From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro
D2 is the second level of domestic club rugby union in France, below the first division,
Top 14. The competition was
introduced in 2000. There is relegation and promotion between both
the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition. The
top club at the end of the season is automatically promoted to the
Top 14; the 2nd through 5th place teams play each other for the
second promotion place.
The bottom two are automatically relegated to Fédérale 1. The
bottom two clubs of the Top 14 and the top two of Fédérale 1 then
enter the Rugby Pro D2 for the next season. There are 30 rounds in
the regular season, with each team playing each other team home and
away. The two halves of the season are played in the same order,
with the away team in the first half of the season at home in the
second half. The semi-finals and final take place in May, with the
second- and third-place teams hosting the semi-finals and the final
taking place at a predetermined site. At present, 16 clubs compete
in the competition.
All promotions are contingent on passing a postseason financial
audit required for all clubs. Also, if a club above the bottom two
places fails the audit, it may be relegated in the place of a club
that would otherwise have been relegated.
Current
teams
2009–10 season
Locations of the 2009–10 Top Pro D2
teams
Changes in the lineup from 2008–09 were:
- Racing Métro won the 2008–09 Pro
D2 title and were thereby automatically promoted to Top 14. Albi won the promotion playoffs
to secure the second promotion place.
- Bourg-en-Bresse and Béziers were provisionally relegated
from the 2008–09 Pro D2 to Fédérale 1.
- The two finalists in Fédérale 1—champion Lannemezan and
runner-up Aix-en-Provence—earned promotion.
- Dax and Mont-de-Marsan were relegated from the Top 14.
After the season, Bourg-en-Bresse and Tarbes were notified that
they would be forcibly relegated for financial reasons.
Bourg-en-Bresse faced a drop to Fédérale 2, while Tarbes faced a
drop to Fédérale 1.[1] Tarbes
were able to come up with sufficient financial guarantees to avoid
the drop, which meant that Béziers (which finished at the bottom of
the table, but passed its initial financial audit) would be
relegated.[2]
Champions
Seasons
Notes and
references
See also
External
links
France
Wikis
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