2012–13_Rugby_Pro_D2_season
The 2012–13 Rugby Pro D2 is the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2012–13 season. It ran alongside the 2012–13 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR).
| 2012–13 Pro D2 | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  France |
| Date | 25 August 2012 – 19 May 2013 |
| Champions | Oyonnax |
| Runners-up | Brive |
| Promoted | Oyonnax Brive |
| Relegated | Aix-en-Provence Massy |
| Matches played | 243 |
| Attendance | 1,119,194 (average 4,606 per match) |
| Tries scored | 825 (average 3.4 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Fabien Fortassin (Tarbes) 393 points |
| Top try scorer | Florian Denos (Oyonnax) 17 tries |
| Official website | |
| www | |
Changes in the lineup from 2011–12 were:
- FC Grenoble won the 2011–12 Pro D2 title and were thereby automatically promoted to the Top 14. Mont-de-Marsan won the promotion playoffs to secure the second promotion place.
- The bottom finisher in 2011–12, Périgueux, was relegated from Pro D2 to Fédérale 1. Second-from-bottom Béziers were spared relegation when ninth-placed Bourgoin were forcibly relegated to Fédérale 1 for financial reasons.
- The two bottom finishers in the Top 14 in 2011-12, Brive and Lyon, were relegated to Pro D2.
- The two finalists in Fédérale 1, champion Massy and runner-up Colomiers, earned promotion.
The top team at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away), is declared champion and earns a spot in the next Top 14 season. Teams ranked second to fifth compete in promotion playoffs, with the semifinals being played at the home ground of the higher-ranked team. The final is then played on neutral ground, and the winner earned the second ticket to the next Top 14.
The LNR uses a slightly different bonus points system from that used in most other rugby competitions. It trialled a new system in 2007–08 explicitly designed to prevent a losing team from earning more than one bonus point in a match,[1] a system that also made it impossible for either team to earn a bonus point in a drawn match. LNR chose to continue with this system for subsequent seasons.[2]
France's bonus point system operates as follows:[2]
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tries than the opponent. This replaces the standard bonus point for scoring 4 tries regardless of the match result.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by 7 points (or less).
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oyonnax | 30 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 877 | 536 | +341 | 10 | 3 | 111 | Champions, promoted to Top 14 |
| 2 | Brive | 30 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 658 | 532 | +126 | 6 | 4 | 94 | Won promotion play-offs |
| 3 | Pau | 30 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 725 | 519 | +206 | 5 | 6 | 93 | Qualified for promotion play-offs |
| 4 | La Rochelle | 30 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 718 | 569 | +149 | 6 | 5 | 87 | |
| 5 | Aurillac | 30 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 680 | 643 | +37 | 0 | 4 | 82 | |
| 6 | Tarbes | 30 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 695 | 625 | +70 | 5 | 5 | 80 | |
| 7 | Carcassonne | 30 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 640 | 595 | +45 | 3 | 9 | 74 | |
| 8 | Lyon | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 696 | 585 | +111 | 6 | 8 | 72 | |
| 9 | Narbonne | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 673 | 670 | +3 | 0 | 9 | 69 | |
| 10 | Colomiers | 30 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 568 | 615 | −47 | 2 | 8 | 66 | |
| 11 | Albi | 30 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 580 | 630 | −50 | 1 | 8 | 59 | |
| 12 | Béziers | 30 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 534 | 742 | −208 | 1 | 8 | 51 | |
| 13 | Auch | 30 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 442 | 612 | −170 | 1 | 11 | 50 | |
| 14 | Dax | 30 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 567 | 708 | −141 | 2 | 5 | 49 | |
| 15 | Aix-en-Provence | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 552 | 774 | −222 | 2 | 7 | 45 | Relegated to Fédérale 1 |
| 16 | Massy | 30 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 598 | 848 | −250 | 0 | 9 | 37 |
Normally, the teams that finish in 15th and 16th places in the table are relegated to Fédérale 1 at the end of the season. However, 7th placed Carcassonne were under threat of demotion due to "financial reasons".[3] Carcassonne appealed this decision[4] and their appeal was successful.[5] Consequently, Pays d'Aix were demoted along with Massy.
Semi–finals
The semi–finals follow a 2 v 5, 3 v 4 system - with the higher ranked team playing at home.
| 11 May 2013 19:00 |
| Pau | 30 – 16 | La Rochelle |
| Try: Ramsey 2' c Radidi 60' m Con: Boulogne (1/2) Pen: Manca (5/6) 32', 40', 46', 60', 79' Drop: Boulogne (1/1) 19' | Try: Canale 14' c Con: Fauqué (1/1) Pen: Fauqué (3/3) 21', 25', 53' |
| Stade du Hameau Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Cédric Marchat |
| 12 May 2013 15:10 |
| Brive | 30 – 14 | Aurillac |
| Try: Namy 26' m Noon 60' c Con: Caminati (1/2) Pen: Caminati (5/5) 10', 16', 45', 76', 80' Drop: Swanepoel (1/1) 71' | Try: Lescure 58' m Pen: Petitjean (3/3) 4', 24', 48' |
| Stade Amédée-Domenech Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Sébastien Minery |
Final
- "French try out new bonus point system". Planet-Rugby.com. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
- "Article 330, Section 3.2. Points "terrain"" (PDF). Règlements de la Ligue Nationale de Rugby 2008/2009, Chapitre 2 : Règlement sportif du Championnat de France Professionnel (in French). Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
- "La DNACG rétrograde Carcassonne en Fédérale 1" (in French). Midi Olympique. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- "Le Président de l'USC concernant le communiqué de presse LNR-DNACG" (in French). www.uscarcassonne.com. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- "Carcassonne maintenu en Pro D2 !" (in French). Midi Olympique. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- "Record de spectateurs battu pour une finale de Pro D2" (in French). 19 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- (in French) Ligue Nationale de Rugby – Official website
- (in French) Midi Olympique