# USA Perpignan

Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, France's elite division of rugby.
The club is a result of a merger between US Perpignan and Arlequins Perpignanais in 1933. US Perpignan was also born from a union of merging clubs AS Perpignan (founded in 1902) and Stade Olympien Perpignanais, which took place in 1919.
Its home ground is the 14,593-capacity Stade Aimé Giral but important fixtures may occasionally be taken to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, in Barcelona. The club's colours are sky blue, scarlet and golden yellow, which derived from the Catalan Senyera and gives Perpignan its nickname Les Sang et Or (French for "The Blood and Golds").

## History
### Early years

One of the two merging clubs was established in 1902 as AS Perpignan. It would be in 1914 that the club would go on to make its first ever final appearance. On 3 May, Perpignan defeated Stadoceste Tarbais 8–7 at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse in front of 15,000 people. 19-year-old fly-half Aimé Giral converted a late try and went on to become captain. 14 months after their victory, Aimé Giral died alongside seven other members of the team at the outbreak of WW1 and, to honour their sacrifice, it was decided to colour USAP jersey like a Poilu uniform and to name the stadium after Giral.
Four years after the championship in 1914, the club was renamed as US Perpignan after a merging with Stade Olympien Perpignanais. Under the new club name, US Perpignan made it to the final of the French championship three seasons after the change. On 17 April 1921, Perpignan defeated Stade Toulousain 5–0 at Parc des Sports de Sauclières in Béziers and thus claiming their second championship. Three seasons later, the finalists of 1921 would meet again in the final of 1924, though this time Toulouse won the game 3–0 in Bordeaux.
The success continued throughout the 1920s, and following the final defeat of the 1924 season, US Perpignan were able to make it to the final of the 1925 season. They faced US Carcassonne in Narbonne, and defeated them 5–0 to win the 1925 Championship. For the third season in a row, US Perpignan made it to the final. The opponents were Stade Toulousain once again, the two sides had each defeated each other once in a final in recent years. Toulouse won 11–0 in Bordeaux. After their prominence in the mid-1920s, Perpignan's final appearance in 1926 was their last for nearly a decade.
Perpignan's next final appearance came in 1935 against Biarritz at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse on 12 May, with Biarritz winning 3–0. That season they also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir. Three seasons later Perpignan were again involved in the Championship final against Biarritz. The final was played on 8 May, and this time, Perpignan defeated Biarritz, winning 11–6 to claim their first Championship since 1921. They were also runners-up of the Challenge Yves-du-Manoir that same season as well.
The success continued throughout the late 1930s, with Perpignan again being runners-up of the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1936. It was also the 1936 season that Biarritz and Perpignan would face off in the Championship. Both of Perpignan's last two final appearances were against Biarritz, and both Perpignan and Biarritz had won one each against each other. The final took place on 30 April, and Biarritz turned out to be victorious, defeating Perpignan 6–0. Two years later, Perpignan were in the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir, but became runners-up.
Their next final appearance would not be until the season of 1944. Perpignan played Aviron Bayonnais at Parc des Princes in Paris on 26 March to decide who would be the champions of France. Perpignan won, defeating Aviron Bayonnais 20–5, claiming their first Championship since 1938.
Perpignan would have to wait another eight years until they would make it to the final again. In the 1952 season, Perpignan met FC Lourdes in the final at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, where they went down to FC Lourdes 20–11. However, both sides would meet in another final three years later to decide the 1955 Championship. This time Perpignan emerged victorious, defeating FC Lourdes 11–6 in Bordeaux. Perpignan also won the Challenge Yves du Manoir during the 1955 season, and were runners-us the following year as well.
Perpignan won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1965, but made their first final appearance 20 years after 1955, to decide the 1977 season Championship. They met AS Béziers in the final, who defeated Perpignan 12–4 at Parc des Princes. Perpignan won the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1994,

