CA Brive
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| Full name | Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 | |||
| Location | Brive-la-Gaillarde, France | |||
| Ground(s) | Stade Amédée-Domenech (Capacity: 13,979[1]) | |||
| President | Jean-Jacques Bertrand | |||
| Coach(es) | Nicolas Godignon | |||
| Captain(s) | Arnaud Mela | |||
| League(s) | Top 14 | |||
| 2015–16 | 8th | |||
| 
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| Official website | ||||
| www | ||||
CA Brive (Occitan: Club Atletic Briva Corresa Lemosin), is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the New Aquitaine région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech (capacity 15,000).
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 5). That year however, they won the famed 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.[2] They are the only club to win the European Cup without ever winning the 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.[3] In 1998 Brive again reached the final of the Heineken Cup, this time against Bath. They came agonizingly 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 and 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 lose against Pau. In 2009, after taking the sixth place of the Championship, the Black and White could participate to the Heineken Cup, but the competition was difficult for them, against the Europeans champions the Leinster, the Llanelli Scarlets and the London Irish.
After difficulties and a relegation in second division in 2012, they return in Top 14 next year, in defeat Pau.[4]
Players past and present
Brive have bred some 30 players who went on to play for France. Among them, Amédée Domenech, nicknamed "Le Duc"" ("the Duke") who played there in the 50s and 60s, and gave his name to the stadium shortly after his death in 2003. Prolific flanker Olivier Magne, fly-half Christophe Lamaison or Alain Penaud, number-eight Jean-Luc Joinel and hooker Michel Yachvili, the father of Dimitri Yachvili, also wore the CAB jersey. Argentinian fly-half Lisandro Arbizu and powerful prop Christian Martin also played for them. Two French internationals are currently playing for Brive, fullback Alexis Palisson and Arnaud Méla. But the club has become home to many Pacific Islanders including the Fijian Norman Ligairi, the Samoa and Gloucester legend Terry Fanolua and Tongan Suka Hufanga. They recently signed Welsh International, Barry Davies from the Llanelli Scarlets and Andy Goode from the Leicester Tigers, and have also signed New Zealand-born England international Riki Flutey from London Wasps effective with the 2009–10 season.
Finals results
French championship
| Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Stadium | Spectators | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1965 | SU Agen | CA Brive | 15–8 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon | 28.758 | 
| 21 May 1972 | AS Béziers | CA Brive | 9–0 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon | 31.161 | 
| 18 May 1975 | AS Béziers | CA Brive | 13–12 | Parc des Princes, Paris | 39.991 | 
| 1 June 1996 | Stade Toulousain | CA Brive | 20–13 | Parc des Princes, Paris | 48.162 | 
Challenge Yves du Manoir
| Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Stadium | Spectators | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 1963 | Pau | CA Brive | 12-6 | Stade Charléty, Paris | 13.000 | 
| 18 May 1974 | RC Narbonne | CA Brive | 19–10 | Stade Yves du Manoir, Colombes | |
| 27 January 1996 | CA Brive | SU Agen | 11–0 | Parc des Princes, Paris | 13.000 | 
Coupe de France
| Date | Winner | Runner-up | Score | Stadium | Spectators | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2000 | Biarritz Olympique | CA Brive | 24-13 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 
Heineken Cup
| Date | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Stadium | Spectators | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 1997 | CA Brive | Leicester Tigers | 28–9 | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | 41.664 | 
| 31 January 1998 | Bath Rugby | CA Brive | 19–18 | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 36.500 | 
Current standings
| 
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| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points For | Points Against | Points Diff. | Tries For | Tries Against | Try Bonus | Losing Bonus | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clermont | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 378 | 286 | +92 | 38 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 41 | ||||
| 2 | Montpellier | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 318 | 253 | +65 | 26 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 37 | ||||
| 3 | La Rochelle | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 312 | 265 | +47 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 36 | ||||
| 4 | Toulon | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 336 | 266 | +90 | 32 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 36 | ||||
