Lyon OU Rugby explained

Teamname:Lyon OU
Fullname:Lyon Olympique Universitaire
Nickname:Le LOU
Location:Lyon, France
Ground:Stade de Gerland
Capacity:25,000
Chairman:GL Events
President:Yann Roubert
Coach:Fabien Gengenbacher
Captain:Baptiste Couilloud
Jordan Taufua
Url:www.lourugby.fr
Pattern La1:_LyonOURugby2324h
Pattern B1:_LyonOURugby2324h
Pattern Ra1:_LyonOURugby2324h
Pattern Sh1:_LyonOURugby2324H
Pattern So1:_LyonOURugby2324h
Socks1:1F1B1C
Pattern La2:_LyonOURugby2324a
Pattern B2:_LyonOURugby2324a
Pattern Ra2:_LyonOURugby2324a
Pattern Sh2:_LyonOURugby2324a
Pattern So2:_LyonOURugby2324a
Socks2:9B0828

Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby or LOU is a French professional rugby union team based in Lyon that currently competes in the Top 14, the highest level of the country's professional league system, having been most recently promoted for the 2016–17 season after winning the 2015–16 title of the second-level Pro D2. The club has bounced between the top two levels in recent years, having also been promoted in 2011 and 2014 and relegated in 2012 and 2015.

They were founded in 1896 and play in red and black. In 2011, the team left the Stade Vuillermet to the new Matmut Stadium. In 2017 the team moved to the Matmut Stadium de Gerland.

History

Le LOU, as it is traditionally known, is one of the oldest sports clubs in France and among the first outside Paris to have set up a rugby section. The club’s original name was Racing Club, the result of a merger of the Racing Club de Vaise and the Rugby Club de Lyon. It was renamed Racing et Cercles Réunis in 1902 after several other clubs joined it, then a few months later Lyon Olympique. Finally, in 1910, it became Lyon Olympique Universitaire. The red and black were adopted in 1902.

The club developed several sections (it now has 13), one of the most successful being the rugby union section, which is now known as LOU Rugby. The rugby club took part in three successive French championship finals (1931–33), losing the first one to Toulon (3-6) but winning the next two against Narbonne (9-3 and 10-3). It then played in lower amateur leagues until it was promoted back to the second professional division (Pro D2). In 2006-07, it had the second biggest budget of the championship and its ambition was to rejoin the Top 14 in the next two years, under the leadership of their coach Christian Lanta, who formerly led Racing Club de France, Italian club Treviso and Agen. However, they would not succeed in their promotion quest until 2011. Since then, they have been a proverbial "yo-yo team", having been either relegated or promoted four times in the six seasons since their 2011 promotion.

Honours

Finals results

French championship

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueSpectators
10 May 1931RC Toulon6-3 Lyon OUParc Lescure, Bordeaux10,000
5 May 1932Lyon OU9-3RC NarbonneParc Lescure, Bordeaux13,000
7 May 1933Lyon OU10-3RC NarbonneParc Lescure, Bordeaux15,000

European Rugby Challenge Cup

DateWinnerScoreRunners-upVenueSpectators
27 May 2022 Lyon OU30–12 RC ToulonStade Vélodrome, Marseille51,431

Challenge Yves du Manoir

DateWinnersScoreRunners-up
1932SU Agenalign=center round robinLyon OU
1933 Lyon OUalign=center round robinSU Agen

Current squad

The Lyon squad for the 2023–24 season is:[1] [2]

Espoirs squad

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Site officiel . LOU Rugby.fr . 17 December 2023. 17 December 2023. fr.
  2. News: Lyon squad for season 2023/2024 . All Rugby . 17 December 2023. 17 December 2023.