# 1953–54 French Rugby Union Championship

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 |