2009–10 Top 14 season

2009–10 Top 14 season
Countries	France
Champions	Clermont (1st title)
Runners-up	Perpignan
Relegated	Montauban Albi
Matches played	187
Attendance	2,610,367 (average 13,959 per match)
Tries scored	597 (average 3.193 per match)
Top point scorer	Romain Teulet (263)
Top try scorer	Sam Gerber (9)
← 2008–09 2010–11 →

The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.

This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Racing Métro, winners of the 2009 title in the second-level Pro D2, and Albi, victors in the 2009 promotion playoffs between the second- through fifth-placed teams in Pro D2, thus becoming the first team to achieve promotion to the Top 14 only one year after being relegated. They took the place of the two clubs from Landes, Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, relegated at the end of the 2008–09 Top 14. Mont-de-Marsan, which had been promoted to the Top 14 for 2008–09, finished bottom of the table and went down. The other newly promoted team in 2008–09, Toulon, finished ninth, sending Dax, who had already finished second-to-bottom the previous season before being allowed to stay in the Top 14 due to Albi's financial troubles, to Pro D2.

The two teams promoted for 2009–10 had very different results. Albi finished bottom of the table by a wide margin and went directly back to Pro D2. Racing Métro, on the other hand, finished sixth, giving them a berth in the newly expanded playoffs and a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. Bayonne finished in the other relegation spot of 13th place, but were reprieved due to the financial problems of 12th-place Montauban.

The season ended with Clermont winning their first French national title in their nearly century-long history, defeating defending champions Perpignan 19–6 in a rematch of last season's final. This result ended decades of frustration for Les Jaunards and their supporters, who had previously tasted defeat in all 10 of their previous final-game appearances.^[1]

Competition format

Each club played every other club twice. The second half of the season is 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 introduced a new format for the knockout stage: the top two teams qualify directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked from third to sixth qualify for a quarterfinal held at the homeground of the higher-ranked team. The semifinals are then held at neutral sites, with the final being played at the Stade de France. This replaced the classical format consisting of semifinals between the top four teams held at neutral sites.

Going into the season, the top six clubs were guaranteed of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup. The winners of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup are assured of berths in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup regardless of their league standing. This means that if a club finishes in the top six and wins one of the European competitions, the seventh-place team will gain a Heineken Cup berth. However, if French clubs win both competitions, only five clubs will qualify for the 2010–11 Heineken Cup via their league position because France is capped at seven Heineken Cup places. France can also secure a seventh berth if clubs from England's Guinness Premiership, also capped at seven Heineken Cup places, win both Cup competitions, and the top club in the European Rugby Club Rankings among those not already qualified for the Heineken Cup is from the Top 14. As it turned out, France earned a seventh berth when Toulouse won the Heineken Cup; because Toulouse had finished fourth on the regular-season table, the extra berth went to seventh-place Biarritz, who were also their opponent in the Heineken Cup final.

The bottom two teams are provisionally relegated to Pro D2, with the possibility of one or both of the bottom teams to be reprieved if a team above them fails a postseason financial audit (mandatory for all clubs in the league).

The LNR used 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,^[2] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. The LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.^[3]

France's bonus point system operated as follows:^[3]

• 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 7 points (or less).

