2019–20 Top 14 season explained
| 2019–20 Top 14 |
| Countries: |  France |
| Date: | 24 August 2019 – 1 March 2020 |
| Matches: | 119 |
| Attendance: | 1672486 |
| Highest Attendance: | 38,503
Bordeaux Bègles v La Rochelle
22 December 2019 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 6,009
Agen v Montpellier
15 September 2019 |
| Top Point Scorer: | Thomas Laranjeira
(Brive)
181 points |
| Top Try Scorer: | Arthur Retière
(La Rochelle)
9 tries |
| Website: | www.lnr.fr/rugby-top-14 |
| Prevseason: | 2018–19 |
| Nextseason: | 2020–21 |
The 2019–20 Top 14 competition was the 121st French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2018–19 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 (Bayonne and Brive) in place of the two relegated teams, Perpignan and Grenoble.
Playing was suspended after the 17th Matchday due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The season was officially cancelled without any winner or relegation/promotion on 6 May.[1]
Teams
| Club | City (department) | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season |
|---|
| Agen | Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) | Stade Armandie | align=center | 13,863 | 12th |
| Bayonne | Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) | Stade Jean Dauger | align=center | 16,934 | Promoted from Pro D2 (champions and 3rd in league) |
| Bordeaux Bègles | Bordeaux (Gironde) | Stade Chaban-Delmas | align=center | 33,500 | 10th |
| Brive | Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) | Stade Amédée-Domenech | align=center | 13,979 | Promoted from Pro D2 (play-off accession and 1st in league) |
| Castres | Castres (Tarn) | Stade Pierre-Fabre | align=center | 12,500 | 7th |
| Clermont | Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) | Stade Marcel-Michelin | align=center | 19,022 | Runners up (2nd in league) |
| La Rochelle | La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) | Stade Marcel-Deflandre | align=center | 16,000 | Semi-finals (5th in league) |
| Lyon | Lyon (Métropole de Lyon) | Matmut Stadium de Gerland | align=center | 25,000 | Semi-finals (3rd in league) |
| Montpellier | Montpellier (Hérault) | Altrad Stadium | align=center | 15,697 | Quarter-finals (6th in league) |
| Pau | Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) | Stade du Hameau | align=center | 18,324 | 11th |
| Racing | Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) | Paris La Défense Arena | align=center | 30,681 | Quarter-finals (4th in league) |
| Stade Français | Paris, 16th arrondissement | Stade Jean-Bouin | align=center | 20,000 | 8th |
| Toulon | Toulon (Var) | Stade Mayol | align=center | 18,200 | 9th |
| Toulouse | Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) | Stade Ernest-Wallon | align=center | 18,754 | Champions (1st in league) |
|
Number of teams by region
Competition 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 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,[2] 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.[3]
France's bonus point system operates 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 5 points (or fewer). The margin had been 7 points until being changed prior to the 2014–15 season.
Table
| < | -- -->
| width=20% style="border:0px" | | 2019–20 Top 14 Table | |
|
|---|
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points |
|---|
| 1 | | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 475 | 317 | +158 | 6 | 1 | 61 |
| 2 | | 17 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 463 | 304 | +159 | 5 | 0 | 53 |
| 3 | | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 451 | 326 | +125 | 5 | 3 | 46 |
| 4 | | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 396 | 334 | +62 | 3 | 2 | 45 |
| 5 | | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 370 | 377 | –7 | 3 | 3 | 42 |
| 6 | | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 423 | 415 | +8 | 1 | 0 | 41 |
| 7 | | 17 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 368 | 331 | +37 | 4 | 2 | 40 |
| 8 | | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 404 | 390 | +14 | 2 | 5 | 37 |
| 9 | | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 327 | 409 | –82 | 0 | 3 | 33 |
| 10 | | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 392 | 460 | –68 | 3 | 2 | 33 |
| 11 | | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 364 | 439 | –75 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
| 12 | | 17 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 334 | 414 | –80 | 0 | 4 | 28 |
| 13 | | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 323 | 414 | –91 | 0 | 4 | 26 |
| 14 | | 17 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 328 | 488 | –160 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:- Competition points earned in head-to-head matches
- Points difference in head-to-head matches
- Try differential in head-to-head matches
- Points difference in all matches
- Try differential in all matches
- Points scored in all matches
- Tries scored in all matches
- Fewer matches forfeited
- Classification in the previous Top 14 season
|
| Green background (rows 1 to 8) receive berths in the 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Final table | |
Relegation
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.[4]
Fixtures and results
Round 1
[5] ----
Round 2
[6] ----
Round 3
[7] ----
Round 4
[8] ----
Round 5
[9] ----
Round 6
[10] ----
Round 7
[11] ----
Round 8
[12] ----
Round 9
[13] ----
Round 10
[14] ----
Round 11
[15] ----
Round 12
[16] ----
Round 13
[17] ----
Round 14
[18] ----
Round 15
[19] ----
Round 16
[20] ----
Round 17
[21]
Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
Leading scorers
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.
