Knowledge (XXG)

2006–07 Top 14 season
Countries	France
Champions	Stade Français (13th title)
Runners-up	Clermont
Relegated	Narbonne, Agen
Matches played	185
Attendance	2,065,975 (average 11,167 per match)
Highest attendance	79,741 Stade Français v Toulouse 27 January 2007
Lowest attendance	4,553 Bourgoin v Montpellier 26 September 2006
Top point scorer	Brock James (Clermont) 377 points
Top try scorer	Aurélien Rougerie (Clermont) 13 tries
← 2005–06 2007–08 →

The 2006–07 Top 14 competition was the 108th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and the 2nd using the name Top 14. Biarritz were out to defend their crown, after their defeat of Toulouse in the 2005–06 Top 14 final. New teams to the league included Albi and Montauban who were promoted from 2004–05 Pro D2, replacing relegated sides Toulon and Pau. During the season attendance records in the league were once again broken with 79,741 attending the Round 19 clash between Stade Français and Toulouse at the Stade de France, and over 2 million supporters attended games across the campaign.

In the league Stade Français jumped out to an early lead, winning their first nine matches. Although they faded somewhat as the season went on, they held on to top the regular-season ladder. Toulouse and Clermont each entered the final week with a chance to top the ladder, but Stade Français' win over Agen (without a bonus point) made it impossible for Clermont to overtake them, while Toulouse failed to secure the bonus point in their win over Bourgoin that would have made it possible for them to pip the Parisians for the top seed. The last playoff berth came down to the last round between Biarritz and Perpignan, with Biarritz securing fourth place in style with a bonus-point win over Castres.

The final Heineken Cup berth came down to the last round as well, with Bourgoin holding off the challenge of Top 14 newcomers Montauban. The relegation battle came down to the last week. Narbone had been assured of the drop after Round 25, while any of six other clubs were in mathematical danger of the drop going into the final week. In the end, Agen, who were next-to-last entering the final week, were consigned to the drop by league leaders Stade Français. Both clubs would be relegated to the 2007–08 Pro D2.

The play-offs saw Stade Français and Clermont win their respective semi-finals to qualify for the final. In the end it was Stade Français who lifted the Bouclier de Brennus as Top 14 champions for the 13th time in the club's history, beating Clermont 23–18 at the Stade de France.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	B	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Stade Français (C)	26	19	1	6	667	433	+234	9	87	Advance to playoffs Qualified for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup
2	Toulouse (SF)	26	18	2	6	643	424	+219	10	86
3	Clermont (F)	26	18	0	8	772	454	+318	11	83
4	Biarritz (SF)	26	16	1	9	549	385	+164	10	76
5	Perpignan	26	16	1	9	493	398	+95	9	75	Qualified for the 2007–08 Heineken Cup
6	Bourgoin	26	11	1	14	543	484	+59	12	58
7	Montauban	26	10	2	14	475	493	−18	10	54
8	Bayonne	26	11	1	14	452	647	−195	5	51
9	Brive	26	10	1	15	419	516	−97	8	50
10	Albi	26	11	1	14	333	512	−179	4	50
11	Castres	26	9	1	16	531	576	−45	11	49
12	Montpellier	26	9	1	16	442	596	−154	10	48
13	Agen (R)	26	9	1	16	382	520	−138	6	44	Relegated to the 2007–08 Rugby Pro D2
14	Narbonne (R)	26	8	0	18	521	784	−263	7	39

The seventh-place team would have received a Heineken Cup place if a French club had advanced farther in that season's Heineken Cup than any club from England or Italy. However, the quarterfinal losses of Biarritz and Stade Français, the last two remaining French sides in the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, to English sides Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, meant that the "extra" Heineken Cup place would go to England. (The remaining two semifinalists were another English side, eventual winners London Wasps, and Welsh side Llanelli Scarlets.)

The 2007–08 Heineken Cup was in doubt earlier this season. French clubs announced plans to boycott the competition, and the English PRL clubs joined them, demanding a financial stake in the competition from the RFU. However, recent negotiations have ensured that top teams from both countries will now play.

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• Note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.

• Attendances do not include the semi-finals or final as these are at neutral venues.

Club	Home Games	Total	Average	Highest	Lowest	% Capacity
Agen	13	97,662	7,512	11,293	5,321	58%
Albi	13	88,252	6,789	9,690	5,054	57%
Bayonne	13	146,618	11,278	13,926	7,969	67%
Biarritz	13	121,583	9,353	13,013	6,711	62%
Bourgoin	13	87,177	6,706	16,914	4,553	61%
Brive	13	122,145	9,396	12,747	6,908	63%
Castres	13	90,932	6,995	9,293	5,652	61%
Clermont	13	151,950	11,688	13,685	8,943	72%
Montauban	13	94,007	7,231	9,053	5,669	63%
Montpellier	13	78,442	6,034	6,545	5,449	75%
Narbonne	13	100,154	7,704	9,756	6,236	64%
Perpignan	13	162,576	12,506	13,860	11,116	75%
Stade Français	13	313,015	24,078	79,741	6,698	75%
Toulouse	13	243,100	18,700	33,661	13,557	81%

• 2006–07 Heineken Cup
• 2006–07 Rugby Pro D2 season

• (in French) Ligue Nationale de Rugby - Official website
• Top 14 on Planetrugby.com

Categories:

• Top 14 seasons
• 2006–07 in French rugby union leagues
• 2006–07 in European rugby union leagues