| 5 | Bordeaux | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 316 | 297 | +19 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 34 | ||||
| 6 | Castres | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 335 | 259 | +76 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 34 | ||||
| 7 | Toulouse | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 272 | 252 | +20 | 25 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 33 | ||||
| 8 | Racing | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 291 | 285 | +6 | 29 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 32 | ||||
| 9 | Stade Français | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 338 | 313 | +25 | 33 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 29 | ||||
| 10 | Brive | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 288 | 341 | –53 | 19 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 27 | ||||
| 11 | Pau | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 296 | 342 | –46 | 27 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 25 | ||||
| 12 | Lyon | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 263 | 298 | –35 | 19 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 24 | ||||
| 13 | Bayonne | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 188 | 341 | –153 | 11 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 16 | ||||
| 14 | Grenoble | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 297 | 430 | –193 | 28 | 40 | 1 | 5 | 14 | ||||
| If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: 
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| Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup. Blue background (rows 3 to 6) receive quarter-final play-off places, and receive berths in the Champions Cup. Yellow background (row 7) advances to a play-off for a chance to compete in the Champions Cup. Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Red background (row 13 and 14) will be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Final table | |||||||||||||||||
Current squad
2016-17 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Notable former players
 Horacio Agulla Horacio Agulla
 Lisandro Arbizu Lisandro Arbizu
 Christian Martin Christian Martin
 Peter FitzSimons Peter FitzSimons
 Mark Giacheri Mark Giacheri
 John Welborn John Welborn
 Scott Franklin Scott Franklin
 Phil Christophers Phil Christophers
 Ben Cohen Ben Cohen
 Riki Flutey Riki Flutey
 Andy Goode Andy Goode
 Jamie Noon Jamie Noon
 Shaun Perry Shaun Perry
 Steve Thompson Steve Thompson
 Norman Ligairi Norman Ligairi
 Mathieu Bélie Mathieu Bélie
 Pascal Bomati Pascal Bomati
 Sébastien Bonetti Sébastien Bonetti
 Terry Bouhraoua Terry Bouhraoua
 Jacques Boussuge Jacques Boussuge
 Pierre Capdevielle Pierre Capdevielle
 Julien Caminati Julien Caminati
 Philippe Carbonneau Philippe Carbonneau
 Alain Carminati Alain Carminati
 Sébastien Carrat Sébastien Carrat
 Valentin Courrent Valentin Courrent
 Benjamin Dambielle Benjamin Dambielle
 Thierry Devergie Thierry Devergie
 Amédée Domenech Amédée Domenech
 Yves Donguy Yves Donguy
 Fabrice Estebanez Fabrice Estebanez
 Jérôme Guisset Jérôme Guisset
 Dominique Harize Dominique Harize
 Cédric Heymans Cédric Heymans
 Nicolas Jeanjean Nicolas Jeanjean
 Jean-Luc Joinel Jean-Luc Joinel
 Virgile Lacombe Virgile Lacombe
 Julien Laharrague Julien Laharrague
 Christophe Lamaison Christophe Lamaison
 Olivier Magne Olivier Magne
 Rodolphe Modin Rodolphe Modin
 Vincent Moscato Vincent Moscato
 Alexis Palisson Alexis Palisson
 Alain Penaud Alain Penaud
 Maxime Petitjean Maxime Petitjean
 Farid Sid Farid Sid
 Scott Spedding Scott Spedding
 Laurent Travers Laurent Travers
 Ludovic Valbon Ludovic Valbon
 Loïc Van Der Linden Loïc Van Der Linden
 David Venditti David Venditti
 Elvis Vermeulen Elvis Vermeulen
 Sébastien Viars Sébastien Viars
 Pierre Villepreux Pierre Villepreux
 Dimitri Yachvili Dimitri Yachvili
 Michel Yachvili Michel Yachvili
 David Khinchagishvili David Khinchagishvili
 Goderdzi Shvelidze Goderdzi Shvelidze
 Damian Browne Damian Browne
 Christian Short Christian Short
 Valerio Bernabò Valerio Bernabò
 Luciano Orquera Luciano Orquera
 Poutasi Luafutu Poutasi Luafutu
 Brad Mika Brad Mika
 Viliame Waqaseduadua Viliame Waqaseduadua
 Grzegorz Kacala Grzegorz Kacala
 Petru Bălan Petru Bălan
 Alexandru Manta Alexandru Manta
 Sorin Socol Sorin Socol
 Petrişor Toderasc Petrişor Toderasc
 Antonie Claassen Antonie Claassen
 Terry Fanolua Terry Fanolua
 Mike Blair Mike Blair
 Tom Smith Tom Smith
 Gregor Townsend Gregor Townsend
 Suka Hufanga Suka Hufanga
 Barry Davies Barry Davies
 Alix Popham Alix Popham
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.laprovence.com/rc-toulon-resultats?rugby/equipe/10/brive
- ↑ Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
- ↑ Pope, Bruce (23 February 1997). "Brive out with the washing". The Independent. London: INM. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ↑ Imakhoukhene, Hamid (19 May 2013). "Brive ne l'a pas volée". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 11 July 2014.
External links
- (French) CA Brive Official website
- Unofficial fan's site
- CA Brive profile on Rugby15











