Provence Rugby
French rugby union club, based in Aix-en-Provence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Provence Rugby (Occitan: Provença Rugbi) is a French rugby union club currently playing in Pro D2, the second tier of France's league system. They were promoted back to the second level for the 2018–19 season after two seasons in Fédérale 1.
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| Full name | Provence Rugby | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Les Noirs (The Blacks) Le PARC | ||
| Founded | 1970 | ||
| Location | Aix-en-Provence, France | ||
| Ground | Stade Maurice David (Capacity: 8,767) | ||
| President | Denis Philipon | ||
| Coach | Philippe Saint-André | ||
| Captain | Arthur Coville | ||
| League | Pro D2 | ||
| 2024–25 | 4th | ||
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| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Based in Aix-en-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône just north of Marseille, the club was founded in 1970. They currently play at Stade Maurice David and wear black. The club was known as Aix Rugby Club from 1970 to 2001, and Pays d'Aix Rugby Club (PARC) from 2001 to 2015.
At the end of 2004/5 they were promoted to Pro D2 but were relegated back to Fédérale 1 at the end of the season. They returned to Pro D2 as runners-up to Lannemezan in 2009. In the 2009–10 season, they finished next-to-last on the league table, in a relegation spot. However, they were reprieved when Top 14 club Montauban filed for bankruptcy and were relegated directly to Fédérale 1. They did, however, suffdler relegation after the 2012-13 season, not returning until 2015–16.
By that time, they had changed their name to the current Provence Rugby, officially announcing the name change on 22 June 2015.[1]
Provence finished last in the 2015–16 Pro D2 season. Initially, they were spared relegation when four clubs were relegated to Fédérale 1 due to financial mismanagement, but three of these eventually won appeals and remained in Pro D2,[2][3] consigning Provence to the drop.
In the 2023-24 Pro D2 season Provence Rugby finished the regular season in first place. This was the first time in the clubs history that they made the finals of the Pro D2.
Honours
- Fédérale 1:
- Champions: 2004, 2015, 2018
- Runners-up: 2009
- Deuxième Division:
- Champions: 1986
Current standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vannes | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 453 | 242 | +211 | 7 | 1 | 54 | Semi-final promotion playoff place |
| 2 | Valence Romans | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 424 | 380 | +44 | 3 | 0 | 47 | |
| 3 | Provence | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 422 | 317 | +105 | 5 | 4 | 45 | Quarter-final promotion playoff place |
| 4 | Colomiers | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 398 | 215 | +183 | 4 | 3 | 43 | |
| 5 | Oyonnax | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 411 | 310 | +101 | 3 | 4 | 39 | |
| 6 | Aurillac | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 370 | 392 | −22 | 2 | 2 | 36 | |
| 7 | Agen | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 341 | 342 | −1 | 5 | 1 | 34 | |
| 8 | Brive | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 385 | 312 | +73 | 4 | 0 | 34 | |
| 9 | Nevers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 366 | 410 | −44 | 4 | 1 | 33 | |
| 10 | Soyaux Angoulême | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 263 | 353 | −90 | 0 | 2 | 30 | |
| 11 | Grenoble | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 351 | 362 | −11 | 2 | 2 | 28 | |
| 12 | Biarritz | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 353 | 422 | −69 | 4 | 0 | 21 | |
| 13 | Béziers | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 339 | 418 | −79 | 3 | 1 | 20 | |
| 14 | Dax | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 334 | 303 | +31 | 3 | 3 | 16 | |
| 15 | Mont-de-Marsan | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 283 | 500 | −217 | 1 | 1 | 14 | Relegation play-off |
| 16 | Carcassonne | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 235 | 450 | −215 | 0 | 3 | 13 | Relegation to Nationale |
Current squad
The Provence squad for the 2025–26 season:[4][5]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Espoirs squad
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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Notable former players
- Jean-Luc Aqua
- Guillaume Delmotte
- Norman Jordaan
- Yannick Ricardo (Portugal international)
- George Kutarashvili (Georgia international)
- Legi Matiu (France international)
- Mihai Lazăr (Romania international)
- Ovidiu Tonița (Romania international)
- Chris Wyatt (Wales international)
