Aviron Bayonnais

Full name	Aviron Bayonnais Rugby Pro
Nickname(s)	L'Aviron (The Rowing Club) Les Ciel et Blanc (The Sky Blue and Whites)
Founded	1906 (1906)
Location	Bayonne, France
Ground(s)	Stade Jean-Dauger (Capacity: 14,370)
President	Philippe Tayeb
Coach(es)	Grégory Patat
Captain(s)	Denis Marchois
League(s)	Top 14
2022–23	8th
Team kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.abrugby.fr

Aviron Bayonnais (Basque: Baionako Arrauna), commonly called Bayonne, is a French rugby union club from Bayonne (Baiona, in Basque) in Pyrénées-Atlantiques which, for the 2016-17 season, competed in the top tier of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition. In the 2015–16 Rugby Pro D2 Season they were promoted after finishing 2nd and winning the playoff final against Aurillac. In the 2016-2017 season, they finished in last place, and will be relegated back to Pro D2 for the 2017-18 season. Founded in 1904, they play at the Parc des Sports also known as Stade Jean-Dauger in Bayonne. Their mascot is a pottok pony called pottoka. They have ties to the French Basque community.

History

The club was established in 1904, making their first final appearance in the 1913 season, where they defeated S.C.U.F. 31-8 at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir. The national domestic championship was replaced by the Coupe de l'Espérance during World War I. The competition was played for four seasons, with Aviron Bayonnais contesting the last final, which they lost to Stadoceste Tarbais 4 to 3.

With the French championship resumed, the club made their next championship game in the 1922 season where they met Toulouse. Aviron Bayonnais lost the final 6 to nil. The two clubs would meet again the next season to again contest the championship final, which Toulouse won again, 3 to nil.

Aviron Bayonnais enjoyed success during the mid-1930s, defeating Biarritz 13 to 8 in Toulouse to win their second championship, and first since 1913. They also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1936, defeating Perpignan in the final. The club saw similar results during the mid-1940s as well, with two championship final appearances; defeating SU Agen in the 1943 final at Parc des Princes in Paris and losing the 1944 season final to Perpignan.

Since the 1940s the club did not find a lot of success over the coming years, as they would have to wait until the 1980s until they would again reach any of the championship finals. In 1980 they contested the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir, defeating AS Béziers 16 to 10 to gain their second title of that competition. They made it to the final of the 1982 season, although they were defeated by SU Agen, 18 to 9.

Aviron Bayonnais was relegated to the Group A2 in 1996, where it spent eight seasons. The team was promoted to the Top 16/14 in 2004, remaining there for 11 consecutive seasons. The team was relegated to the Pro D2 in 2015, and has been a yo-yo club since then.

Honours

• French championship:
  • Champions: 1913, 1934 and 1943
  • Finalist: 1922, 1923, 1944 and 1982
• Challenge Yves du Manoir:
  • Champions: 1936 and 1980
• Coupe de l'Espérance:
  • Finalist: 1919
• Coupe André Moga:
  • Champions: 1995
• Pro D2
  • Champions: 2019, 2022
• Euro Basque Rugby Challenge
  • Champions: 2019^[1]

Finals results

The Aviron Bayonnais squad in 1914.

Current standings

Current squad

The Bayonne squad for the 2023–24 season is:^[2][3]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Thomas Acquier Hooker France Facundo Bosch Hooker Argentina Vincent Giudicelli Hooker France Louis Ortolan Hooker France Quentin Bethune Prop France Swan Cormenier Prop France Pascal Cotet Prop France Matis Perchaud Prop France Pieter Scholtz Prop South Africa Luke Tagi Prop Fiji Tevita Tatafu Prop Tonga Thomas Ceyte Lock France Manuel Leindekar Lock Uruguay Denis Marchois Lock France Konstantin Mikautadze Lock Georgia Lucas Paulos Lock Argentina Remi Bourdeau Back row France Rodrigo Bruni Back row Argentina Uzair Cassiem Back row South Africa Baptiste Heguy Back row France Pierre Huguet Back row France Aitor Hourcade Back row France Arthur Iturria Back row France

Player Position Union Gela Aprasidze Scrum-half Georgia Maxime Machenaud Scrum-half France Guillaume Rouet Scrum-half Spain Thomas Dolhagaray Fly-half France Camille Lopez Fly-half France Eneriko Buliruarua Centre Fiji Reece Hodge Centre Australia Yan Lestrade Centre France Sireli Maqala Centre Fiji Guillaume Martocq Centre France Federico Mori Centre Italy Peyo Muscarditz Centre France Rémy Baget Wing France Aurelien Callandret Wing France Arnaud Erbinartegaray Wing France Nadir Megdoud Wing France Luke Morahan Wing Australia Bastien Pourailly Wing France Gaëtan Germain Fullback France Tom Spring Fullback France Cheikh Tiberghien Fullback France

Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Benjamin Lahet Prop France Badri Tsikhistavi Prop Georgia Martin Villar Prop Argentina Esteban Capilla Lock France Aymeric Rousere Lock France Aiden Stait Lock Australia Manex Ariceta Back row Spain Nika Lomidze Back row Georgia Noa Traversier Back row France Lasha Tsikhistavi Back row Georgia

Player Position Union Hugo Camacho Scrum-half France Yanis Brillant Fly-half France Carlas de la Fuerte Fly-half Spain Gauthier Rufas Fly-half France Charly Bonnard Centre France Victor Hannoun Wing France Xan Mosques Wing France Yohan Orabe Fullback France

Notable former players

Coaches

• 2008-Janu.2010 : Richard Dourthe, Thierry Mentières, Jean-Philippe Coyola.
• Janu.2010-2010 : Christian Gajan.
• 2010-Dec.2011 : Christian Gajan, Thomas Lièvremont, Frédéric Tauzin.
• Dec.2011-Janu.2012 : Jean-Pierre Elissalde, Didier Faugeron, Pierre-Henry Broncan.
• Janu.2012-June 2012 : Didier Faugeron, Denis Avril.
• 2012-2013 : Christian Lanta, Christophe Deylaud, Denis Avril.
• 2013-2014 : Christian Lanta, Christophe Deylaud
• 2014-2015 : Patricio Noriega, Nicolas Morlaes, Rob Linde, Daniel Larrechea.
• 2015-2017 : Vincent Etcheto, Dewald Senekal, Simone Santa Maria.
• 2017-2018 : Pierre Berbizier, Joël Rey, Vincent Etcheto, Simone Santa Maria.
• 2018-2019 : Yannick Bru, Joël Rey, Vincent Etcheto, Éric Artiguste.
• 2019-2021 : Yannick Bru, Joël Rey, Rémy Ladauge, Éric Artiguste.
• 2021-2022 Yannick Bru, Joël Rey, Éric Artiguste, Jean-Frédéric Dubois.
• 2022- : Grégory Patat, Joël Rey, Gerard Fraser, Éric Artiguste.

See also

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

Further reading

• Castiella, Manuel (2001). Un siècle de rugby à Bayonne (in French). Atlantica.

References

External links

• (in French) Aviron Bayonnais Official website
• (in French) Club information