USA Perpignan

Perpignan

Full name	Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais
Founded	1902
Location	Perpignan, France
Ground(s)	Stade Aimé Giral
Capacity	14,593
President	Paul Goze
Coach(es)	Franck Azema / Bernard Goutta
Captain(s)	Perry Freshwater / Nicolas Mas
League(s)	Top 14
2008–09	Champions
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.usap.fr

Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais (French) or Unió Esportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà (Catalan), generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. It currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French league system, which it won 22-13 in the 2008 - 09 Top 14 Season against Clermont Auvergne

The club was founded in 1902 as AS Perpignan, renamed US Perpignan in 1919 and adopted its present name in 1933. Perpignan plays at Stade Aimé Giral (capacity 13,000). The club wears the Catalan red and gold colours.

History

The club was established in 1902 as AS Perpignan. It would be in 1914 that the club would go on to make its first ever final appearance. On 3 May, Perpignan players defeated Stadoceste Tarbais eight points to seven at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse in front of 15,000 people. Several of these champions were killed some months later in World War I and, to honour their sacrifice, it was decided to colour USAP jersey like a Poilu uniform.

Four years after the championship in 1914, the club was renamed as US Perpignan. Under the new club name, US Perpignan made it to the final of the French championship three seasons after the change. On 17 April 1921, Perpignan defeated Stade Toulousain five points to nil at Parc des Sports de Sauclières in Béziers and thus claiming their second championship. Three seasons later, the finalists of 1921 would meet again in the final of 1924, though this time Toulouse won the game, three points to nil in Bordeaux.

The success continued throughout the 1920s, and following the final defeat of the 1934 season, US Perpignan were able to make it to the final of the 1925 season. They faced US Carcassonne in Narbonne, and defeated them five points to nil to win the 1925 Championship. For the third season in a row, US Perpignan made it to the final. The opponents were Stade Toulousain once again, the two sides had each defeated each other once in a final in recent years. Toulouse won 11 points to nil in Bordeaux. After the prominent dominance in the mid 1920s, Perpignan did not make any more final appearances after 1926.

Perpignan fans at a home game

Nearly a decade passed before Perpignan made another final appearance. It was the 1935 season that Perpignan faced off against Biarritz at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse on the 12th of May. Biarritz won the match three to nil. That season they also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir. Three seasons later Perpignan were again involved in the Championship final, again against the Biarritz team. The final was played on 8 May, and this time, Perpignan defeated Biarritz, winning 11 points to six to claim their first Championship since 1921. They were also runners-up of the Challenge Yves-du-Manoir that same season as well.

The success continued throughout the late 1930s, with Perpignan again being runner-ups of the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1936. It was also the 1936 season that Biarritz and Perpignan would face off in the Championship. Both of Perpignan's last two final appearances were against Biarritz, and both Perpignan and Biarritz had won one each against each other. The final took place on 30 April, and Biarritz turned out to be victorious, defeating Perpignan six points to nil. Two years later, Perpignan were in the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir, but became runners-up.

Their next final appearance would not be until the season of 1944. Perpignan played Aviron Bayonnais at Parc des Princes in Paris on 26 March to decide who would be the champions of France. Perpignan won, defeating Aviron Bayonnais 20 points to five, claiming their first Championship since 1938.

Perpignan would have to wait another eight years until they would make it to the final again. In the 1952 season, Perpignan met FC Lourdes in the final at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, where they went down to FC Lourdes 20 points to 11. However, both sides would meet in another final three years later to decide the 1955 Championship. This time Perpignan emerged victorious, defeating FC Lourdes 11 points to six in Bordeaux. Perpignan also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir during the 1955 season, and were runners-us the following year as well.

USA Perpignan during a Heineken Cup match

Perpignan won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1965, but made their first final appearance 20 years after 1955, to decide the 1977 season Championship. They met AS Béziers in the final, who defeated Perpignan 12 to four at Parc des Princes. Perpignan won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1994, but they would next appear in the final in 1998, where they went down to Stade Français 34 points to seven in Paris in front of 78,000 people.

In 2002, the club entered into a partnership with the University of Barcelona Rugby Club, hence renaming them USAP Barcelona, which compete in the División de Honor, the national Championship in Spain. Perpignan made it to the 2004 final, where they met Stade Français, who defeated them in the 1998 final. Stade Français won again, 38 points to 20 at Stade de France in front of 79,722 people.

In European competition, USAP reached the final stage in 2003 (losing 21-17 to Toulouse in Dublin Lansdowne Road) after losing a 1999 semi-final in Toulouse Stadium against Colomiers. They were beaten in quarter-final in Lansdowne Road again in 2006 by eventual winners Munster.

They signed All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter, widely regarded as one of the world's best players, on a six-month deal starting from December 2008.^[1] Carter's stint at Perpignan, however, ended prematurely when he tore an Achilles tendon.

Their season ended by progressing into the Top 14 semi-final with a 25-21 win over Stade Français and eventually winning it with a fantastic 22-13 win over ASM Clermont Auvergne in the final.

Club honours

• Top 14
  • Champions: 1914, 1921, 1925, 1938, 1944, 1955, 2009 (7 times)
  • Runners-up: 1924, 1926, 1935, 1939, 1952, 1977, 1998, 2004 (8 times)
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions: 1935, 1955, 1994 (3 times)
  • Runners-up:1936, 1937, 1938, 1956, 1965 (5 times)
• Heineken Cup
  • Runners-ups: 2003

Finals results

French championship

Heineken Cup

Date	Winner	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Attendance
24 May 2003	Stade Toulousain	USA Perpignan	22-17	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	28,600

Current squad

Nat. Position Player HK Charles Geli HK Guilhem Guirado HK Marius Tincu PR Benoît Bourrust PR Sébastien Chobet PR Thomas Dubois PR Perry Freshwater PR Nicolas Mas (C) PR Kisi Pulu PR Jérôme Schuster LK Rimas Álvarez Kairelis LK Gerrie Britz LK Olivier Olibeau LK Romain Taofifenua LK Robins Tchale-Watchou LK Guillaume Vilaceca LK Yohan Vivalda FL Bertrand Guiry FL Grégory Le Corvec FL Antoine Loubiere FL Yannick Parent FL Jean-Pierre Perez FL Viliami Vaki

Nat. Position Player N8 Damien Chouly N8 Ovidiu Tonita N8 Henry Tuilagi SH Florian Cazenave SH Nicolas Durand SH David Mélé FH Nicolas Laharrague FH Steve Meyer CE Jean-Philippe Grandclaude CE Gavin Hume CE David Marty CE Maxime Mermoz WG Julien Candelon WG Christophe Manas WG Samueli Naulu WG Adrien Plante WG Farid Sid FB Philip Burger FB Joffrey Michel FB Jérôme Porical

Current France Squad

• Damien Chouly
• Guilhem Guirado
• Nicolas Mas
• Maxime Mermoz

Other internationally capped players

Notable former players

• Daniel Herbert
• Thierry Lacroix
• Dan Luger
• Richard Parks
• Ramiro Pez
• Scott Robertson
• Mick O'Driscoll
• Percy Montgomery
• Dan Carter

Notes and references

External links

• Official site (French)/(Catalan)
• Official Fans site of Perpignan in Paris (French)
• USAP Barcelona Brother rugby union club in Barcelona (Catalan)
• Data, results, etc