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Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃pɛlje eʁo ʁyɡbi klœb, -pəl-]; Occitan: Montpelhièr Erau Rugbi Club) is a French professional rugby union club, based in Montpellier, Occitanie and named after the Hérault river. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, the Top 14. They originally played at Stade Sabathé (capacity 5,000) but moved to the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, later known as Altrad Stadium, and since renamed the GGL Stadium, in 2007. They wear white and blue.
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| Full name | Montpellier Hérault Rugby | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Les Cistes (The Rockroses) Les Bleu et Blanc (The Bleu and Whites) | ||
| Founded | 1986 | ||
| Location | Montpellier, France | ||
| Ground(s) | GGL Stadium (Capacity: 15,697) | ||
| Chairman | Mohed Altrad | ||
| Coach(es) | Patrice Collazo | ||
| Captain(s) | Alexandre Bécognée Yacouba Camara Arthur Vincent | ||
| Most appearances | Fulgence Ouedraogo (340) | ||
| Top scorer | Benoît Paillaugue (1,368) | ||
| Most tries | Timoci Nagusa (92) | ||
| League(s) | Top 14 | ||
| 2023–24 | 13th | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
History
editThe club was established in 1986 through the merger of two other rugby union clubs, the Stade Montpelliérain and MUC Rugby.
In 1993 the club won the Challenge de l'Espérance.
In 2003 the club became the champion of France's second division national rugby league, the Pro D2. After finishing second in the league table at the end of the 2002–03 season, Montpellier advanced to the playoffs. They defeated Auch in the semi-finals and Tarbes in the finals to win promotion to the Top 14. The following season the club played for the European Shield, and contested the final. Played in May 2004, Montpellier defeated Italian club Viadana 25 points to 19 to win the Shield.
The club barely avoided relegation after the 2006–07 season. Winning only nine games during a twenty-six-game season, Montpellier found itself in a relegation position with only two games left to play. Thanks to a bonus-point victory in week 25, the team finished just four points ahead of Agen which was relegated to the Pro D2 at the end of the year.
After 2006–07, the club's fortunes began to improve. In June 2007, Fulgence Ouedraogo became the first Montpellier player to play on the French national rugby union team. That same summer the club's new stadium, the Stade Yves-du-Manoir (now GGL Stadium), opened. In 2007–08 Montpellier enjoyed its first winning season in the Top 14. The club made its next step up the table in 2010–11 when it unexpectedly finished sixth by a single point and made the Top 14 playoffs for the first time. The underdog squad defeated both Castres and Racing Métro to make the championship game where they were defeated 15–10 by Toulouse. Since that season, Montpellier has become a consistent playoff contender, finishing fifth in both 2011–12 and 2012–13 and second on the league table in 2013–14.
Thanks to the club's excellent 2010–11 showing, Montpellier was awarded its first spot in the Heineken Cup tournament for 2011–12. The club returned for the 2012–13 tournament and made the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Clermont. Montpellier returned for the final edition of the Heineken Cup in 2013–14, and are participating in the successor to the Heineken Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup, in 2014–15.
From 2011 the club has been chaired and funded by Mohed Altrad.[1]
Honours
edit- French championship Top 14
- European Rugby Challenge Cup
- European Shield
- Champions (1): 2004
- Pro D2
- Champions: 2003
Finals results
editFrench championship
edit| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 4 June 2011 | Stade Toulousain | 15–10 | Montpellier Hérault RC | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 77,000 |
| 2 June 2018 | Castres Olympique | 29–13 | Montpellier Hérault RC | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 79,441 |
| 24 June 2022 | Montpellier Hérault RC | 29–10 | Castres Olympique | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 78,245 |
European Rugby Challenge Cup
edit| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 13 May 2016 |  Montpellier Hérault RC
|
26-19 |  Harlequins
|
Grand Stade de Lyon, Lyon | 28,556 [2] |
| 21 May 2021 | Montpellier Hérault RC
|
18-17 | Leicester
|
Twickenham, London | 10,000 |
European Shield
edit| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 21 May 2004 | Montpellier Hérault RC
|
25-19 |  Viadana
|
Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma | 2,553 |
Current standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toulouse | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 203 | 128 | +75 | 24 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 24 | Playoffs and Qualification for 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 2 | Bordeaux Bègles | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 258 | 171 | +87 | 36 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 23 | |
| 3 | La Rochelle | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 194 | 172 | +22 | 26 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 22 | |
| 4 | Toulon | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 167 | 134 | +33 | 18 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |
| 5 | Clermont | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 176 | 182 | −6 | 23 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 19 | |
| 6 | Castres | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 213 | 179 | +34 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |
| 7 | Bayonne | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 184 | 175 | +9 | 23 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 18 | Qualification for 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 8 | Lyon | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 197 | 191 | +6 | 21 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 18 | |
| 9 | Pau | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 170 | 192 | −22 | 22 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 15 | Qualification for 2025–26 European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Racing 92 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 175 | 182 | −7 | 20 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 14 | |
| 11 | Perpignan | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 123 | 179 | −56 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| 12 | Montpellier | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 149 | 164 | −15 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 13 | Stade Français | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 131 | 211 | −80 | 15 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 9 | Qualification for Relegation play-off |
| 14 | Vannes | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 179 | 259 | −80 | 22 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 7 | Relegation to Pro D2 |
Current squad
editThe Montpellier squad for the 2023–24 season is:[3] [4]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Espoirs squad
editNote: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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Notable former players
editThis list of "famous" or "notable" people has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help improve this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (June 2012) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Savchuk, Katia (23 March 2015). "From Bedouin To Billionaire: Meet The Man Changing What It Means To Be French After Charlie Hebdo". Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ "REPORT: Montpellier claim maiden Challenge Cup crown : European Rugby Challenge Cup (EPCR)". Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
- ^ "Effectif - Montpellier Hérault Rugby" (in French). Montpellier Rugby. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Montpellier squad for season 2023/2024". All Rugby. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
External links
edit- (in French) Montpellier Hérault Rugby Club official website