| Orange Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 66,760 Referee: Ludovic Cayre |
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Leading scorers
Most tries
| Rank | Player | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baptiste Couilloud | Lyon | 17 |
| 2 | Damian Penaud | Bordeaux Bègles | 14 |
| 3 | Tavite Veredamu | Perpignan | 12 |
| 4 |  Bautista Delguy | Clermont | 11 |
| 5 | Matthis Lebel | Toulouse | 10 |
| Alivereti Raka | Clermont |
Attendances
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonne | 13 | 193,120 | 14,855 |
| Bordeaux Bègles | 13 | 361,677 | 27,821 |
| Castres | 13 | 130,668 | 10,051 |
| Clermont | 13 | 217,673 | 16,744 |
| La Rochelle | 13 | 217,461 | 16,728 |
| Lyon | 13 | 230,226 | 17,710 |
| Montpellier | 13 | 140,658 | 10,820 |
| Oyonnax | 13 | 119,029 | 9,156 |
| Pau | 13 | 164,379 | 12,645 |
| Perpignan | 13 | 175,927 | 13,533 |
| Racing | 13 | 154,100 | 11,854 |
| Stade Français | 13 | 180,605 | 13,893 |
| Toulon | 13 | 222,293 | 17,099 |
| Toulouse | 13 | 268,135 | 20,626 |