The Glories of the French Final
Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:43
Paris is the place to be on Saturday night when the annual invasion takes place for the Final of the Championship. It is a great national feast and the winners become feted heroes ever after.
More than 80 000 will pack into the Stade de France in Paris's northern suburb of St-Denis. They will shout and sing and make all manner of noises, and then they will pour out onto the streets of the City of Lights, the City of Love, still with lots of energy before eventually many of them head back to the south from which the two teams come.
Clermont Auvergne topped the table and Toulouse were second. Certainly the best two teams in the Top 14 will be in action, both teams packed with internationals from all over the world. Toulouse have history on their side. Clermont have a weight of history bearing down on them. But then history is there to be made.
The French Championship is one of the oldest in the world and to come away with the Bouclier de Brennus is joy unbounded. The team will take it around their home town for months afterwards and be rewarded with the generosity of their proud
Toulouse play Clermont Auvergne in this year's Final. Toulouse have been winners 17 times, Clermont Auvergne never. The Auvergnats have played in eight Finals and lost them all, most recently last year when Stade Français scored two tries to nil in winning.
The two clubs have played three times in the Final - in 1994, 1999 and 2001.
The first winners of the Championat, Racing, nearly got back into the Top 14 but lost their play-off match with Mont-de-Marsan.
The results of the Finals of the French Championship have been:
1892: Racing Club de France vs Stade Français, 4-3
1893: Stade Français vs Racing Club der France, 7-3
1894: Stade Français vs Inter-Nos, 18-0
1895: Stade Français vs Olympique, 16-0
1896: Olympique vs Stade
Français, 12-0
1899: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 5-3
1900: Racing Club de France vs Stade Bordelais, 37-3
1901: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 3-0
1902: Racing Club de France vs Stade Bordelais, 6-0
1903: Stade Français vs Toulouse, 16-8
1904: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 3-0
1905: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 12-3
1906: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 9-0
1907: Stade Bordelais vs Stade Français, 14-3
1908: Stade Français vs Stade Bordelais, 16-3
1909: Stade Bordelais vs Toulouse, 17-0
1910: FC Lyon vs Stade Bordelais, 13-8
1911: Stade Bordelais vs SCUF, 14-0
1912: Toulouse vs Racing Club de France, 8-6
1913: Aviron Bayonnais vs SCUF, 31-8
1914: Perpignan vs Tarbes, 8-7
1920: Tarbes vs Racing Club de France 8-3
1921: Perpignan vs Toulouse, 5-0
1922: Toulouse vs Aviron Bayonnais, 6-0
1923: Toulouse
vs Aviron Bayonnais, 3-0
1924: Toulouse vs Perpignan, 3-0
1925: Perpignan vs Carcassonne, 0-0 after extra time. The match was replayed.
Perpignan vs Carcassonne, 5-0
1926: Toulouse vs Perpignan, 11-0
1927: Toulouse vs Stade Français, 19-9
1928: Pau vs Quillan, 6-4
1929: Quillan vs FC Lezignanais, 11-8
1930: Agen vs Quillan, 4-0
1931: Toulouse vs Lyon, 6-3
1932: Lyon vs Narbonne, 9-3
1933: Lyon vs Narbonne, 10-3
1934: Aviron Bayonnais vs Biarritz, 13-8
1935: Biarritz vs Perpignan, 3-0
1936: Narbonne vs Montferrand, 6-3
1937: Vienne vs Montferrand, 13-7
1938: Perpignan vs Biarritz, 11-6
1939: Biarritz vs Perpignan, 6-0
1943: Aviron Bayonnais vs Agen, 3-0
1944: Perpignan vs Aviron Bayonnais, 20-5
1945: Agen vs Lourdes, 7-3
1946: Pau vs Lourdes, 11-0
1947: Toulouse vs Agen, 10-3
1948: Lourdes vs
Toulouse, 11-3
1949: Castres vs Mont-de-Marsan, 3-3 after extra time. The match was replayed.
Castres vs Mont-de-Marsan, 14-3
1950: Castres vs Racing Club de France, 11-8
1951: US Carmausine vs Tarbes, 14-12
1952: Lourdes vs Perpignan, 20-11
1953: Lourdes vs Mont-de-Marsan, 21-16
1954: Grenoble vs Cognac, 5-3
1955: Perpignan vs Lourdes, 11-6
1956: Lourdes vs Dax, 20-0
1957: Lourdes vs Racing Club de France, 16-13
1958: Lourdes vs Mazametain, 25-8
1959: Racing Club de France vs Mont-de-Marsan, 8-3
1960: Lourdes vs Béziers, 14-11
1961: Béziers vs Dax, 6-3
1962: Agen vs Béziers, 14-11
1963: Mont-de-Marsan vs Dax, 9-6
1964: Pau vs Béziers, 14-0
1965: Agen vs Brive, 15-8
1966: Agen vs Dax, 9-8
1967: Montauban vs Bègles, 11-3
1968: Lourdes vs Toulon, 9-9 after extra time. Lourdes declared
winners, scoring two tries to nil.
1969: Bègles vs Toulon, 11-9
1970: La Voulte Sportif vs Montferrand, 3-0
1971: Béziers, vs Toulon, 15-9
1972: Béziers vs Brive, 9-0
1973: Tarbes vs Dax, 18-12
1974: Béziers vs Narbonne, 16-14
1975: Béziers vs Brive, 13-12
1976: Agen vs Béziers, 13-10
1977: Béziers vs Perpignan, 12-4
1978: Béziers vs Montferrand, 31-9
1979: Narbonne vs Stade Bagnerais, 10-0
1980: Béziers vs Toulouse, 10-6
1981: Béziers vs Stade Bagnerais, 22-13
1982: Agen vs Aviron Bayonnais, 18-9
1983: Béziers vs Nice, 14-6
1984: Béziers vs Agen, 21-21 after extra time. Béziers won by scoring three tries to one.
1985: Toulouse vs Toulon, 36-22 after extra time
1986: Toulouse vs Agen, 16-6
1987: Toulon vs Racing Club de France, 15-12
1988: Agen vs Tarbes, 9-3
1989: Toulouse vs Toulon,
18-12
1990: Racing Club de France vs Agen, 22-12
1991: Bordeaux-Bordeaux vs Toulouse, 19-10
1992: Toulon vs Biarritz, 19-14
1993: Castres vs Grenoble, 14-11
1994: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 22-16
1995: Toulouse vs Castres, 31-16
1996: Toulouse vs Brive, 20-13
1997: Toulouse vs Bourgoin, 12-6
1998: Stade Français vs Perpignan, 34-7
1999: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 15-11
2000: Stade Français vs Colomiers, 28-23
2001: Toulouse vs Montferrand, 34-22
2002: Biarritz vs Agen, 25-22 after extra time.
2003: Stade Français vs Toulouse, 32-18
2004: Stade Français vs Perpignan, 38-20
2005: Biarritz vs Stade Français, 37-34 after extra time
2006: Biarritz vs Toulouse, 40-13
2007: Stade Francais vs Clermont Auvergne, 23-18
