Aviron Bayonnais

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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; 118 years ago (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
2023–24	12th
Team kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.abrugby.fr

Aviron Bayonnais (AB, Basque: Baionako Arrauna), commonly called Bayonne, is a French rugby union club from Bayonne (Baiona in Basque) in Pyrénées-Atlantiques which competes in the Top 14, the top tier of the French league system. Founded in 1904, they play at the Parc des Sports, also known as Stade Jean-Dauger, in Bayonne. The club mascot is a pottok pony called pottoka. They have ties to the French Basque community.

The club was established in 1904. They made their first final appearance in the 1913 season, when 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. This competition was played for four seasons, with Aviron Bayonnais contesting the last final, which they lost to Stadoceste Tarbais 4–3.

With the French championship resumed, the club made their next championship game in the 1922 season, when they met Toulouse. Bayonne lost the final 6–0. The two teams would contest the championship final once more the next season, which Toulouse won again, 3–0.

Aviron Bayonnais enjoyed success during the mid-1930s, beating Biarritz 13–8 in Toulouse to win their second championship, their 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, 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.

The following decades were less successful, and the club would have to wait until the 1980s to reach another championship final. In 1980 they contested the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir, defeating AS Béziers 16–10 to win their second title in that competition. They made it to the championship final in the 1982 season, but were defeated by SU Agen, 18–9.

Aviron Bayonnais was relegated to the Group A2 in 1996, where it spent eight seasons. Following promotion to the Top 16/14 in 2004, they remained in the top flight for 11 consecutive seasons. The team was relegated to the Pro D2 in 2015, and has been a yo-yo club since then. In the 2021–22 Rugby Pro D2 season, they were promoted after defeating Stade Montois 49–20 in the playoff final.

• French championship/Top 14
  • Champions (3): 1913, 1934, 1943
  • Runners-up (4): 1922, 1923, 1944, 1982
• Pro D2
  • Champions (2): 2019, 2022
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (2): 1936, 1980
• Coupe de l'Espérance
  • Runners-up: 1919

The Bayonne squad for the 2024–25 season is:^[1][2]

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

Player Position Union Facundo Bosch Hooker Argentina Vincent Giudicelli Hooker France Lucas Martin Hooker France Quentin Béthune Prop France Andy Bordelai Prop France Swan Cormenier Prop France Pascal Cotet Prop France Pieter Scholtz Prop South Africa Luke Tagi Prop Fiji Tevita Tatafu Prop France Denis Marchois Lock France Alexander Moon Lock England Lucas Paulos Lock Argentina Veikoso Poloniati Lock Tonga Rémi Bourdeau Back row France Rodrigo Bruni Back row Argentina Uzair Cassiem Back row South Africa Baptiste Chouzenoux Back row France Robin Dioné Back row France Giovanni Habel-Kueffner Back row Samoa Baptiste Héguy Back row France Aitor Hourcade Back row France Arthur Iturria Back row France

Player Position Union Baptiste Germain Scrum-half France Maxime Machenaud Scrum-half France Guillaume Rouet Scrum-half Spain Camille Lopez Fly-half France Joris Segonds Fly-half France Reece Hodge Centre Australia Sireli Maqala Centre Fiji Guillaume Martocq Centre France Federico Mori Centre Italy Reece Hodge Centre Australia Manu Tuilagi Centre England Aurélien Callandret Wing France Mateo Carreras Wing Argentina Arnaud Erbinartegaray Wing France Nadir Megdoud Wing France Gaëtan Germain Fullback France Tom Spring Fullback France Cheikh Tiberghien Fullback France

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 Yanis Brillant Fly-half France Carlas de la Fuerte Fly-half Spain Gauthier Rufas Fly-half France Victor Hannoun Wing France Xan Mosques Wing France Yohan Orabe Fullback France

This list of "famous" or "notable" people has no clear inclusion or exclusion criteria. Please help improve this article by defining clear inclusion criteria to contain only subjects that fit those criteria. (June 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• 2008–2010 : Richard Dourthe, Thierry Mentières, Jean-Philippe Coyola.
• 2010 : Christian Gajan.
• 2010–2011 : Christian Gajan, Thomas Lièvremont, Frédéric Tauzin.
• 2011–2012 : Jean-Pierre Elissalde, Didier Faugeron, Pierre-Henry Broncan.
• 2012–2012 : 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.

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

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

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