Rugby Pro D2

Updated on Oct 05, 2024

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Sport Rugby union Country France Promotion to Top 14 Number of teams 16		No. of teams 16 Most recent champion(s) Lyon Relegation to Fédérale 1 Date founded 2000

Teams USA Perpignan, CS Bourgoin‑Jallieu, Oyonnax Rugby, Biarritz Olympique, SU Agen Lot‑et‑Garonne Profiles Facebook YouTube

Compte rendu du match de rugby pro d2 rc vannes perpignan

Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second division of domestic club rugby union in France. Both leagues are operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Rugby Pro D2, directly below the first division, Top 14, was introduced in 2000.

Derby rugby pro d2 bourgoin jallieu lyon

Season structure

There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition. The top club at the end of the season is automatically promoted to the Top 14; through the 2016–17 season, the 2nd through 5th place teams play each other for the second promotion place. The bottom two are automatically relegated to Fédérale 1. The bottom two clubs of the Top 14 and the top two of Fédérale 1 then enter the Rugby Pro D2 for the next season.

There are 30 rounds in the regular season, with each team playing each other team home and away. The two halves of the season are played in the same order, with the away team in the first half of the season at home in the second half. The semi-finals and final take place in May, with the second- and third-place teams hosting the semi-finals and the final taking place at a predetermined site. At present, 16 clubs compete in the competition.

All promotions are contingent on passing a postseason financial audit required for all clubs. Also, if a club above the bottom two places fails the audit, it may be relegated in the place of a club that would otherwise have been relegated. This was especially an issue in the 2015–16 season, when four clubs faced at least the prospect of relegation for financial reasons. During the season, Tarbes were dropped to Fédérale 1 effective with the 2016–17 season, and Biarritz, Bourgoin and Narbonne were also dropped at the end of the season, pending appeals. Ultimately, Biarritz, Bourgoin, and Narbonne all won their appeals and remained in Pro D2.

Changes for 2017–18 and beyond

In August 2016, LNR released a strategic plan outlining its vision for French rugby through the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The plan includes significant changes to the top levels of the league system, with Pro D2 seeing especially dramatic changes starting with the 2017–18 season.

Starting with 2017–18, Pro D2 will adopt a playoff system identical to that of the Top 14, with the top six teams on the league table qualifying. The top two teams receive byes into the semifinals, where they will face the winners of quarterfinal matches involving the remaining four sides.

Only the Pro D2 champions will be assured of promotion to the Top 14. The losing finalist will enter a playoff with the second-from-bottom Top 14 side, with the winner taking up the final Top 14 place.

There will also be major changes regarding promotion from Fédérale 1 to Pro D2. While two teams will continue to be promoted each season, the current system of two semifinal winners receiving automatic promotion to Pro D2 will be scrapped. Instead, only the winner of the promotion playoffs will be promoted. The second promotion place will go to a "wildcard" club chosen by LNR meeting the following criteria:

Must be located in northern France (with the dividing line running approximately from La Rochelle to Lyon)

Have a long-term development plan

Location in an area that can demographically and economically support a fully professional club

The "wildcard" promotions will occur for three seasons (through 2019–20), after which LNR will create a third fully professional league below Pro D2.

Current teams

2016–17 season

Changes in the lineup from 2015–16 were:

Lyon won the 2015–16 Pro D2 title and were thereby automatically promoted to the Top 14. Bayonne won the promotion playoffs to secure the second promotion place.

The bottom finisher in 2015–16, Provence, was relegated from Pro D2 to Fédérale 1. For the second straight season, Dax was the second-from-bottom team, but was spared relegation due to the financial troubles of another club. This time, Tarbes was administratively relegated from Pro D2 to Fédérale 1.

The two bottom finishers in the 2015–16 Top 14 season, Agen and Oyonnax, were relegated to Pro D2.

The two winners of the Fédérale 1 promotion playoffs, Soyaux Angoulême and Vannes, earned promotion.

Table

The current table for the 2016–17 Rugby Pro D2 is:

References

Rugby Pro D2 Wikipedia

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