CA Brive

Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive (French pronunciation: [bʁiv]) or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department. They compete in the first-tier Top 14 competition.

CA Brive
Full nameClub Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin
Nickname(s)Les Coujous
Les Gaillards (The Strapping Lads)
Les Noir et Blanc (The Black and Whites)
Les Zèbres (The Zebras)
Founded1910 (1910)
LocationBrive-la-Gaillarde, France
Ground(s)Stade Amédée-Domenech (Capacity: 14,759)
PresidentSimon Gillham
Coach(es)Patrice Collazo
Captain(s)Saïd Hireche
Most appearances Jean-Claude Roques (373)
Top scorer Jean-François Thiot (1796)
Most tries Jean-Pierre Puidebois (115)
League(s)Top 14
2021–2212th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.cabrive-rugby.com

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 May 21 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

Date Winner Runner-Up Score Stadium Attendance
25 January 1997 Brive Leicester Tigers 28–9 Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff 41,664
31 January 1998 Bath Brive 19–18 Parc Lescure, Bordeaux 36,500

French Rugby Union Championship

Date Winner Runner-up Score Stadium Attendance
23 May 1965 Agen Brive 15–8 Stade de Gerland, Lyon 28,758
21 May 1972 Béziers Brive 9–0 Stade de Gerland, Lyon 31,161
18 May 1975 Béziers Brive 13–12 Parc des Princes, Paris 39,991
1 June 1996 Toulouse Brive 20–13 Parc des Princes, Paris 48,162

Challenge Yves du Manoir

Date Winner Runner-up Score Stadium Attendance
8 June 1963 Agen Brive 11–0 Parc des Princes, Paris N/A
18 May 1974 Narbonne Brive 19–10 Stade Yves du Manoir, Colombes 15,000
27 January 1996 Brive Pau 12–6 Stade Charléty, Paris 13,000

Coupe de France

Date Winner Runner-up Score Stadium Attendance
1 June 2000 Biarritz Brive 24–13 Parc Lescure, Bordeaux 17,500

Current standings

Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Toulouse 16 11 1 4 8 413 266 +147 54 Champions Cup & Top 14 finals
2 Stade Français 16 9 1 6 8 426 265 +161 46
3 La Rochelle 16 9 0 7 6 401 309 +92 42
4 Racing 92 16 9 1 6 4 443 414 +29 42
5 Bayonne 16 9 1 6 2 370 359 +11 40
6 Bordeaux Bègles 16 8 1 7 6 360 324 +36 40
7 Lyon 16 9 0 7 4 384 384 0 40 Challenge Cup
8 Montpellier 16 8 0 8 6 384 357 +27 38
9 Toulon 16 8 0 8 3 361 334 +27 35
10 Castres 16 7 1 8 2 321 376 55 32
11 Clermont 16 6 1 9 5 345 407 62 31
12 Pau 16 5 1 10 5 337 395 58 27
13 Brive 16 5 0 11 5 267 435 168 25 Relegation play-off
14 Perpignan 16 5 0 11 2 249 436 187 22 Relegation to Rugby Pro D2
Updated to match(es) played on 29 January 2023. Source: Top 14
Rules for classification: 1) Competition points earned in head-to-head matches; 2) Points difference in head-to-head matches; 3) Try differential in head-to-head matches; 4) Points difference in all matches; 5) Try differential in all matches; 6) Points scored in all matches; 7) Tries scored in all matches; 8) Fewer matches forfeited; 9) Classification in the previous Top 14 season.

Current squad

The Brive squad for the 2022–23 season:[4]

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Lucas Da Silva Hooker France
Florian Dufour Hooker France
Vano Karkadze Hooker Georgia
Motu Matu'u Hooker Samoa
Daniel Brennan Prop France
Pietro Ceccarelli Prop Italy
Luka Japaridze Prop Georgia
Yann Lagane Prop France
Wesley Tapueluelu Prop Tonga
Tietie Tuimauga Prop Samoa
Marcel van der Merwe Prop South Africa
Julien Delannoy Lock France
Lucas Paulos Lock Argentina
Tevita Ratuva Lock Fiji
Renger van Eerten Lock Netherlands
Andres Zafra Lock Colombia
Esteban Abadie Back row France
Noe Bedou Back row France
Arthur Bruges Back row France
Rodrigo Bruni Back row Argentina
Sasha Ford Back row France
Saïd Hireche Back row Algeria
Mesu Kunavula Back row Fiji
Retief Marais Back row South Africa
Abraham Papali'i Back row New Zealand
Mattieu Voisin Back row France
Player Position Union
Paul Abadie Scrum-half France
Vasil Lobzhanidze Scrum-half Georgia
Enzo Sanga Scrum-half France
Enzo Herve Fly-half France
Tanguy Lacoste Fly-half France
Stuart Olding Fly-half Ireland
Sammy Arnold Centre Ireland
Tom Danovaro Centre France
Maxence Darthou Centre France
Guillaume Galletier Centre France
Nico Lee Centre South Africa
Setariki Tuicuvu Centre Fiji
Setareki Bituniyata Wing Fiji
Wesley Douglas Wing England
Aaron Grandidier Wing France
Axel Müller Wing Argentina
Valentin Tirefort Wing France
Arthur Bonneval Fullback France
Joris Jurand Fullback France
Thomas Laranjeira Fullback France

Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Gregan Fonteille Hooker France
Aymeric Tronc Hooker France
Francisco Coria Marchetti Prop Argentina
Daniel Fereti Prop Fiji
Nathan Fraissenon Prop France
Joeli Matalaweru Lock Fiji
Oskar Rixen Lock Germany
Arthur Bruges Back row France
David Geneste Back row France
Loan Lavergne Back row France
Benjamin Lefranc Back row France
Teun Karst Back row Netherlands
Max Lestro Back row Fiji
Geoffrey Malaterre Back row France
Sasha Gue Back row France
Player Position Union
Noe Bros Scrum-half France
Leo Carbonneau Scrum-half France
Mathis Ferte Scrum-half France
Tanguy Lacoste Fly-half France
Tom Raffy Fly-half France
Maxence Biasotto Centre France
Maxime Claux Centre France
Tom Danovaro Centre France
Kevin Fabien Centre Russia
Georges Shvelidze Centre France
Kaj Verhoorn Centre Netherlands
Eliot Marquis Wing France
Jeremy Trevithick Wing Spain
Nic Krone Fullback South Africa

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

References

  1. Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
  2. Pope, Bruce (23 February 1997). "Brive out with the washing". The Independent. London: INM. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  3. Imakhoukhene, Hamid (19 May 2013). "Brive ne l'a pas volée". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  4. "Effectif". CA Brive (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2022.
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