Élite 2 (rugby union)
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| First season | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | France |
| Most recent champion | Stade Rochelais (2024) |
| Most titles | Lille MRC Villeneuvois and AS Bayonnais (2 each) |
| Promotion to | Élite 1 Féminine |
| Relegation to | Fédérale 1 |
| Official website | Élite 2 Féminine |
Élite 2 Féminine is the second tier of national women's rugby union competition in France. Called Élite 2 since 2018 or Élite 2 Armelle-Auclair from 2004 to 2018. From this competition you can be promoted to Élite 1 Féminine.
History
From 2004 to 2018, the Elite 2 championship bears the name of Armelle Auclair, a French rugby union player who died on July 13, 2002, in Mauléon-Licharre, at the age of 28.[1]
League
Since 2021, the championship is composed of two phases:
- The main season where the 10 clubs play each other home and away throughout the season.
- The post-season playoffs contested between the top four teams ranked clubs 1st to 4th.
Current teams
Section Paloise
AS Bayonne
Stade Français
CA Brive
US Colomiers
Racing
USA Perpignan
Stade Rochelais
Valkyries Normandie
Stade Rennais
Location of teams in the 2025–26 Élite 2 season
| Club | Coach | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stade Rennais | Hugo Mattes | Stade du Commandant Bougouin | 5,000 |
| Stade Rochelais | Alexandre Barès | Plaine des Jeux Colette Besson | N/A |
| Section Paloise | Michaël Dallery | Stade municipal de Lons | N/A |
| AS Bayonne | Yvan Abadie Vincent Lesca |
Stade Pierre-Carcareigt | N/A |
| Stade Français | James Zié | Centre sportif Christophe-Dominici Complexe sportif René-Leduc | N/A |
| Valkyries Normandie RC | Alexis Vairy | Stade Jean-Mermoz | 2,800 |
| CA Brive | Romain Cabanero | Stade Jean-Marie Soubira | N/A |
| USA Perpignan | Charlotte Torres-Duxans | Stade Roger Ramis / Stade Aimé Giral | N/A / 14,593 |
| Racing Club de France | Alex Gau | Stade Yves-du-Manoir | 15,000 |
| US Colomiers | Guillaume Galéa Nicolas Bederede |
Stade Michel Bendichou | 11,430 |
Champions
2000–2009
| Season |  Champion
|
Score |  Runner-up
|
Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | ESP Bruges Blanquefort | 12–6 | Stade Rennais | ||
| 2005 | Montpellier RC | 14–11 | Stade Rennais | ||
| 2006 | Lille Métropole RC Villeneuvois | 14–9 | ES Nanterre | ||
| 2007 | RC Lons | 10–3 | Pachys d'Herm | ||
| 2008 | RF Dijon Bourgogne | 13–13 (2 tries to 1) | Rugby Sassenage Isère | ||
| 2009 | Saint-Orens RF | 13–13 (5 tries to 3) | AC Bobigny 93 |
2010–2019
| Season | Champion
|
Score | Runner-up
|
Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | CSM Gennevilliers | 8–0 | RC Chilly-Mazarin | ||
| 2011 | Lille Métropole RC villeneuvois | 31–15 | Stade Bordelais | ||
| 2012 | Stade Bordelais | 29–20 | AS Bayonne | ||
| 2013 | RC La Valette-Le Revest-La Garde-Le Pradet | 18–12 | Ovalie Romagnatoise CA | ||
| 2014 | AS Bayonne | 16–15 | Avenir Fonsorbais Rugby Féminin | ||
| 2015 | Stade Toulousain | 16–13 | AS Bayonne | ||
| 2016 | Ovalie Romagnatoise Clermont Auvergne | 29–7 | Lyon OU | ||
| 2017 | AS Bayonne | 34–10 | FC Grenoble | ||
| 2018 | FC Grenoble | 6–5 | Lons RF | ||
| 2019 | Lyon OU | 22–13 | RC Chilly-Mazarin |
2020–2029
| Season | Champion
|
Score | Runner-up
|
Venue | Ref | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Season interrupted by COVID-19 | |||||
| 2021 | Season interrupted by COVID-19 | |||||
| 2022 | Valkyries Normandie RC | 8–7 | Stade Rochelais | [2] | ||
| 2023 | Stade Français | 22–3 | Stade Rochelais | [3][4] | ||
| 2024 | Stade Rochelais | 30–19 | RC Toulon PM | [5][6] | ||
| 2025 | RC Toulon PM | 14–12 | Stade Rochelais | [7] | ||
| 2026 | ||||||
| 2027 | ||||||
| 2028 | ||||||
| 2029 | ||||||
Winners and runners-up
- Current Élite 2 Féminine participating clubs indicated in bold
| Club | Wins | Runners-up | Winning Seasons | Last win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS Bayonne | 2 | 2 | 2014 2017 | 2017 |
| Lille Métropole RC Villeneuvois | 2 | 0 | 2006 2011 | 2011 |
| FC Grenoble Amazones | 1 | 2 | 2018 | 2018 |
| Stade Rochelais | 1 | 2 | 2024 | 2024 |
| Lons Section Paloise | 1 | 1 | 2007 | 2007 |
| Stade Bordelais | 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2012 |
| Stade Toulousain | 1 | 1 | 2015 | 2015 |
| Ovalie Romagnatoise Clermont Auvergne | 1 | 1 | 2016 | 2016 |
| Lyon Olympique Universitaire | 1 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 |
| ES Bruges Blanquefort | 1 | 0 | 2004 | 2004 |
| RF Dijon Bourgogne | 1 | 0 | 2008 | 2008 |
| Saint-Orens Rugby Féminin | 1 | 0 | 2009 | 2009 |
| CSM Gennevilliers | 1 | 0 | 2010 | 2010 |
| RC Valettois Revestois | 1 | 0 | 2013 | 2013 |
| Valkyries Normandie RC | 1 | 0 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Stade Français | 1 | 0 | 2023 | 2023 |
| Montpellier RC | 1 | 1 | 2005 | 2005 |
| RC Toulon Provence Méditerranée | 1 | 1 | 2025 | 2025 |
| Stade Rennais | 0 | 2 | ||
| RC Chilly-Mazarin | 0 | 2 | ||
| Racing Nanterre Rugby | 0 | 1 | ||
| Pachys d'Herm | 0 | 1 | ||
| AC Bobigny 93 Rugby | 0 | 1 |
References
- ^ "Articles du 15/07/2002".
- ^ "Rugby. Élite 2 féminine : La fusion et le bouclier pour les Valkyries !". Ouest-France.fr. 4 June 2022.
- ^ https://www.ffr.fr/actualites/au-coeur-du-jeu/rugby-amateur-le-stade-francais-remporte-le-titre-delite-2-feminine
- ^ "La Rochelle-Stade Français : Revivez la victoire bonifiée des Maritimes". 9 March 2024.
- ^ https://www.ffr.fr/actualites/federation/elite-2-feminine-les-rochelaises-championnes-de-france
- ^ "08/06/2024 - Finale Élite 2 - Stade Rochelais 30 / 19 Rugby Club Toulon Méditerrannée". 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Toulon VS la Rochelle Finale / Elite 2 Féminine (Saison 2024/2025) 31 mai 2025". YouTube.