The teams

Team	Captain	Head coach	Stadium	Capacity
Albi	Vincent Clément	Jean Christophe Bacca Philippe Laurent	Stadium Municipal d'Albi	7004130580000000000♠13,058
Bayonne	Rémy Martin	Christian Gajan	Stade Jean-Dauger	7004169340000000000♠16,934
Biarritz	Jérôme Thion	Jack Isaac and Jean-Michel Gonzalez	Parc des Sports Aguiléra	7004150000000000000♠15,000
Bourgoin	Julien Frier	Éric Catinot and Xavier Péméja	Stade Pierre-Rajon	7003944100000000000♠9,441
Brive	Fabrice Estebanez	Ugo Mola Christophe Laussucq	Stade Amédée-Domenech	7004150000000000000♠15,000
Castres	Alexandre Albouy Sébastien Tillous-Borde	Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers	Stade Pierre-Antoine	7004115000000000000♠11,500
Clermont	Aurélien Rougerie	Vern Cotter	Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin	7004163340000000000♠16,334
Montauban	Matthew Clarkin	Sébastien Calvet and Marc Raynaud	Stade Sapiac	7004115000000000000♠11,500
Montpellier	Fulgence Ouedraogo	Warren Britz	Stade Yves-du-Manoir	7004150000000000000♠15,000
Perpignan	Nicolas Mas	Jacques Brunel	Stade Aimé-Giral	7004165930000000000♠16,593
Racing Métro	Lionel Nallet	Pierre Berbizier	Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir	7004140000000000000♠14,000
Stade Français	Rodrigo Roncero	Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron	Stade Jean-Bouin	7004120000000000000♠12,000
			Stade de France	7004800000000000000♠80,000
Toulon	Joe van Niekerk	Philippe Saint-André	Stade Mayol	7004137000000000000♠13,700
Toulouse	Thierry Dusautoir	Guy Novès	Stade Ernest-Wallon	7004195000000000000♠19,500
			Stadium Municipal	7004354720000000000♠35,472

Stade de France was listed as an alternate home for Stade Français because the club hosted five of their 13 home matches this season at the national stadium. Similarly, Stadium Municipal was listed as an alternate home for Toulouse, who normally play two Top 14 matches a year at that facility. In addition, four other clubs hosted home matches at larger stadiums, and Stade Français took a home match to yet another ground:

• Bayonne-Stade Français, Round 2 — Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain (32,076)
• Biarritz-Bayonnne, Round 6 — Estadio Anoeta
• Bourgoin-Perpignan, Round 6 — Stade des Alpes, Grenoble (20,088)
• Toulon-Toulouse, Round 7 — Stade Vélodrome, Marseille (60,013)
• Biarritz-Toulouse, Round 23 — Estadio Anoeta
• Bourgoin-Toulouse, Round 25 — Stade Gerland, Lyon (41,044)
• Toulon–Perpignan, Round 25 — Stade Vélodrome
• Stade Français–Racing Métro, Round 26 — Stade Charléty, Paris (20,000)

Managerial changes

• On 8 September, Stade Français sacked head coach Ewen McKenzie and his assistant Christophe Dominici after a disastrous start to the season put the Parisians in the drop zone. Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron were named as co-head coaches. Dominici, who owns a small stake in the club, was expected to remain in some capacity.^[4] (Stade Français quickly exited relegation danger, scoring bonus-point wins in three of their next four matches.)
• On 26 October, struggling Brive, lying just above the drop zone at the time, sacked head coach Laurent Seigne. The move came a week after honorary club president Patrick Sébastien resigned.^[5] Ugo Mola, previously backs coach for Brive, was promoted to the head coaching position.^[6]
• On 7 November, Richard Dourthe resigned at Bayonne after a run of defeats put them in the drop zone.^[7] Club president Francis Salagoïty announced later that day that Thierry Mentières and Jean-Philippe Coyola would serve as co-head coaches.^[8]
• On 19 March, Stade Français announced a reorganisation effective at the end of the 2009–10 season. Michael Cheika, whose contract with Magners League side Leinster expires at the end of this season, signed a three-year deal to become Director of Rugby and effective head coach from 2010–11.^[9]

Table

Key to colors
	League champions; receive a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup.
	Top two teams qualify directly to semifinals and receive places in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup.
	Third and fourth placed teams play their quarterfinal at home and also receive automatic Heineken Cup berths.
	Fifth and sixth placed teams play their quarterfinal away and also receive automatic Heineken Cup berths (but see note 1 below).
	Seventh-place Biarritz receive a Heineken Cup berth. See note 2 below the table for the reason.
	Two teams relegated to Rugby Pro D2 — Montauban due to financial issues, and Albi as bottom finisher.

