USA Perpignan

USA Perpignan
Full name	Union sportive arlequins Perpignan-Roussillon
Founded	1902; 122 years ago (as AS Perpignan); 1919; 105 years ago (as US Perpignan); 1933; 91 years ago (as USA Perpignan)
Location	Perpignan, France
Ground(s)	Stade Aimé Giral (Capacity: 14,593)
President	François Rivière
Coach(es)	Franck Azéma
Captain(s)	Mathieu Acebes
League(s)	Top 14
2021–22	13th (Relegation playoff winner)
Team kit	2nd kit
Official website
	www.usap.fr

Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, France's elite division of rugby.

The club is a result of a merger between US Perpignan and Arlequins Perpignanais in 1933. US Perpignan was also born from a union of merging clubs AS Perpignan (founded in 1902) and Stade Olympien Perpignanais, which took place in 1919.^[1]

Its home ground is the 14,593-capacity Stade Aimé Giral but important fixtures may occasionally be taken to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, in Barcelona.^[2] The club's colours are sky blue, scarlet and golden yellow, which derived from the Catalan Senyera and gives Perpignan its nickname Les Sang et Or (French for "The Blood and Golds").

History edit

Early years edit

One of the two merging clubs 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 defeated Stadoceste Tarbais 8–7 at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse in front of 15,000 people. 19-year-old fly-half Aimé Giral converted a late try and went on to become captain. 14 months after their victory, Aimé Giral died alongside seven other members of the team at the outbreak of WW1^[3] and, to honour their sacrifice, it was decided to colour USAP jersey like a Poilu uniform and to name the stadium after Giral.

Four years after the championship in 1914, the club was renamed as US Perpignan after a merging with Stade Olympien Perpignanais. 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 5–0 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 3–0 in Bordeaux.

The success continued throughout the 1920s, and following the final defeat of the 1924 season, US Perpignan were able to make it to the final of the 1925 season. They faced US Carcassonne in Narbonne, and defeated them 5–0 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 11–0 in Bordeaux. After their prominence in the mid-1920s, Perpignan's final appearance in 1926 was their last for nearly a decade.

Perpignan fans at a home game

Perpignan's next final appearance came in 1935 against Biarritz at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse on 12 May, with Biarritz winning 3–0. That season they also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir. Three seasons later Perpignan were again involved in the Championship final against Biarritz. The final was played on 8 May, and this time, Perpignan defeated Biarritz, winning 11–6 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 runners-up 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 6–0. 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 20–5, 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 20–11. However, both sides would meet in another final three years later to decide the 1955 Championship. This time Perpignan emerged victorious, defeating FC Lourdes 11–6 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 12–4 at Parc des Princes. Perpignan won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1994,

Professional era edit

They would next appear in the final in 1998, where they went down to Stade Français 34–7 in Paris in front of 78,000 people.

In 2002, the club entered into a partnership with the University of Barcelona Rugby Union 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, 38–20 at Stade de France in front of 79,722 people.

In European competition, Perpignan 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 the quarter-finals 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.^[4] 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. In 2010, they advanced to the final again against Clermont, but they saw Les Jaunards end decades of frustration by winning their first championship final in 11 tries.

In 2011 they signed a twinning agreement with FC Barcelona of Spain, which proposes USAP to be promoted through FC Barcelona.

Club honours edit

Top 14
- Champions (4^[a]): 1913–14 (as AS Perpignan), 1920–21 (as US Perpignan), 1924–25 (as US Perpignan), 1937–38, 1943–44, 1954–55, 2008–09
- Runners-up: 1923–24 (as US Perpignan), 1925–26 (as US Perpignan), 1934–35, 1938–39, 1951–52, 1976–77, 1997–98, 2003–04, 2009–10
Challenge Yves du Manoir
- Champions (3): 1935, 1955, 1994
- Runners-up: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1956, 1965
Heineken Cup
- Runners-up: 2002–03
Pro D2
- Champions (2): 2017–18, 2020–21

Notes

^ Only four French Rugby Union Championship/Top 14 titles have been won by the club under the name USA Perpignan.

Finals results edit

French championship edit

Date	Winner	Runner-up	Score	Venue	Attendance
3 May 1914	AS Perpignan	Stadoceste Tarbais	8–7	Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse	15,000
17 April 1921	US Perpignan	Stade Toulousain	5–0	Parc des Sports de Sauclières, Béziers	20,000
27 April 1924	Stade Toulousain	US Perpignan	3–0	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	20,000
3 May 1925	US Perpignan	AS Carcassonne	5–0	Maraussan, Narbonne	20,000
2 May 1926	Stade Toulousain	US Perpignan	11–0	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	25.000
12 May 1935	Biarritz Olympique	USA Perpignan	3–0	Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse	23,000
8 May 1938	USA Perpignan	Biarritz Olympique	11–6	Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse	24,600
30 April 1939	Biarritz Olympique	USA Perpignan	6–0 AP	Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse	23,000
26 March 1944	USA Perpignan	Aviron Bayonnais	20–5	Parc des Princes, Paris	35,000
4 May 1952	FC Lourdes	USA Perpignan	20–11	Stadium Municipal, Toulouse	32,500
22 May 1955	USA Perpignan	FC Lourdes	11–6	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	39,764
29 May 1977	AS Béziers	USA Perpignan	12–4	Parc des Princes, Paris	41,821
16 May 1998	Stade Français	USA Perpignan	34–7	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	78,000
26 June 2004	Stade Français	USA Perpignan	38–20	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	79,722
6 June 2009	USA Perpignan	ASM Clermont Auvergne	22–13	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	79,205
29 May 2010	Clermont Auvergne	USA Perpignan	19–6	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	79,262