### Professional era

They would next appear in the final in 1998, where they went down to Stade Français 34–7 in Paris in front of 78,000 people.
In 2002, the club entered into a partnership with the University of Barcelona Rugby Union Club, hence renaming them USAP Barcelona, which compete in the División de Honor, the national Championship in Spain. Perpignan made it to the 2004 final, where they met Stade Français, who defeated them in the 1998 final. Stade Français won again, 38–20 at Stade de France in front of 79,722 people.
In European competition, Perpignan reached the final stage in 2003 (losing 21–17 to Toulouse in Dublin Lansdowne Road) after losing a 1999 semi-final in Toulouse Stadium against Colomiers. They were beaten in the quarter-finals in Lansdowne Road again in 2006 by eventual winners Munster.
They signed All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter, widely regarded as one of the world's best players, on a six-month deal starting from December 2008. Carter's stint at Perpignan, however, ended prematurely when he tore an Achilles tendon.
Their season ended by progressing into the Top 14 semi-final with a 25–21 win over Stade Français and eventually winning it with a fantastic 22–13 win over ASM Clermont Auvergne in the final. In 2010, they advanced to the final again against Clermont, but they saw Les Jaunards end decades of frustration by winning their first championship final in 11 tries.
In 2011 they signed a twinning agreement with FC Barcelona of Spain, which proposes USAP to be promoted through FC Barcelona.

## Club honours

* French championship Top 14
** Champions (4): 1938, 1944, 1955, 2009
** Runners-up (7): 1935, 1939, 1952, 1977, 1998, 2004, 2010
* Heineken Cup / European Rugby Champions Cup
** Runners-up (1): 2003
* Challenge Yves du Manoir
** Champions (3): 1935, 1955, 1994
** Runners-up (5): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1956, 1965
* Pro D2
** Champions (2): 2018, 2021

## Finals results
### French championship

| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 12 May 1935 | Biarritz Olympique | 3–0 | USA Perpignan | Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse | 23,000 |
| 8 May 1938 | USA Perpignan | 11–6 | Biarritz Olympique | Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse | 24,600 |
| 30 April 1939 | Biarritz Olympique | 6–0 AP | USA Perpignan | Stade des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse | 23,000 |
| 26 March 1944 | USA Perpignan | 20–5 | Aviron Bayonnais | Parc des Princes, Paris | 35,000 |
| 4 May 1952 | FC Lourdes | 20–11 | USA Perpignan | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse | 32,500 |
| 22 May 1955 | USA Perpignan | 11–6 | FC Lourdes | Parc Lescure, Bordeaux | 39,764 |
| 29 May 1977 | AS Béziers | 12–4 | USA Perpignan | Parc des Princes, Paris | 41,821 |
| 16 May 1998 | Stade Français | 34–7 | USA Perpignan | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 78,000 |
| 26 June 2004 | Stade Français | 38–20 | USA Perpignan | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 79,722 |
| 6 June 2009 | USA Perpignan | 22–13 | ASM Clermont | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 79,205 |
| 29 May 2010 | ASM Clermont | 19–6 | USA Perpignan | Stade de France, Saint-Denis | 79,262 |

### Heineken Cup

| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 24 May 2003 | Stade Toulousain | 22–17 | USA Perpignan | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | 28,600 |

### Challenge Yves du Manoir

| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up |
| 1935 | USA Perpignan | 3-3, 6–0 | AS Montferrand |
| 1936 | Aviron Bayonnais | 9-3 | USA Perpignan |
| 1937 | Biarritz olympique | 3-0 | USA Perpignan |
| 1938 | AS Montferrand | 23-10 | USA Perpignan |
| 1955 | USA Perpignan | 22-11 | SC Mazamet |
| 1956 | FC Lourdes | 3-0 | USA Perpignan |
| 1965 | US Cognac | 5-3 | USA Perpignan |
| 1994 | USA Perpignan | 18-3 | AS Montferrand |