2009–10 Top 14 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points for	Points against	Bonus points	Points	Head-to-head
1	Perpignan	26	17	0	9	582	412	12	80	Perpignan 5–4
2	Toulon	26	18	1	7	541	456	6	80
3	Clermont	26	15	3	8	644	414	12	78
4	Toulouse	26	15	1	10	524	359	12	74
5	Castres	26	14	3	9	542	398	11	73
6	Racing Métro	26	14	1	11	518	530	6	64
7	Biarritz	26	12	0	14	471	442	11	59
8	Stade Français	26	10	4	12	600	572	10	58	Stade Français 5–4
9	Brive	26	11	2	13	459	513	10	58
10	Montpellier	26	13	0	13	453	574	3	55
11	Bourgoin	26	11	1	14	407	591	4	50
12	Montauban	26	10	2	14	422	525	5	49
13	Bayonne	26	9	0	17	492	490	11	47
14	Albi	26	4	0	22	349	728	8	24

Notes

1. It was possible that the sixth-place team on the table would not qualify for the Heineken Cup. However, it would occur only if French teams won both the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup, and both of these teams finished outside the top six on the league table. This did not happen in 2009–10 because only one of the European cups was won by a French team (the Heineken Cup by Toulouse).
2. Conversely, if the only French team to win a European trophy finished in the top six, or if both European trophy winners finished in the top six, the seventh-place finisher would receive a Heineken Cup berth. Since Toulouse finished fourth, Biarritz claimed the extra French berth.

Normally, the bottom two teams are relegated. However, on 1 April, the LNR's financial watchdog, DNACG, called Bourgoin, Montauban, and Stade Français for a financial review. No action was taken against Bourgoin or Stade Français, but DNACG announced that Montauban would be relegated because the club could not assure that they could clear their €1.7 million financial shortfall,^[10] which reportedly stemmed from a loan the club took out to improve their ground, Stade Sapiac.^[11] Montauban could have appealed at the next DNACG meeting on 4 May,^[10] but the club wound up filing for bankruptcy on 26 April.^[11] The bankruptcy filing confirmed their relegation from the Top 14. They could potentially have been relegated to Fédérale 3, the fifth level of the French rugby pyramid,^[10] but ultimately were relegated to the third-level Fédérale 1. These developments meant that Bayonne, who finished second from bottom, escaped the drop.

If clubs were level on competition points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order:

1. Head-to-head competition points earned.
2. Points differential in head-to-head matches.
3. Difference between tries scored and tries conceded in head-to-head matches.
4. Points differential in all matches.
5. Difference between tries scored and tries conceded in all matches.
6. Number of points scored in all matches.
7. Number of tries scored in all matches.
8. Number of forfeited matches (fewer forfeits wins).
9. Final classification in the last Top 14 regular season.
10. Fewer red cards issued during the season.

Schedule and results

From the official Top 14 site.^[12] Within each weekend, matches are to be listed in the following order:

1. By date.
2. If matches are held on the same day, by kickoff time.
3. Otherwise, in alphabetic order of home club.

All times CET or CEST, depending on the time of year.

Rounds 1 to 5

Round 1

• 14 August, 20:45 — Toulon 22 – 22 Stade Français = 13'480
• 15 August, 16:00 — Albi (1 BP) 13 – 19 Racing Métro= 8'233
• 15 August, 16:00 — Biarritz 12 – 24 Castres= 11'530
• 15 August, 16:00 — Bourgoin 28 – 37 Clermont= 6'577
• 15 August, 16:00 — Montauban (1 BP) 16 – 17 Toulouse= 10'622
• 15 August, 16:25 — Perpignan 28 – 20 Bayonne= 13'714
• 15 August, 20:35 — Brive (1 BP) 30 – 9 Montpellier= 10'098

Round 2

• 21 August, 20:35 — Bayonne 38 – 24 Stade Français (at Estadio Anoeta, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain)= 24'411
• 22 August, 16:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 39 – 6 Albi= 9'850
• 22 August, 16:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 37 – 16 Montauban= 14'333
• 22 August, 16:00 — Montpellier 18 – 12 (1 BP) Perpignan= 11'991
• 22 August, 16:00 — Toulouse (1 BP) 38 – 0 Brive= 18'458
• 22 August, 16:25 — Toulon 27 – 13 Racing Métro= 13'499
• 22 August, 20:35 — Castres 29 – 9 Bourgoin= 7'171

