2002–03 Top 16 season explained

Countries: France
Champions:Stade Français
Count:11
Runnersup:SU Agen
Relegated:Stade Montois and Bordeaux-Begles
Prevseason:2001–02
Nextseason:2003–04

The 2002–03 Top 16 season was the top level of French club rugby in 2002–03. The competition was played by 16 team.In the first phase, two pool of 8 was Played. The first 4 of each pool was admitted to the "top 8", the tournament for the title, the other to a relegation tournament.

First round

(3 point for victories, 2 point for drawn, 1 point for losses)

Pool B

Relegation pool

The teams sum to the point obtained in the first round, the point obtained in the matches played with the 4 team from other group (hone and away).

Bordeaux-Begles was relegated o the Pro D2 for 2003-04 by DNACG (French: nationale d'aide et de contrôle de gestion federal commission for finance control of the professional clubs due to financial irregularities.

Bordeaux was one of the four teams that always played in the first division of French championship after the First World War, with Toulouse, Agen and Montferrand. So Béziers was saved to relegation.

Top 8

Two Pool of 4 teams. The first two of each pool were qualified for semifinals. Them and the third also qualified for 2004–05 Heineken Cup

Pool A
width=9015 mar.width=170Grenoblewidth=20-width=170Stade Françaiswidth=507 - 28
width=9015 mar.width=170Agenwidth=20-width=170Perpignanwidth=5018 - 12
width=904 apr.width=170Perpignanwidth=20-width=170Grenoblewidth=5038 - 14
width=905 apr.width=170Stade Françaiswidth=20-width=170Agenwidth=5028 - 16
width=9018 apr.width=170Perpignanwidth=20-width=170Stade Françaiswidth=5012 - 13
width=9019 apr.width=170Agenwidth=20-width=170Grenoblewidth=5025 - 16
width=903 maywidth=170Grenoblewidth=20-width=170Agenwidth=5028 - 31
width=903 maywidth=170Stade Françaiswidth=20-width=170Perpignanwidth=5024 - 19
width=9010 maywidth=170Stade Françaiswidth=20-width=170Grenoblewidth=5053 - 27
width=9010 maywidth=170Perpignanwidth=20-width=170Agenwidth=5026 - 22
width=9017 maywidth=170Agenwidth=20-width=170Stade Françaiswidth=5030 - 11
width=9017 maywidth=170Grenoblewidth=20-width=170Perpignanwidth=5035 - 12
Pool B
width=9015 mar.width=170Biarritzwidth=20-width=170Toulousewidth=5022 - 15
width=9015 mar.width=170Bourgoinwidth=20-width=170Pauwidth=5049 - 23
width=904 apr.width=170Toulousewidth=20-width=170Bourgoinwidth=5037 - 19
width=905 apr.width=170Pauwidth=20-width=170Biarritzwidth=5030 - 39
width=9018 apr.width=170Pauwidth=20-width=170Toulousewidth=5033 - 55
width=9019 apr.width=170Bourgoinwidth=20-width=170Biarritzwidth=5014 - 6
width=903 maywidth=170Biarritzwidth=20-width=170Bourgoinwidth=5039 - 16
width=903 maywidth=170Toulousewidth=20-width=170Pauwidth=5058 - 23
width=9010 maywidth=170Toulousewidth=20-width=170Biarritzwidth=5034 - 20
width=9010 maywidth=170Pauwidth=20-width=170Bourgoinwidth=5015 - 15
width=9017 maywidth=170Bourgoinwidth=20-width=170Toulousewidth=5082 - 19
width=9017 maywidth=170Biarritzwidth=20-width=170Pauwidth=5031 - 23

Semifinals

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Final

Stade Français

Sylvain Marconnet, Benoît August, Pieter de Villiers, David Auradou, Mike James, Pierre Rabadan, Raphaël Jéchoux, Patrick Tabacco, Fabien Galthié, Diego Dominguez, Thomas Lombard, Stéphane Glas, Brian Liebenberg, Christophe Dominici, Ignacio Corleto - Replacements : Mathieu Blin, Pablo Lemoine, Rémy Martin, Jérôme Fillol, Cliff Mytton, Arnaud Marchois, Arthur Gomes

Toulouse : Benoît Lecouls, Yannick Bru, Patrice Collazo, David Gérard, Fabien Pelous, Trevor Brennan, Jean Bouilhou, Christian Labit, Frédéric Michalak, Yann Delaigue, Vincent Clerc, Yannick Jauzion, Émile Ntamack, Xavier Garbajosa, Clément Poitrenaud - Replacements : William Servat, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Grégory Lamboley, Jean-Baptiste Élissalde, Cédric Desbrosse, Cédric Heymans, Finau Maka

External links