## Current standings

2024–25 Top 14 Table :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Toulouse | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 570 | 295 | +275 | 72 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 65 | Qualification for playoff semi-finals and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 2 | Bordeaux Bègles | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 533 | 376 | +157 | 68 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 60 | Qualification for playoff semi-finals and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 3 | Toulon | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 490 | 392 | +98 | 58 | 42 | 6 | 3 | 57 | Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 4 | Bayonne | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 439 | 455 | −16 | 47 | 58 | 1 | 2 | 47 | Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 5 | Castres | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 442 | 468 | −26 | 49 | 46 | 1 | 3 | 42 | Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 6 | Lyon | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 468 | 461 | +7 | 51 | 48 | 2 | 2 | 40 | Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 7 | Clermont | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 419 | 446 | −27 | 53 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 39 | Qualification for European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 8 | Montpellier | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 404 | 370 | +34 | 40 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 38 | Qualification for European Rugby Champions Cup |
| 9 | La Rochelle | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 403 | 458 | −55 | 49 | 49 | 3 | 3 | 38 | Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Pau | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 450 | 481 | −31 | 48 | 61 | 3 | 3 | 38 | Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 11 | Stade Français | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 399 | 499 | −100 | 42 | 60 | 2 | 2 | 32 | Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 12 | Racing 92 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 445 | 496 | −51 | 50 | 56 | 0 | 5 | 31 | Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup |
| 13 | Perpignan | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 299 | 422 | −123 | 26 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 30 | Qualification for relegation play-off |
| 14 | Vannes | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 463 | 605 | −142 | 52 | 77 | 0 | 4 | 28 | Relegation to Pro D2 |

## Current squad

The Perpignan squad for the 2024–2 season is:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Seilala Lam | Hooker | Samoa |
| Victor Montgaillard | Hooker | France |
| Ignacio Ruiz | Hooker | Argentina |
| Giorgi Beria | Prop | France |
| Kieran Brookes | Prop | England |
| Pietro Ceccarelli | Prop | Italy |
| Bruce Devaux | Prop | France |
| Akato Fakatika | Prop | France |
| Nemo Roelofse | Prop | South Africa |
| Giorgi Tetrashvili | Prop | Georgia |
| Max Hicks | Lock | New Zealand |
| Tristan Labouteley | Lock | France |
| Marvin Orie | Lock | South Africa |
| Mathieu Tanguy | Lock | France |
| Posolo Tuilagi | Lock | France |
| Adrin Warion | Lock | France |
| Lucas Bachelier | Back row | France |
| Alan Brazo | Back row | France |
| Noe Della Schiava | Back row | France |
| So'otala Fa'aso'o | Back row | Samoa |
| Patrick Sobela | Back row | France |
| Joaquín Oviedo | Back row | Argentina |
| Jaco van Tonder | Back row | South Africa |
| Lucas Velarte | Back row | France |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Gela Aprasidze | Scrum-half | Georgia |
| Tom Ecochard | Scrum-half | France |
| James Hall | Scrum-half | South Africa |
| Tommaso Allan | Fly-half | Italy |
| Antoine Aucagne | Fly-half | France |
| Jake McIntyre | Fly-half | Australia |
| Jean-Pascal Barraque | Centre | France |
| Eneriko Buliruarua | Centre | Fiji |
| Alivereti Duguivalu | Centre | Fiji |
| Jerónimo de la Fuente | Centre | Argentina |
| Apisai Naqalevu | Centre | Fiji |
| Ali Crossdale | Wing | England |
| Louis Dupichot | Wing | France |
| Jefferson-Lee Joseph | Wing | France |
| Tavite Veredamu | Wing | France |
| Lucas Dubois | Fullback | France |
| Théo Forner | Fullback | France |

### Espoirs squad

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Mathys Lotrian | Hooker | France |
| Joan Barcenilla D'onghia | Prop | Spain |
| Lorencio Boyer Gallardo | Prop | France |
| Simone Marcaggi | Prop | Italy |
| Giani Callegari | Lock | France |
| Bastien Chinarro | Lock | France |
| Sample Joubert | Lock | South Africa |
| Ismael Millan | Lock | Spain |
| Alessandro Ortombina | Lock | Italy |
| Antoine Bouthier | Back row | France |
| Andro Dvali | Back row | Georgia |
| Ronald Sharma | Back row | Fiji |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Marc Guillet | Scrum-half | France |
| Lenny Viola | Scrum-half | France |
| Noe Brune | Fly-half | France |
| Gabin Kretchmann | Fly-half | France |
| Nicola Bozzo | Centre | Italy |
| Maxim Granell | Centre | France |
| Anthony Guirado | Centre | France |
| Job Poulet | Centre | France |
| Setareki Toganiyadrava | Fullback | Fiji |
| Yoan Vinas | Fullback | France |

