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Stade Rochelais
Stade Rochelais are the pride of La Rochelle in France. The team represents the city in the Top 14, which is France's top rugby union competition. Most rugby fans simply refer to Stade Rochelais as La Rochelle.
The history of the La Rochelle Rugby team can be traced all the way back to 1896, when Stade Rochelais was created in the form of an athletic sports company. However, it took until 1898 for La Rochelle Rugby Club to be officially recognised.
Truly, this is a golden era for La Rochelle Rugby. On this page, you'll be able to keep up with all the latest news about Stade Rochelais. You'll also find the side's upcoming fixtures and latest results.
Over the following years, the club's rugby team was developed by George Henry Jackson (who would be a future president of the club) and the United States Consul in La Rochelle. Progress was swift. By 1906, Stade Rochelais won their first ever title after being crowned as the Atlantic champions. In addition, the La Rochelle Rugby side also reached the quarter-final stage of the French championship. By the time of the First World War, the club had won three Atlantic championships.
The inter-war years were much leaner for La Rochelle and German occupation in World War Two meant the team was unable to play. However, the team managed to form properly once more in 1948 and the side quickly ascended to the Federal, which was the highest level of rugby at the time. Quickly following this, between 1949 and 1954, the team went 28 games without a defeat at home!
When the professional era of rugby arrived, La Rochelle established themselves at the elite level. Since 2014-15, La Rochelle Rugby have competed at the top level of French rugby every season. In the 2016-17 season, the side even topped the Top 14 table at the end of the round-robin stage, although they were sadly beaten by Toulon at the semi-final stage. They also fell at the same stage of the tournament in the 2018-19 season, when they finished fifth in the league.
During this successful period, the La Rochelle Rugby team have also represented France in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup. In 2018-19, the team reached the final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, but they were unfortunately beaten by Clermont in the final. The side has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals stage of the Champions Cup.