Heineken Cup edit

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

Current standings edit

2023–24 Top 14 Table
Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts	Qualification
1	Stade Français	21	15	1	5	440	356	+84	46	30	4	1	67	Qualification for 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup and Playoffs
2	Toulouse	21	13	0	8	596	469	+127	81	55	6	3	61
3	Racing 92	21	12	0	9	525	418	+107	67	42	5	4	57
4	Toulon	21	12	0	9	558	418	+140	57	47	4	3	55
5	Bordeaux Bègles	21	12	0	9	521	463	+58	60	54	3	3	54
6	La Rochelle	21	10	0	11	474	372	+102	54	34	5	7	52
7	Pau	21	11	0	10	497	481	+16	51	54	2	4	50	Qualification for 2024–25 European Rugby Challenge Cup
8	Perpignan	21	11	0	10	500	557	−57	64	69	5	0	49
9	Castres	21	10	0	11	522	523	−1	56	62	4	5	49
10	Bayonne	21	9	0	12	460	532	−72	51	62	2	6	44
11	Clermont	21	8	2	11	447	538	−91	50	63	3	3	42
12	Lyon	21	9	0	12	482	621	−139	52	73	4	2	42
13	Montpellier	21	8	0	13	418	496	−78	46	57	1	5	38	Qualification for Relegation play-off
14	Oyonnax	21	5	1	15	449	645	−196	47	80	0	4	26	Relegation to Pro D2

Updated to match(es) played on 21 April 2024. Source: Top 14

Current squad edit

The Perpignan squad for the 2023–24 season is:^[5] ^[6]

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

Player	Position	Union
Seilala Lam	Hooker	Samoa
Victor Montgaillard	Hooker	France
Ignacio Ruiz	Hooker	Argentina
Lucas Velarte	Hooker	France
Pietro Ceccarelli	Prop	Italy
Xavier Chiocci	Prop	France
Akato Fakatika	Prop	France
Vakhtang Jintcharadze	Prop	Georgia
Arthur Joly	Prop	France
Sacha Lotrian	Prop	France
Nemo Roelofse	Prop	South Africa
Giorgi Tetrashvili	Prop	Georgia
Shahn Eru	Lock	Cook Islands
Tristan Labouteley	Lock	France
Victor Moreaux	Lock	France
Marvin Orie	Lock	South Africa
Mathieu Tanguy	Lock	France
Posolo Tuilagi	Lock	France
Lucas Bachelier	Back row	France
Alan Brazo	Back row	France
So'otala Fa'aso'o	Back row	Samoa
Kélian Galletier	Back row	France
Joaquín Oviedo	Back row	Argentina
Patrick Sobéla	Back row	France
Jaco van Tonder	Back row	South Africa
Matthieu Ugena	Back row	France

Player	Position	Union
Sadek Deghmache	Scrum-half	France
Tom Ecochard	Scrum-half	France
Tommaso Allan	Fly-half	Italy
Jake McIntyre	Fly-half	Australia
Mattéo Rodor	Fly-half	France
Jean-Pascal Barraque	Centre	France
Alivereti Duguivalu	Centre	Fiji
Jerónimo de la Fuente	Centre	Argentina
Apisai Naqalevu	Centre	Fiji
Afusipa Taumoepeau	Centre	Tonga
Mathieu Acebes	Wing	France
Ali Crossdale	Wing	England
Louis Dupichot	Wing	France
Eddie Sawailau	Wing	Fiji
Tavite Veredamu	Wing	France
Lucas Dubois	Fullback	France
Théo Forner	Fullback	France
Boris Goutard	Fullback	France

Espoirs squad edit

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

Player	Position	Union
Mathys Lotrian	Hooker	France
Merab Macharashvili	Hooker	Georgia
Christophe Marchand	Prop	France
Simone Marcaggi	Prop	Italy
Rémy Bonnet	Lock	France
Bastien Chinarro	Lock	France
Samuel M'Foudi	Lock	France
Guillaume Marin	Lock	France
Alessandro Ortombina	Lock	Italy
Taniela Ramasibana	Lock	Fiji
Antoine Bouthier	Back row	France
Ewan Bertheau	Back row	France
Valentin Moro	Back row	France
Ronald Sharma	Back row	Fiji

Player	Position	Union
Leon Momicchioli	Scrum-half	Italy
Lenny Viola	Scrum-half	France
Alexandre Perez	Fly-half	France
Nicola Bozzo	Centre	Italy
Job Poulet	Centre	France
Keanu Desrues	Wing	France
Lilian Pichon	Fullback	France
Setareki Toganiyadrava	Fullback	Fiji
Yoan Vinas	Fullback	France