Round 3

• 28 August, 19:00 — Brive 9 – 9 Clermont= 11'289
• 29 August, 16:00 — Montauban P – P Castres= 7'353
  • Match postponed^[13] after six Castres players were diagnosed with H1N1 flu.^[14]
• 29 August, 16:00 — Racing Métro 18 – 9 Bayonne= 7'638
• 29 August, 16:00 — Stade Français 43 – 26 Montpellier= 8'068
• 29 August, 16:25 — Bourgoin 22 – 17 (1 BP) Biarritz= 5'063
• 29 August, 16:25 — Perpignan 17 – 15 Toulouse= 13'696
• 29 August, 20:35 — Albi (1 BP) 9 – 15 Toulon= 7'241

Round 4

• 2 September, 19:30 — Albi P – P Castres= 8'704
  • Match also postponed due to the H1N1 outbreak in the Castres side.^[13]
• 2 September, 19:30 — Bourgoin 17 – 13 (1 BP) Racing Métro= 7'542
• 2 September, 19:30 — Montpellier 22 – 18 (1 BP) Biarritz= 9'826
• 2 September, 19:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 35 – 40 Montauban= 7'008
• 2 September, 19:30 — Toulon 26 – 21 (1 BP) Clermont= 13'115
• 2 September, 19:30 — Toulouse 21 – 17 (1 BP) Bayonne= 18'639
• 2 September, 20:30 — Perpignan 21 – 9 Brive= 12'240

Round 5

• 6 September, 15:00 — Bayonne (1 BP) 53 – 6 Bourgoin= 11'140
• 6 September, 15:00 — Brive (1 BP) 39 – 6 Albi= ?
• 6 September, 15:00 — Castres (1 BP) 33 – 18 Montpellier= 6'953
• 6 September, 15:00 — Montauban 21 – 18 (1 BP) Toulon= 7'444
• 6 September, 15:00 — Racing Métro (1 BP) 14 – 18 Perpignan= 7'910
• 6 September, 17:00 — Biarritz 30 – 22 Stade Français= 9'921
• 6 September, 21:00 — Clermont 19 – 12 (1 BP) Toulouse= 15'803

Match attendance source=Ligue Nationale de Rugby - kovana

Rounds 6 to 10

Round 6

• 11 September, 20:35 — Bourgoin 17 – 6 Perpignan (at Stade des Alpes, Grenoble)
• 12 September, 14:30 — Montauban 23 – 20 (1 BP) Brive
• 12 September, 14:30 — Montpellier 21 – 20 (1 BP) Toulon
• 12 September, 14:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 44 – 18 Castres
• 12 September, 14:30 — Toulouse 19 – 13 (1 BP) Albi
• 12 September, 16:25 — Biarritz 12 – 6 (1 BP) Bayonne (at Estadio Anoeta)
• 12 September, 20:35 — Clermont 30 – 22 Racing Métro

Makeup match, Round 3

• 16 September, 19:30 — Montauban 18 – 18 Castres

Round 7

• 19 September, 14:30 — Albi 8 – 40 (1 BP) Clermont
• 19 September, 14:30 — Stade Français (1 BP) 20 – 6 Bourgoin
• 19 September, 16:25 — Brive (1 BP) 12 – 15 Biarritz
• 20 September, 14:30 — Castres 9 – 6 (1 BP) Racing Métro
• 20 September, 14:30 — Perpignan (1 BP) 28 – 9 Montauban
• 20 September, 16:05 — Toulon 18 – 13 (1 BP) Toulouse (at Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
• 20 September, 17:00 — Bayonne 26 – 3 Montpellier