## Notable former players

* Federico Martín Aramburú
* Bautista Delguy
* Rimas Álvarez Kairelis
* Alejandro Allub
* José Orengo
* Sebastian Bozzi
* Ryan Cross
* Daniel Herbert
* Justin Purll
* Manny Edmonds
* Robins Tchale-Watchou
* Mike James
* Phil Murphy
* Alex Brown
* Perry Freshwater
* Richard Haughton
* Dan Luger
* Luke Narraway
* Tim Stimpson
* Tevita Cavubati
* Samueli Naulu
* Alipate Ratini
* Eroni Sau
* Ben Volavola
* Watisoni Votu
* Christophe André
* Puig Aubert
* Franck Azéma
* Mathieu Barrau
* Armand Batlle
* Noël Brazès
* Pascal Bomati
* Benoît Bourrust
* Élie Brousse
* Gilbert Brutus
* Benoît Cabello
* Jacques Cabero
* Didier Camberabero
* Daniel Camiade
* Julien Candelon
* Florian Cazenave
* Frédéric Cermeno
* Damien Chouly
* Georges Coste
* Joseph Crespo
* Marc Dal Maso
* Vincent Debaty
* Joseph Desclaux
* Sébastien Descons
* Nans Ducuing
* Sylvain Dupuy
* Nicolas Durand
* Jérôme Fillol
* Julien Fritz
* Jean Galia
* Charles Geli
* Aimé Giral
* Bernard Goutta
* Raoul Got
* Paul Goze
* Jean-Philippe Grandclaude
* Guilhem Guirado
* Sofiane Guitoune
* Raphaël Ibañez
* Jean-Francois Imbernon
* Melvyn Jaminet
* David Janin
* Jacques Jorda
* Thierry Lacroix
* Mickaël Ladhuie
* Julien Laharrague
* Nicolas Laharrague
* Gregory Le Corvec
* Marc Lièvremont
* Matthieu Lièvremont
* Thomas Lièvremont
* Camille Lopez
* Ludovic Loustau
* Brice Mach
* Lionel Mallier
* David Marty
* Nicolas Mas
* Jo Maso
* Sami Mavinga
* Maxime Mermoz
* Joffrey Michel
* Romain Millo-Chluski
* Olivier Olibeau
* Vincent Planté
* Christophe Porcu
* Jerome Porical
* Laurent Sempéré
* Jérôme Schuster
* Farid Sid
* Jean-Marc Souverbie
* Romain Taofifénua
* Sébastien Taofifénua
* Jérôme Thion
* Sébastien Vahaamahina
* Yohann Vivalda
* Quentin Walcker
* Dimitri Basilaia
* Giorgi Jgenti
* Davit Kubriashvili
* Mick O'Driscoll
* Paddy Jackson
* Tommaso Allan
* Tommaso Benvenuti
* Ramiro Pez
* Dan Carter
* Scott Robertson
* Eric Sione
* Răzvan Mavrodin
* Marius Țincu
* Ovidiu Tonița
* Johan van Heerden
* Rudi Coetzee
* Gavin Hume
* Steve Meyer
* Wandile Mjekevu
* Percy Montgomery
* Gert Muller
* Jacques-Louis Potgieter
* Kirill Kulemin
* Manu Leiataua
* Henry Tuilagi
* Chris Cusiter
* Nathan Hines
* Alasdair Strokosch
* Raphaël Bastide
* Mathieu Bélie
* David Mélé
* Lifeimi Mafi
* Tevita Mailau
* Sione Piukala
* Kisi Pulu
* Sona Taumalolo
* Viliami Vaki
* William Leon Jefferson
* Richard Parks
* James Hook
* Luke Charteris