Top points scorers
[22]
| Rank | Player | Club | Games | Points |
|---|
| 1 | | | 14 | 181 |
| 2 | | | 15 | 171 |
| 3 | | | 14 | 139 |
| 4 | | | 16 | 126 |
| 5 | | | 12 | 123 |
| 6 | | | 12 | 122 |
| 7 | | | 9 | 109 |
| 8 | | | 13 | 101 |
| 9 | | | 9 | 97 |
| 10 | | | 8 | 94 | |
Top try scorers
[23]
| Rank | Player | Club | Games | Tries |
|---|
| 1 | | | 13 | 9 |
| 2 | | | 7 | 7 |
| | 16 | 7 |
| | 17 | 7 |
| 5 | | | 7 | 6 |
| | 12 | 6 |
| | 13 | 6 |
| 8 | | | 9 | 5 |
| | 10 | 5 |
| | 12 | 5 |
| | 13 | 5 |
| | 13 | 5 |
| | 14 | 5 |
| | 14 | 5 |
| | 15 | 5 |
| | 15 | 5 |
| | 15 | 5 | |
Attendances
- Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.
| Club | Home
Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|
| Agen | 9 | 74,809 | 8,312 | 13,500 | 6,009 | 59% |
| Bayonne | 9 | 129,795 | 14,422 | 16,630 | 12,517 | 85% |
| Bordeaux Bègles | 9 | 220,662 | 24,518 | 38,503 | 17,172 | 68% |
| Brive | 9 | 97,306 | 10,812 | 12,273 | 9,457 | 68% |
| Castres | 8 | 79,525 | 9,941 | 10,724 | 9,325 | 80% |
| Clermont | 8 | 134,530 | 16,816 | 18,804 | 14,957 | 88% |
| La Rochelle | 8 | 128,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 100% |
| Lyon | 9 | 130,301 | 14,478 | 16,256 | 10,778 | 58% |
| Montpellier | 8 | 91,738 | 11,467 | 16,153 | 8,000 | 63% |
| Pau | 9 | 100,752 | 11,195 | 16,153 | 8,000 | 61% |
| Racing | 9 | 135,384 | 15,043 | 26,292 | 7,102 | 49% |
| Stade Francais | 7 | 72,499 | 10,357 | 14,050 | 8,000 | 52% |
| Toulon | 9 | 122,371 | 13,597 | 17,287 | 12,124 | 75% |
| Toulouse | 8 | 167,253 | 20,907 | 33,000 | 14,573 | 90% |
|
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Top 14 - Pro D2 : les présidents d'accord pour ne pas attribuer de titre. L'Equipe. 6 May 2020.
- Web site: French try out new bonus point system . Planet-rugby.com . 27 June 2007 . 13 August 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120105/http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0%2C18259%2C3559_2450951%2C00.html . 29 September 2007 .
- Web site: Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain" . Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel . . fr . 27 August 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120217084857/http://www.lnr.fr/omm/upload/3%20-%20Titre%20II%20-%20Reglement%20sportif%202008%20-2009.pdf . 17 February 2012 .
- French rugby enjoys a popularity boom as it looks to the future . Gavin . Mortimer . Rugby World . 18 August 2016 . 10 May 2017.
- Web site: 1re journée. L'Equipe. 25 August 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#1re-journee. dead.
- Web site: 2e journée. L'Equipe. 1 September 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#2e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 3e journée. L'Equipe. 8 September 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#3e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 4e journée. L'Equipe. 15 September 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#4e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 5e journée. L'Equipe. 29 September 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#5e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 6e journée. L'Equipe. 6 October 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#6e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 7e journée. L'Equipe. 13 October 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#7e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 8e journée. L'Equipe. 20 October 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#8e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 9e journée. L'Equipe. 10 November 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#9e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 10e journée. L'Equipe. 1 December 2019. 29 July 2019. 29 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213441/https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/top-14-resultats.html#10e-journee. dead.
- Web site: 11e journée. L'Equipe. 22 December 2019.
- Web site: 12e journée. L'Equipe. 29 December 2019.
- Web site: 13e journée. L'Equipe. 5 January 2019.
- Web site: 14e journée. L'Equipe. 26 January 2019.
- Web site: 15e journée. L'Equipe. 16 February 2020.
- Web site: Top 14: Toulouse, malmené par Montpellier, signe un succès bonifié. France 24. 23 February 2020.
- Web site: 17e journée. L'Equipe. 29 February 2020.
- Web site: Classement marqueurs Top 14 2019–20 . . 1 March 2020.
- Web site: RUGBY TOP 14 : STATISTIQUES DÉTAILLÉES SAISON 2019-2020 . Ligue Nationale Rugby . 1 March 2020.
