CA Brive

Brive

Full name	Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin
Founded	1910
Location	Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
Ground(s)	Stade Amédée-Domenech (Capacity: 16,000)
President	Jean-Jacques Bertrand
Coach(es)	Nicolas Godignon
Captain(s)	Arnaud Mela
League(s)	Top 14
2013–14	9th
1st kit 2nd kit 3rd kit
Official website
www.cabrive-rugby.com

Club athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin (or simply "CA Brive") is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin 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.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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

2015–16 Top 14 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff.	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Points
1	Clermont	22	15	1	6	615	381	+234	62	28	9	4	75
2	Montpellier	22	16	0	6	633	456	+177	69	39	7	2	73
3	Racing	22	15	1	6	474	437	+37	47	38	4	2	68
4	Toulon	22	13	0	9	630	387	+243	72	32	9	7	68
5	Bordeaux	23	13	2	8	499	433	+66	39	36	2	3	61
6	Toulouse	22	12	2	8	528	332	+196	59	27	5	4	61
7	Castres	22	12	0	10	516	425	+91	52	27	5	5	58
8	La Rochelle	22	10	0	12	475	492	−17	42	42	3	6	49
9	Brive	22	10	1	11	409	450	−41	27	40	2	4	48
10	Grenoble	23	10	0	13	555	652	−97	55	74	4	3	47
11	Pau	22	9	1	12	358	558	−200	24	61	1	2	41
12	Stade Français	22	7	0	15	422	526	−104	34	50	1	3	32
13	Oyonnax	22	5	0	17	365	705	−340	33	80	2	0	22
14	Agen	22	4	0	18	450	695	−245	40	72	1	4	21
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Competition points earned in head-to-head matches Points difference in head-to-head matches Try differential in head-to-head matches Points difference in all matches Try differential in all matches Points scored in all matches Tries scored in all matches Fewer matches forfeited Classification in the previous Top 14 season
Green background (rows 1 and 2) receive semi-final play-off places and receive berths in the 2016–17 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) indicates the team that may qualify for the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup. To facilitate the 2015 Rugby World Cup, there will be no play-offs for the Champions Cup with the 20th place going to the winner of the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup if not already qualified. Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. Red background (row 13 and 14) will be relegated to Rugby Pro D2. Updated 6 May 2016

Current squad

2015-16 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Thomas Acquier Hooker France Francois Da Ros Hooker France Guillaume Ribes Hooker France Karlen Asieshvili Prop Georgia Kevin Buys Prop South Africa Giorgi Jgenti Prop Georgia Damien Jourdain Prop France Damian Lavergne Prop France Lucas Pointud Prop France Goderdzi Shvelidze Prop Georgia Yusuf Tuncer Prop France Victora Lebas Lock France Peet Marais Lock South Africa Arnaud Mela Lock France Johan Snyman Lock South Africa Wilhelm Steenkamp Lock South Africa Petrus Hauman Flanker South Africa Saïd Hireche Flanker France Giorgi Tsutskiridze Flanker Georgia Poutasi Luafatu Flanker Australia Dominiko Waqaniburotu Flanker Fiji Hugues Briatte Number 8 France Sisaro Koyamaibole Number 8 Fiji William Whetton Number 8 New Zealand

Player Position Union Nicholas Bezy Scrum-half France Teddy Iribaren Scrum-half France Jean-Baptiste Pejoine Scrum-half France Thomas Laranjeira Fly-half Portugal Anderson Neisen Fly-half France Romain Sola Fly-half France Arnaud Mignardi Centre France Benjamin Petre Centre France Chris Tuatara-Morrison Centre Australia Matthieu Ugalde Centre France Sevanaia Galala Wing Fiji Benito Masilevu Wing Fiji Guillaume Namy Wing France Malakai Radikedike Wing Fiji Gaëtan Germain Fullback France Alfie Mafi Fullback Australia

Notable former players

Horacio Agulla Lisandro Arbizu Christian Martin Peter FitzSimons John Welborn Scott Franklin Phil Christophers Ben Cohen Riki Flutey Andy Goode Jamie Noon Shaun Perry Steve Thompson Norman Ligairi Pascal Bomati Jacques Boussuge Pierre Capdevielle Julien Caminati Alain Carminati Philippe Carbonneau Valentin Courrent Thierry Devergie Amédée Domenech Yves Donguy Fabrice Estebanez Dominique Harize

Cédric Heymans Nicolas Jeanjean Jean-Luc Joinel Virgile Lacombe Julien Laharrague Christophe Lamaison Olivier Magne Rodolphe Modin Vincent Moscato Alexis Palisson Alain Penaud Ludovic Valbon Loïc Van Der Linden Elvis Vermeulen Sébastien Viars Pierre Villepreux Dimitri Yachvili Michel Yachvili David Khinchagishvili Damian Browne Christian Short Valerio Bernabò Luciano Orquera Poutasi Luafutu Brad Mika Viliame Waqaseduadua

Grzegorz Kacala Petru Bălan Alexandru Manta Sorin Socol Petrişor Toderasc Antonie Claassen Terry Fanolua Mike Blair Tom Smith Gregor Townsend Suka Hufanga Barry Davies Alix Popham

See also

• List of rugby union clubs in France
• Rugby union in France

References

1. Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
2. Pope, Bruce (23 February 1997). "Brive out with the washing". The Independent (London: INM). ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
3. 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