Full name Castres Olympique Founded 1906 Arena/Stadium Stade Pierre-Antoine President Pierre-Yves Revol | League(s) Top 14 Coach Christophe Urios Location Castres, France | |
Ground(s) Stade Pierre-Antoine (Capacity: 11,500) 2015–16 6th (playoff quarter-finalists) Profiles | ||
Castres Olympique ([kastʁ olimpik]) is a French rugby union club located in the Occitanian city of Castres and is currently competing in the top level of the French league system.
Contents
Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906. They play at the Stade Pierre-Antoine, which is one of the smallest in Top 14 with a capacity of 11,500. The team wear blue and white kits.
The team won four French top-division championships in 1949, 1950, 1993 and 2013, as well as one Coupe de France in 1948.
History
In 1898 several alumni of Castres' municipal college met in a city centre bar and decided to create a team allowing them to play their favourite sport, rugby union. For the first few years this team was part of a multisport club until 1906. Unhappy with the dominating position cycling had within the club, the members of the rugby section decided to leave and create a club of their own, solely dedicated to their sport. It was decided that this club would be named Castres Olympique and its colours would be changed from yellow and black to its current blue, white and grey.
The new club reached the top flight after only 15 years of existence and has remained there ever since, bar for a couple of years during the 80s when the club was in the then Section B of the 1st division. The club has never left the 1st division since 1921.
For a while Castres Olympique would experience mixed fortunes until 1948 when they reached and won their first Coupe de France. The prestigious championship would follow a year later, and again in 1950.
From the 1960s the club would experience a stream of mediocre seasons and steady decline until Pierre Fabre, the founder of a local pharmaceutical company, decided to take over the club and restore it to its former relative glory in 1988.
The 1992–93 French Rugby Union Championship was won by Castres who beat Grenoble 14–11 in the final, but a try of Olivier Brouzet is denied to Grenoble and the decisive try by Gary Whetton was awarded by the referee, Daniel Salles, when in fact the defender Franck Hueber from Grenoble touched down the ball first in his try zone. This error gave the title to Castres. Salles admitted the error 13 years later.
The club reached the final again in 1995 losing to Toulouse.
Castres won the 2012–13 French Rugby Union Championship beating Toulon 19–14 in the final.
The team's owner, Pierre Fabre, the founder of Laboratoires Pierre Fabre. died on July 20, 2013.
Honours
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.