CA Brive explained

Teamname:CA Brive
Fullname:Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin
Nickname:Les Coujous
Les Gaillards (The Strapping Lads)
Les Noir et Blanc (The Black and Whites)
Les Zèbres (The Zebras)
Location:Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
Countryflag:France
Ground:Stade Amédée-Domenech
Capacity:14,759
President:Simon Gillham
Coach:Pierre Henry-Broncan
Captain:Saïd Hireche
Appearances: Jean-Claude Roques (373)
Top Scorer: Jean-François Thiot (1796)
Most Tries: Jean-Pierre Puidebois (115)
Url:www.cabrive-rugby.com/
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Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive (in French pronounced as /bʁiv/) or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department.

Brive is a historical member of French rugby union, being one of the clubs that spent the most seasons in the top French domestic competition. "Les Coujous" also won the Heineken Cup in 1997, defeating Leicester Tigers in the final in a 28-9 win.

Many great players, both French and foreign, played for the club currently headed by Simon Gillham, and the youth academy has a good reputation. Brive players who also on to play for France include: Amédée Domenech, nicknamed "Le Duc" ("The Duke") who played there in the 1950s and 60s, and gave his name to the stadium after his death in 2003; prolific flanker Olivier Magne, fly-halves Christophe Lamaison and Alain Penaud, number-eight Jean-Luc Joinel and hooker Michel Yachvili, the father of Dimitri Yachvili, also wore the black and white jersey.

Their home ground is the 14,759-capacity Stade Amédée-Domenech and the club colours are black and white.

History

The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on 12 October 1912. Before the Second World War, Brive changed from rugby union to rugby league but returned to union after the war.

It played regularly in the First Division, and established itself as the stronghold of rugby in Limousin but for many years its only title was a Second Division trophy won in 1957. Brive did not make it to the final of the First Division championship until 1965. On 23 May that year they met SU Agen at Stade de Gerland in Lyon only to lose 15–8. Brive next made it to the final in the 1972 season, where they faced AS Béziers on 21 May in Lyon again, and again the Black and White came out the losers, as Béziers won their second consecutive title (9–0). Brive met AS Béziers in the final again three season later, in 1975. By then, Béziers had become the unbeatable team of the decade, and they won their fifth title, this time by just one point (13–12), at Parc des Princes in Paris.

Brive experienced a resurgence in the middle of the 1990s, first in 1996, when they made their first finals appearance since the mid-1970s in Paris. Brive however went down 20–13 to Stade Toulousain. It was their fourth losing final. Only one club have lost more finals without winning one than them (US Dax, on five). That year however, they won the Challenge Yves du Manoir, defeating Pau 12–6. The following season, they made it to the final of the Heineken Cup where they faced the Leicester Tigers from England at Cardiff Arms Park. Brive finally won a final, defeating the Tigers 28–9.[1] They are the only club to win the European Cup without ever winning their domestic championship.

On 22 February 1997, Brive, as European champions, were pitted against Auckland Blues who had recently won the Super 12. The French team were no competition to an extra powerful Kiwi side which won easily 47–11.[2] In 1998 Brive again reached the final of the Heineken Cup, this time against Bath. They came close to capturing back-to-back titles, losing by just one point, 19–18 at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux.

Since then, however, the club has been in dire straits, as it was subjected to a punitive relegation to the second division in 2000 due to bad financial management. They bounced back two years later but have struggled ever since in the lower echelons of the league table, except in 2004 when they managed to qualify for the playoffs. In 2005, Brive went to the semi-finals of European Challenge Cup, but they lost to Pau. In 2009, after taking the sixth place of the Championship, the Black and White could participate in the Heineken Cup, but the competition was difficult for them, against the Europeans champions Leinster, Llanelli Scarlets and London Irish.

After difficulties and a relegation to the second division in 2012, Brive returned to the Top 14 the following year, after defeating Pau.[3]

Honours

Finals results

Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueSpectators
25 January 1997 CA Brive28–9 Leicester TigersCardiff Arms Park, Cardiff41,664
31 January 1998 Bath19–18 CA BriveParc Lescure, Bordeaux36,500

French championship

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueSpectators
23 May 1965SU Agen15–8CA BriveStade de Gerland, Lyon28,758
21 May 1972AS Béziers9–0CA BriveStade de Gerland, Lyon31,161
18 May 1975AS Béziers13–12CA BriveParc des Princes, Paris39,991
1 June 1996Stade Toulousain20–13CA BriveParc des Princes, Paris48,162

Challenge Yves du Manoir

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upSpectators
8 June 1963SU Agen11–0CA Brive
18 May 1974RC Narbonne19–10CA Brive15,000
27 January 1996CA Brive12–6Section Paloise13,000

French Cup

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueSpectators
1 June 2000Biarritz Olympique24–13CA BriveParc Lescure, Bordeaux17,500

Current squad

The Brive squad for the 2023–24 season is:[4] [5]

Espoirs squad

Notable former players

The following are players who have represented their country, players who have won a title with the club, players who have played a sufficient number of games to go down in the club history or players who came from the academy and have made a significant career in another team:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. 1997. Headline Book Publishing. London. 0-7472-7732-X. Mick Cleary and John Griffiths.
  2. News: Brive out with the washing . Bruce . Pope . . 23 February 1997 . . . 0951-9467 . 185201487 . 11 July 2014.
  3. Web site: Brive ne l'a pas volée . Hamid . Imakhoukhene . . 19 May 2013 . 11 July 2014. fr.
  4. Web site: Effectif . 2024-05-07 . CA BRIVE RUGBY SITE OFFICIEL . fr-fr.
  5. News: Brive squad for season 2023/2024 . All Rugby . 7 May 2024. 7 May 2024.