Round 8

• 25 September, 19:30 — Albi 19 – 14 (1 BP) Bayonne
• 25 September, 20:35 — Brive 11 – 9 (1 BP) Castres
• 26 September, 14:15 — Perpignan (1 BP) 19 – 3 Clermont
• 26 September, 14:30 — Biarritz (1 BP) 23 – 9 Toulon
• 26 September, 14:30 — Montauban (1 BP) 12 – 15 Bourgoin
• 26 September, 14:30 — Racing Métro 18 – 14 (1 BP) Montpellier
• 26 September, 16:25 — Toulouse 9 – 9 Stade Français

Makeup match, Round 4

• 29 September, 19:30 — Albi (1 BP) 21 – 25 (1 BP) Castres
  • This was only the second Top 14 match to see both teams earn bonus points since France adopted its current bonus system in 2007–08.

Round 9

• 2 October, 20:45 — Stade Français (1 BP) 44 – 16 Brive
• 3 October, 14:30 — Castres 21 – 19 (1 BP) Toulon
• 3 October, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 38 – 13 Bayonne
• 3 October, 14:30 — Montpellier 12 – 30 Toulouse
• 3 October, 14:30 — Racing Métro 17 – 12 (1 BP) Montauban
• 3 October, 16:25 — Biarritz 27 – 12 Perpignan
• 3 October, 20:45 — Bourgoin 28 – 16 Albi

Round 10

• 23 October, 20:45 — Bayonne 6 – 15 Castres
• 24 October, 14:15 — Toulouse 23 – 3 Biarritz
• 24 October, 14:30 — Brive 10 – 18 Racing Métro
• 24 October, 14:30 — Montauban 20 – 6 Albi
• 24 October, 14:30 — Montpellier 16 – 9 (1 BP) Clermont
• 24 October, 14:30 — Toulon (1 BP) 46 – 28 Bourgoin
• 24 October, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 14 – 20 Perpignan (at Stade de France)

Rounds 11 to 15

Round 11

• 30 October, 20:45 — Perpignan 17 – 15 (1 BP) Castres
• 31 October, 14:30 — Albi (1 BP) 15 – 18 Montpellier
• 31 October, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 8 – 14 Toulon
• 31 October, 14:30 — Bourgoin 14 – 14 Brive
• 31 October, 14:30 — Racing Métro 27 – 20 (1 BP) Toulouse
• 31 October, 16:25 — Clermont 19 – 19 Stade Français
• 31 October, 20:45 — Montauban 14 – 5 Biarritz

Round 12

• 5 November, 19:30 — Biarritz P – P Racing Métro
  • Postponed due to unplayable conditions at Biarritz' ground.^[15] The makeup date was initially announced as 1 December,^[15] but was further postponed to 2 December after it was noted that the original makeup date potentially violated LNR and French Rugby Federation (FFR) regulations requiring a minimum of 72 hours between matches.^[16]
• 5 November, 19:30 — Brive 19 – 14 (1 BP) Bayonne
• 5 November, 19:30 — Castres 9 – 9 Clermont
• 5 November, 19:30 — Montpellier 19 – 0 Montauban
• 5 November, 19:30 — Stade Français 23 – 18 (1 BP) Albi
• 5 November, 19:30 — Toulouse (1 BP) 41 – 3 Bourgoin
• 5 November, 21:00 — Perpignan (1 BP) 25 – 9 Toulon

Round 13

• 20 November, 19:00 — Albi 24 – 23 (1 BP) Perpignan
• 21 November, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 38 – 13 Montauban
• 21 November, 14:30 — Bourgoin (1 BP) 20 – 23 Montpellier
• 21 November, 14:30 — Racing Métro 20 – 18 (1 BP) Stade Français
• 21 November, 14:30 — Toulon 19 – 10 Brive
• 21 November, 16:05 — Castres (1 BP) 30 – 10 Toulouse
• 21 November, 20:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 13 – 16 Biarritz

Round 14

• 27 November, 19:45 — Stade Français (1 BP) 18 – 22 Toulon
• 27 November, 21:00 — Castres (1 BP) 34 – 6 Biarritz
• 27 November, 21:00 — Racing Métro 9 – 6 (1 BP) Albi
• 28 November, 14:30 — Montpellier 3 – 25 (1 BP) Brive
• 28 November, 14:30 — Toulouse 17 – 12 (1 BP) Montauban
• 28 November, 16:25 — Bayonne P – P Perpignan
  • Match postponed after Perpignan reported that seven of their traveling party (including both players and coaches) were diagnosed with H1N1 flu.^[17]
• 28 November, 19:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 32 – 8 Bourgoin

Makeup match, Round 12

• 2 December, 19:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 20 – 23 Racing Métro

Round 15

• 4 December, 20:45 — Montauban 20 – 16 (1 BP) Clermont
• 5 December, 14:30 — Bourgoin 15 – 9 (1 BP) Castres
• 5 December, 14:30 — Perpignan 29 – 3 Montpellier
• 5 December, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 34 – 10 Bayonne (at Stade de France)
• 6 December, 15:00 — Albi 20 – 9 Biarritz
• 6 December, 15:00 — Brive 27 – 21 (1 BP) Toulouse
• 6 December, 17:05 — Racing Métro 28 – 15 Toulon

Rounds 16 to 20

Round 16

• 30 December, 18:45 — Montpellier 25 – 23 (1 BP) Stade Français
• 30 December, 19:00 — Bayonne (1 BP) 19 – 23 Racing Métro
• 30 December, 19:00 — Biarritz 23 – 6 Bourgoin
• 30 December, 19:00 — Castres 30 – 7 Montauban
• 30 December, 19:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 52 – 10 Brive
• 30 December, 19:00 — Toulon 41 – 13 Albi
• 30 December, 20:45 — Toulouse 22 – 11 Perpignan (at Stadium Municipal)

Round 17

• 3 January, 15:00 — Biarritz (1 BP) 26 – 10 Montpellier
• 3 January, 15:00 — Brive (1 BP) 29 – 9 Perpignan
• 3 January, 15:00 — Castres (1 BP) 41 – 10 Albi
• 3 January, 15:00 — Montauban 6 – 6 Stade Français
• 3 January, 15:00 — Racing Métro (1 BP) 17 – 18 Bourgoin
• 3 January, 17:00 — Clermont (1 BP) 39 – 3 Toulon
• 3 January, 20:45 — Bayonne (1 BP) 13 – 15 Toulouse

Round 18

• 8 January, 20:45 — Perpignan (1 BP) 31 – 12 Racing Métro
• 9 January, 14:30 — Albi (1 BP) 15 – 17 Brive
• 9 January, 14:30 — Bourgoin P – P Bayonne
  • Postponed due to unplayable conditions at Bourgoin's ground.^[18]
• 9 January, 14:30 — Montpellier 15 – 0 Castres
• 9 January, 14:30 — Toulon 18 – 7 Montauban
• 9 January, 16:25 — Stade Français 25 – 15 Biarritz (at Stade de France)
• 10 January, 20:45 — Toulouse (1 BP) 15 – 16 Clermont (at Stadium Municipal)

Round 19

• 27 January, 19:00 — Brive 19 – 14 (1 BP) Montauban
• 27 January, 19:00 — Racing Métro 33 – 24 Clermont
• 27 January, 19:00 — Toulon (1 BP) 31 – 19 Montpellier
• 27 January, 20:45 — Castres 32 – 14 Stade Français
• 28 January, 19:00 — Albi 6 – 24 (1 BP) Toulouse
• 28 January, 19:00 — Perpignan (1 BP) 49 – 20 Bourgoin
• 28 January, 20:45 — Bayonne 15 – 0 Biarritz

Makeup match, Round 14

• 5 February, 20:45 — Bayonne 13 – 30 (1 BP) Perpignan

Round 20

• 19 February, 20:45 — Biarritz 12 – 6 (1 BP) Brive
• 20 February, 14:15 — Racing Métro 24 – 24 Castres
• 20 February, 14:30 — Bourgoin 13 – 22 Stade Français
• 20 February, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 45 – 18 Albi
• 20 February, 14:30 — Montauban 16 – 13 (1 BP) Perpignan
• 20 February, 14:30 — Montpellier (1 BP) 16 – 22 Bayonne
• 20 February, 16:25 — Toulouse (1 BP) 3 – 6 Toulon

