| Current Season: | 2023–24 Rugby Pro D2 season |
| Pixels: | 170px |
| Sport: | Rugby union |
| Administrator: | LNR |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Levels: | Level 2 |
| Promotion: | Top 14 |
| Relegation: | Nationale |
| Champion: | Oyonnax (3rd title) |
| Champ Season: | 2022–23 |
| Most Champs: | Lyon (3 titles) |
| Website: | Pro D2 |
Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was introduced in 2000. It is the world's best supported second tier rugby union league.
There are 30 rounds in the regular season, with each team playing each other home and away.
There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Nationale, the third-level competition. The top two clubs at the end of the season qualify automatically for home semi-finals, with the clubs placed 3rd through to 6th playing in an elimination round to advance to the semi-finals. The two winners of the semi-final play each other in the final, with the winner gaining promotion to the Top 14, and the losing finalist then going on to play the 13th placed team in the Top 14 in a promotion-relegation match. The bottom placed (16th) team is automatically relegated to the Nationale division, and the 15th placed team plays the losing finalist from the Nationale division in a promotion-relegation match.
All promotions are contingent on passing a postseason financial audit required for all clubs. Also, if a club above the bottom two places fails the audit, it may be relegated in the place of a club that would otherwise have been relegated. This was especially an issue in the 2015–16 season, when four clubs faced at least the prospect of relegation for financial reasons. During the season, Tarbes were dropped to Fédérale 1 effective with the 2016–17 season, and Biarritz, Bourgoin and Narbonne were also dropped at the end of the season, pending appeals.[1] Ultimately, Biarritz, Bourgoin, and Narbonne all won their appeals and remained in Pro D2.[2] [3]
In August 2016, LNR released a strategic plan outlining its vision for French rugby through the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The plan includes significant changes to the top levels of the league system, with Pro D2 seeing especially dramatic changes starting with the 2017–18 season.[4]
2022–23 season
Position Team P W D L GF GA +/- PTS1 RC VANNES 27 16 2 9 682 441 241 822 PROVENCE RUGBY 27 17 2 8 689 588 101 813 BÉZIERS 27 16 1 10 734 635 99 764 GRENOBLE 27 17 0 10 743 621 122 705 DAX 27 15 1 11 555 619 -64 696 MONT-DE-MARSAN 27 14 1 12 691 566 125 687 USON NEVERS 27 14 0 13 616 551 65 688 BRIVE 27 13 1 13 584 539 45 629 COLOMIERS RUGBY 27 12 1 14 613 585 28 6010 VALENCE ROMANS 27 12 0 15 556 542 14 5711 AURILLAC 27 12 1 14 512 661 -149 5612 SU AGEN 27 12 1 14 528 650 -122 5613 SOYAUX-ANGOULÊME XV 27 11 2 14 499 544 -45 5414 BIARRITZ 27 10 0 17 562 724 -162 4915 US MONTALBANAISE 27 10 0 17 509 680 -171 4516 ROUEN NORMANDIE RUGBY 27 8 1 18 518 645 -127 43
Starting in the 2017-18 Pro D2 season LNR introduced a new playoff format which the top six teams in the table would qualify for. Teams finishing first and second in the table would receive a bye while the third through sixth teams contest the first playoff round, with the winners advancing to play away in the semi-final. The Pro D2 final is then held at the home ground of the highest remaining seed, the winner of this game is crowned Pro D2 champions and gains direct promotion to the Top 14, replacing the team who finished bottom in the table.
The runner up contests an access match at their home ground against the team who finished second bottom in the Top 14, for the right to play in the Top 14 the next season.
Starting in the 2023–24 season the second bottom side in the Pro D2 contests a similar access match with the runner up of the Nationale, with both teams playing for the right to play in the Pro D2 the next year.
| Season | ProD2 Playoff Champion | Top14 Access Match | Top14 Access Result | ProD2 Access Match | ProD2 Access Result | Direct Relegation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | RC Vannes | Grenoble vs Montpellier | 18–20, Montpellier stay in the Top 14 | 19-20, Montauban stay in the Pro D2 [5] | Rouen NR | ||
| 2022–23 | Oyonnax | Grenoble vs USA Perpignan | 19-33, Perpignan stay in the Top 14[6] | Carcassonne, Massy | |||
| 2021–22 | Bayonne | Stade Montois vs USA Perpignan | 16-41, Perpignan stay in the Top 14[7] | Narbonne, Bourg-en-Bresse | |||
| 2020–21 | Perpignan | Biarritz vs Bayonne | 6-6 AET (6–5 on penalties), Biarritz won promotion to the Top 14[8] | Soyaux Angoulême, Valence Romans | |||
| 2019–20 | League suspended after 23 rounds and ultimately cancelled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.[9] | ||||||
| 2018–19 | Bayonne | Brive vs Grenoble | 28-22, Brive won promotion to the Top 14[10] | Massy, Bourg-en-Bresse | |||
| 2017–18 | Perpignan | Grenoble vs Oyonnax | 47–22, Grenoble won promotion to the Top 14 [11] | Narbonne, Dax | |||
Following the reduction of the Top 16 to the Top 14 the promotion format for the Pro D2 was changed to increase competition in the playoffs, as previously there was no jeopardy for the team having already won the league. Starting in the 2005–06 season the team finishing at the top of the table in the regular season was declared the winner and received automatic promotion to the Top 14. Teams placed 2nd through 5th then played in a direct playoff format to fight for the 2nd promotion slot.
During the 2004–05 season a playoff occurred in the Pro D2, however instead of automatic promotion, as would follow, the playoff winner became host for an Access Match for the 13th finishing side in the then Top 16. This match was won comprehensively by Section Paloise, meaning Stade Aurillacois were not promoted.
For the first season of the Pro D2 it was decided that promotion would be given to the top two sides in the table, however following that first year a playoff format was introduced, with the top 4 sides qualifying and playing in a single elimination bracket to decide the champion for that season, and subsequent promotion to the Top 14. The second promotion slot was given to the remaining playoff team which had the highest position in the league table.
| Season | Champion | Additionally Promoted | Relegated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Auch | Bayonne, finished 1st in the table | Bordeaux-Bègles |
| 2002–03 | Montpellier | Brive, finished 1st in the table | Aubenas Vals, Marmande |
| 2001–02 | Mont-de-Marsan | Grenoble, finished 2nd in the table | |