# 1972–73 French Rugby Union Championship

The 1972–73 French Rugby Union Championship was contested by 64 teams divided in 8 pools.
The first four of each pool, were qualified for the knockout stages.
The Stadoceste won the championship beating Dax in the final.
It was the first title after World War II for Stadoceste.

## Qualification round

In bold the clubs qualified for the next round. The teams are listed according to the final ranking
| Pool 1 Béziers Montferrand Stade Bagnérais Lourdes Auch Montauban Chalon Avenir Aturin (promoted from second division) | Pool 2 Brive Valence Graulhet La Rochelle Mont-de-Marsan Mauléon Bergerac Olympique Besançon (Besançon) (promoted from second division) | Pool 3 Touloun La Voulte US Bressane Boucau Saint-Jean-de-Luz Tulle Chambéry Limoges (promoted from second division) |
| Pool 4 Narbonne Biarritz Castres Bègles Oloron Saint-Claude Gaillac SA Bordeaux-Mérignac (promoted from second division) | Pool 5 Agen Grenoble Saint-Girons (promoted from second division) Dijon Lyon OU Rodez(Rodez) Tyrosse Romans | Pool 6 Dax Aurillac Stadoceste Racing UA MImizan (Mimizan) (promoted from second division) Montchanin Condom (Condom) Poitiers |
| Pool 7 Perpignan Lavelanet Bayonne Pau RRC Nice (promoted from second division) Marmande Quillan Soustons | Pool 8 Stade Beaumontois Avignon Saint-Saturnin Toulouse Vichy Fumel Libos Carmaux (promoted from second division) Périgueux Cognac | |

## Knockout stages
### "Last 32"

In bold the clubs qualified for the next round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Results |
| Saint-Girons | Stade Bagnérais | 10-20 |
| Perpignan | Aurillac | 10-6 |
| Grenoble | Graulhet | 4-12 |
| Agen | Dijon | 16-6 |
| Stadoceste | Racing | 7-3 |
| Narbonne | US Bressane | 16-9 |
| Touloun | Lavelanet | 19-10 |
| La Voulte | Castres | 10-0 |
| Brive | Lourdes | 28-6 |
| Montferrand | Pau | 29-7 |
| Dax | