2017–18 Top 14 season


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The 2017–18 Top 14 competition was the 119th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2016–17 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 (Oyonnax and Agen) in place of the two relegated teams, Grenoble and Bayonne. It marks the second time in a row that both promoted teams had returned on their first opportunity after relegation (Oyonnax and Agen were both relegated during the 2015–16 Top 14 season).

2017–18 Top 14
Countries France
Date26 August 2017 – 2 June 2018
ChampionsCastres (5th title)
Runners-upMontpellier
RelegatedBrive, Oyonnax
Matches played187
Attendance2,681,834
(average 14,341 per match)
Highest attendance78,442 (play-offs)
Montpellier v Castres
2 June 2018
42,000 (league)
Toulon v Montpellier
14 April 2018
Lowest attendance5,678
Stade Français v Agen
24 February 2018
Top point scorerNew Zealand Ben Botica (Oyonnax)
315 points
Top try scorerEngland Chris Ashton (Toulon)
24 tries
Official website
www.lnr.fr/rugby-top-14

Locations of the 2017–18 Top 14 teams

Club City (department) Stadium Capacity
Agen Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) Stade Armandie 14,000
Bordeaux Bègles Bordeaux (Gironde) Stade Chaban-Delmas
Matmut Atlantique 		34,694
42,115
Brive Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) Stade Amédée-Domenech 13,979
Castres Castres (Tarn) Stade Pierre-Fabre[a 1] 12,500
Clermont Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) Stade Marcel-Michelin 19,022
La Rochelle La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) Stade Marcel-Deflandre 16,000
Lyon Lyon (Métropole de Lyon) Matmut Stadium de Gerland 25,000
Montpellier Montpellier (Hérault) Altrad Stadium 15,697
Oyonnax Oyonnax (Ain) Stade Charles-Mathon 11,400
Pau Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) Stade du Hameau 18,324
Racing 92 Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
U Arena[a 2][a 3] 		14,000
30,681[4]
Stade Français Paris, 16th arrondissement Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000
Toulon Toulon (Var) Stade Mayol[a 4] 18,200
Toulouse Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) Stade Ernest-Wallon[a 5] 19,500

Number of teams by regions

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Teams Region or country Team(s)
5   Nouvelle-Aquitaine Agen, Bordeaux Bègles, Brive, La Rochelle, and Pau
3   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Clermont, Lyon, and Oyonnax
  Occitanie Castres, Montpellier, and Toulouse
2   Île-de-France Racing 92 and Stade Français
1   Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Toulon

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,[5] 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.[6]

France's bonus point system operates as follows:[6]

  • 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.
2017–18 Top 14 Table
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Diff. Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Montpellier (RU) 26 17 0 9 752 559 +193 12 1 81
2 Racing (SF) 26 18 0 8 622 478 +144 5 3 80
3 Toulouse (QF) 26 16 1 9 719 595 +124 4 4 74
4 Toulon (QF) 26 14 0 12 766 507 +259 9 8 73
5 Lyon (SF) 26 15 0 11 689 541 +148 7 3 70
6 Castres (C) 26 15 0 11 638 624 +14 4 5 69
7 La Rochelle 26 14 1 11 686 531 +155 6 3 67
8 Pau 26 15 0 11 590 584 +6 2 4 66
9 Clermont 26 11 1 14 629 687 –58 4 4 54
10 Bordeaux Bègles 26 10 1 15 557 623 –66 3 3 48
11 Agen 26 10 0 16 537 757 –220 2 4 46
12 Stade Français 26 9 0 17 540 740 –200 2 4 42
13 Oyonnax (R) 26 7 3 16 566 824 –258 1 4 39
14 Brive (R) 26 7 1 18 485 726 –241 1 5 36

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 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup.
Blue background (rows 3 to 6) receive quarter-final play-off places, and receive berths in the Champions Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Pink background (row 13) will be contest a play-off with the runners-up of the 2017–18 Rugby Pro D2 season for a place in the 2018–19 Top 14 season.
Red background (row 14) will be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Final table

Starting from the 2017–18 season forward, only the 14th placed team will be automatically relegated to Pro D2. The 13th placed team will face the runner-up of the Pro D2 play-off, with the winner of that play-off taking up the final place in Top 14 for the following season.[7]

Fixtures and results

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The team finishing in 13th place faces the runner-up of the Pro D2, with the winner of this match playing in Top 14 in 2018–19 and the loser in Pro D2.

[35]

Semi-final Qualifiers Semi-finals Final
1 Montpellier 40
4 Toulon 19 5 Lyon 14
5 Lyon (a.e.t.) 19 1 Montpellier 13
6 Castres 29
2 Racing 92 14
3 Toulouse 11 6 Castres 19
6 Castres 23

Semi-final Qualifiers

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  • Under LNR rules, when a playoff game ends level after extra time, the first tiebreaker is tries scored. Lyon advanced with 2 tries to Toulon's 1.

Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not yet earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.

  • Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.
Club Home
Games 		Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Agen 13 102,345 7,873 12,517 6,104 56%
Bordeaux Bègles 13 285,432 21,956 36,253 18,251 60%
Brive 13 134,574 10,352 12,412 9,447 74%
Castres 13 130,036 10,003 12,258 8,691 80%
Clermont 13 222,101 17,085 18,801 13,950 90%
La Rochelle 13 206,751 15,904 16,000 15,000 99%
Lyon 13 184,041 14,157 19,205 10,069 57%
Montpellier 13 144,589 11,122 15,034 8,928 71%
Oyonnax 13 114,775 8,829 11,400 7,345 77%
Pau 13 184,105 14,162 18,300 10,000 77%
Racing 92 13 172,581 13,275 29,347 5,830 62%
Stade Francais 13 139,175 10,706 15,350 5,678 54%
Toulon[a 6] 14 250,116 17,865 42,000 13,500 86%
Toulouse[a 7] 14 217,835 15,560 18,838 10,816 80%
  1. ^ Castres' stadium was known as Stade Pierre-Antoine at the start of the season. It was renamed after late club owner Pierre Fabre on 9 September 2017.[1]
  2. ^ Racing opened the 2017–18 season at Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. Their first match at U Arena was against Toulouse on 22 December 2017.[2]
  3. ^ Racing were forced to play their Round 26 home fixture against Agen on 5 May 2018 elsewhere because Beyoncé and Jay-Z booked U Arena as a rehearsal space for the European leg of their On the Run II Tour. The club chose Stade de la Rabine in Vannes (capacity 9,500) as the substitute venue.[3]
  4. ^ In recent years, Toulon has taken occasional home matches to Stade Vélodrome in Marseille and Allianz Riviera in Nice.
  5. ^ Toulouse often takes high-demand home matches to the city's largest sporting venue, Stadium Municipal.
  6. ^ Toulon's attendance figure includes home semi-final qualifier play-off game.
  7. ^ Toulouse's attendance figure includes home semi-final qualifier play-off game.
  1. ^ "Castres : ce sera le Stade Pierre-Fabre" [Castres: it will be Stade Pierre-Fabre]. La Dépêche. 12 August 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  2. ^ "R92 vs ST à la U Arena - La billetterie est ouverte !" [R92 vs. ST at U Arena - The ticket office is open!] (Press release) (in French). Racing 92. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  3. ^ "ESPN's rugby predictions: Games of the week, potential upsets & more". ESPN (UK). 3 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Racing Family : U Arena" (in French). Racing 92. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "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.
  7. ^ Mortimer, Gavin (18 August 2016). "French rugby enjoys a popularity boom as it looks to the future". Rugby World. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  8. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 1". Midi Libre. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 2". Midi Libre. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 3". Midi Libre. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  11. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 4". Midi Libre. 17 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  12. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 5". Midi Libre. 24 September 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  13. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 6". Midi Libre. 1 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  14. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 7". Midi Libre. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  15. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 8". Midi Libre. 29 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  16. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 9". Midi Libre. 5 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  17. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 10". Midi Libre. 19 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  18. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 11". Midi Libre. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  19. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 12". Midi Libre. 3 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  20. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 13". Midi Libre. 23 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  21. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 14". Midi Libre. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  22. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 15". Midi Libre. 7 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  23. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 16". Midi Libre. 28 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  24. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 17". Midi Libre. 18 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  25. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 18". Midi Libre. 25 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Toulon trop brouillon". Press Reader. 4 March 2018.
  27. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 19". Midi Libre. 4 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  28. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 20". Midi Libre. 11 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  29. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 21". Midi Libre. 18 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  30. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 22". Midi Libre. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  31. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 23". Midi Libre. 8 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  32. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 24". Midi Libre. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  33. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 25". Midi Libre. 29 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  34. ^ "RÉSULTATS JOURNEE 26". Midi Libre. 6 May 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  35. ^ "Grenoble 47 22 Oyonnax". Midi Libre. 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  36. ^ "Top 14 Top Points Scorers". eurosport. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Top 14 Top Try Scorers". lnr.fr. Retrieved 27 September 2016.