Makeup match, Round 18

• 27 February, 20:45 — Bourgoin 12 – 6 (1 BP) Bayonne

Rounds 21 to 26

Round 21

• 5 March, 20:45 — Clermont 22 – 17 (1 BP) Perpignan
• 6 March, 14:30 — Bayonne (1 BP) 46 – 13 Albi
• 6 March, 14:30 — Bourgoin 22 – 14 Montauban
• 6 March, 14:30 — Castres (1 BP) 35 – 10 Brive
• 6 March, 14:30 — Toulon 21 – 20 (1 BP) Biarritz
• 6 March, 16:25 — Stade Français 0 – 29 Toulouse (at Stade de France)
• 6 March, 20:45 — Montpellier 22 – 19 (1 BP) Racing Métro

Round 22

• 12 March, 19:00 — Albi 7 – 17 Bourgoin
• 12 March, 19:00 — Bayonne 22 – 13 Clermont
• 12 March, 19:00 — Brive 26 – 14 Stade Français
• 12 March, 19:00 — Toulon 19 – 6 Castres
• 12 March, 19:00 — Toulouse (1 BP) 34 – 3 Montpellier
• 12 March, 20:45 — Perpignan 19 – 14 (1 BP) Biarritz
• 13 March, 20:45 — Montauban 45 – 31 Racing Métro

Round 23

• 26 March, 20:45 — Bourgoin (1 BP) 9 – 13 Toulon
• 27 March, 14:15 — Racing Métro 25 – 18 (1 BP) Brive
• 27 March, 14:30 — Albi 12 – 26 Montauban
• 27 March, 14:30 — Castres 26 – 10 Bayonne
• 27 March, 14:30 — Clermont (1 BP) 41 – 3 Montpellier
• 27 March, 14:30 — Perpignan (1 BP) 44 – 23 Stade Français
• 27 March, 16:25 — Biarritz 26 – 10 Toulouse (at Estadio Anoeta)

Round 24

• 2 April, 20:45 — Toulouse 28 – 23 (1 BP) Racing Métro
• 3 April, 14:30 — Biarritz (1 BP) 42 – 13 Montauban
• 3 April, 14:30 — Brive 25 – 15 Bourgoin
• 3 April, 14:30 — Montpellier (1 BP) 62 – 15 Albi
• 3 April, 14:30 — Toulon (1 BP) 31 – 13 Bayonne
• 3 April, 16:25 — Stade Français 19 – 10 Clermont (at Stade de France)
• 3 April, 20:45 — Castres (1 BP) 11 – 17 Perpignan

Round 25

• 16 April, 20:45 — Clermont 25 – 19 (1 BP) Castres
• 17 April, 14:30 — Albi 38 – 24 Stade Français
• 17 April, 14:30 — Bayonne 33 – 25 Brive
• 17 April, 14:30 — Montauban 6 – 19 Montpellier
• 17 April, 14:30 — Bourgoin 15 – 13 (1 BP) Toulouse (at Stade Gerland, Lyon)
• 17 April, 16:25 — Toulon 33 – 23 Perpignan (at Stade Vélodrome)
• 17 April, 20:45 — Racing Métro 29 – 22 (1 BP) Biarritz

Round 26

• 24 April, 16:25 — Biarritz (1 BP) 19 – 26 Clermont
• 24 April, 16:25 — Brive (1 BP) 21 – 26 Toulon
• 24 April, 16:25 — Montauban 22 – 8 Bayonne
• 24 April, 16:25 — Montpellier 34 – 27 (1 BP) Bourgoin
• 24 April, 16:25 — Perpignan (1 BP) 44 – 0 Albi
• 24 April, 16:25 — Stade Français (1 BP) 41 -17 Racing Métro (at Stade Charléty, Paris)
• 24 April, 16:25 — Toulouse 25 – 17 Castres

