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Rugby Club (RC) Toulonnais, known more commonly by rugby fans simply as Toulon, is a professional rugby team that plays in the Top 14, the top division of rugby union in France.
The Toulon Rugby Club was formed in 1908 when three local clubs (Étoile sportive toulonnaise, Racing Club and Sporting Club) merged. It then only took 23 years for the team to be crowned as the French champions. On their return to the city after victory in the final, Toulon's team members were treated like heroes. It's estimated that 30,000 fans lined the streets to greet them.
Throughout the 20th century, the Toulon rugby team remained successful. However, between 1948 and 1985, they lost four consecutive finals. This included the 1985 extra-time defeat to Toulouse, which is sometimes referred to as 'the most spectacular final ever'. Thankfully, in the following years, the Toulon rugby team captured the title on two occasions (1987 and 1992).
However, the fortunes of Rugby Club (RC) Toulonnais changed at the start of the 21st century. In 2000, Toulon were relegated to the Pro D2 due to financial troubles. Although the club reached the final of the Pro D2 in their first season in the competition, they lost to Montauban and it took them five years to finally gain promotion. Then, in their first season back in the top flight, they were relegated once more.
But, a change of ownership then brought a change of philosophy and fortune for the Toulon rugby team. Under the stewardship of Mourad Boudjellal, Toulon signed a number of international stars, such as George Gregan, Andrew Mehrtens, Jonny Wilkinson and Tana Umaga. The team was then promoted from the Pro D2 at the second attempt and they've never looked back.
Since their promotion to the Top 14, the Toulon rugby team has been highly successful in both French and European competitions. They've won the Top 14 once and finished as runners-up another four times. Plus, between 2013 and 2015, the team won the European Rugby Champions Cup on three consecutive occasions. They also followed this up with a European Rugby Challenge Cup win in 2023.
Toulon remains one of France’s top teams. Follow their progress with the rugby gurus at RugbyPass.
