1953–54 French Rugby Union Championship

1953–54 French Rugby Union Championship
Countries	France
Champions	Grenoble
Runners-up	Cognac

The 1953–54 French Rugby Union Championship was contested by 64 clubs divided in eight pools of six teams and two pools of eight teams. The pools of six qualified 28 teams (the three best of each pool plus the four best fourths) and four teams from each of the pools of eight.

The championship was won by Grenoble , which beat Cognac in the final. This was the only championship in the history of Grenoble's club. The 1992-93 French Rugby Union Championship was won by Castres who beat Grenoble 14-11 in the final, in a match decided by an irregular try accorded by the referee.

Context

The 1954 Five Nations Championship was won - tied by Wales, France and Ireland.

France won the second (and last) edition of Europe Cup, beating Italy in the final.

Le Challenge Yves du Manoir was won by Lourdes, which defeated Toulon in the final.

Qualification phase

There were eight pools of six teams each. Teams in bold qualified for the next round.

The teams that qualified from the pools of eight were Niort, Albi, Stade Bagnérais and the TOEC.

Pool A Lourdes Vichy Dax Oloron (Oloron) Bègles Touloun	Pool B Paris Université Club Mont-de-Marsan Agen Limoges Tyrosse Narbonne	Pool C Cognac La Rochelle Béziers Soustons (Soustons) Bayonne Périgueux
Pool D Auch Lavelanet Boucau (Boucau) Castres Biarritz Montferrand	Pool E Montauban Toulouse Valence Carmaux Grenoble Perpignan	Pool F Roanne US Bressane Vienne Le Creusot Lyon OU Montélimar (Montélimar)
Pool G Bergerac Racing Stadoceste Aurillac Romans Brive	Pool H Pau Angoulême Mazamet Graulhet Entente Côte-Vermeille (Port-Vendres-Banyuls-sur-Mer) Tulle

"Last 32"

Clubs in bold the qualified for the "last 16".

Grenoble - Mazamet 14 - 12 Agen - Tulle 11 - 0 Vienne - Toulouse OEC 12 - 3 Pau - Racing Paris 8 - 3 Romans - Bergerac 18 - 3 US Bressane - Stadoceste 10 - 6 Perpignan - Niort 18 - 0 Toulouse - Toulon 14 - 0 Cognac - Albi 6 - 3 Biarritz - Lavelanet 15 - 0 Béziers - Dax 11 - 6 Angoulême - Paris Université Club 6 - 3 Lourdes - Stade Bagnerais 27 - 0 Roanne - Mont-de-Marsan 8 - 6 Montferrand - Auch 8 - 3 Carmaux - Periguex 8 - 0

"Last 16"

Clubs in bold qualified for the quarterfinals.

1954 Grenoble - Agen 11 - 3 1954 Vienne - Pau 9 - 6 1954 Romans - US Bressane 12 - 6 1954 Perpignan - Toulouse 11 - 0 1954 Cognac - Biarritz 22 - 5 1954 Béziers - Angoulême 3 - 0 1954 Lourdes - Roanne 12 - 0 1954 Montferrand - Carmaux 3 - 0

Quarterfinals

Clubs in bold qualified for the semifinals.

1954 Grenoble - Vienne 3 - 0 1954 Romans - Perpignan 8 - 6 1954 Cognac - Béziers 8 - 3 1954 Lourdes' - Montferrand 17 - 8

Semifinals

May 1954 Grenoble - Romans 8 - 5 May 1954 Cognac - Lourdes 21 - 20

Final

Teams	Grenoble - Cognac
Score	5-3
Date	23 May 1954
Venue	Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
Referee	Roger Taddeï
Line-up
Grenoble	René Duhau, Innocent Bionda, René Martin, Duilio Parolai, Paul Rein, Henri Coquet, Sergio Lanfranchi, Eugène Smogor, Jean Liénard, Roger Baqué, André Morel, Georges Echevet, Guy Belletante, Michel Pliassof, Pierre Claret
US Cognac|Cognac	Crescent Rouby, Pierre Tissandier, Francis Robert, Robert Porchier, Jean Lagrange, Francis Puissant, René Savin, René Biénès, Gérard Dumont, Raymond Sureau, Gérard Béhotéguy, Alain Puissant, Jacques Meynard, Pierre Rarboteau, Guy Mauroux
Scorers
Grenoble	1 try Lanfranchi, 1 conversion Echevet
Cognac	1 penalty Meynard

External links

• Compte rendu finale de 1954 lnr.fr