Playoffs

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Final
						1	Perpignan	21
	4	Toulouse	35			4	Toulouse	13
	5	Castres	12								1	Perpignan	6
											3	Clermont	19
						2	Toulon	29
	3	Clermont	21			3	Clermont (a.e.t.)	35
	6	Racing Métro	17

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

Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals

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Final

FB 15 Jérôme Porical RW 14 Christophe Manas OC 13 David Marty IC 12 Maxime Mermoz LW 11 Adrien Planté FH 10 Gavin Hume  53' SH 9 Nicolas Durand  59' N8 8 Henry Tuilagi  45'  52'  56' OF 7 Jean-Pierre Pérez  52' BF 6 Ovidiu Toniţa RL 5 Robins Tchale-Watchou  69' LL 4 Olivier Olibeau TP 3 Nicolas Mas (c)  73' HK 2 Guilhem Guirado  54' LP 1 Perry Freshwater  63' Replacements: HK 16 Marius Tincu  54' PR 17 Jérôme Schuster  63' LK 18 Guillaume Vilaceca  56' FL 19 Grégory Le Corvec  45' SH 20 David Mélé  59' CE 21 Jean-Philippe Grandclaude  69' FH 22 Nicolas Laharrague  53' PR 23 Kisi Pulu  73' Coach: Jacques Brunel

FB 15 Anthony Floch RW 14 Napolioni Vonowale Nalaga OC 13 Aurélien Rougerie (c) IC 12 Marius Joubert LW 11 Julien Malzieu FH 10 Brock James SH 9 Morgan Parra N8 8 Elvis Vermeulen OF 7 Alexandre Lapandry  59' BF 6 Julien Bonnaire RL 5 Thibaut Privat  52' LL 4 Jamie Cudmore TP 3 Martín Scelzo  43'  72' HK 2 Mario Ledesma  70' LP 1 Thomas Domingo Replacements: HK 16 Benoît Cabello  70' PR 17 Vincent Debaty LK 18 Julien Pierre  52' FL 19 Alexandre Audebert  59' SH 20 Kevin Senio FH 21 Tasesa Lavea CE 22 Gonzalo Canale PR 23 Davit Zirakashvili  43'  72' Coach: Vern Cotter

Scorers

Final statistics at the end of the season (including play-offs). Player nationalities are as recognized by the International Rugby Board; players may have one or more non-IRB nationalities.

Top point scorers

#	Name	Club	Points
1	Romain Teulet	Castres	263
2	Jonny Wilkinson	Toulon	230
3	Brock James	Clermont	225
4	Jonathan Wisniewski	Racing Métro	185
5	Federico Todeschini	Montpellier	168

Top try scorers

#	Name	Club	Tries
1	Sam Gerber	Bayonne	9
2	Napolioni Nalaga	Clermont	8
3	Vincent Clerc	Toulouse	7
3	Benjamin Fall	Bayonne	7
3	Anthony Floch	Clermont	7
3	Mark Gasnier	Stade Français	7
3	Chris Masoe	Castres	7
3	Takudzwa Ngwenya	Biarritz	7
3	François Trinh-Duc	Montpellier	7

Awards

Player of the Month

Players were selected by fan vote from a three-player shortlist on the official LNR site, and the results are posted roughly in the middle of the following month.

Month	Player of the Month	Club
August	Joe van Niekerk	Toulon
September	Jonny Wilkinson	Toulon
October	Julien Candelon	Perpignan
November	Not awarded — Test window

See also

• 2009–10 Heineken Cup
• 2009–10 Rugby Pro D2 season

Notes and references

External links

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

Rugby union schedule for 2009
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
H. Cup	Six Nations Championship		Heineken Cup		Mid-Year Tests				H. Cup	End of year Int'ls	H. Cup
				British & Irish Lions Tour
English Premiership								English Premiership
Celtic League								Celtic League
Top 14							Top 14
Top League							Top League
			Shute Shield
						Currie Cup
Sevens											Sevens
		World Cup Sevens	Pacific Rugby Cup		Churchill Cup	Air New Zealand Cup
	Super 14				Pacific Nations Cup	Tri Nations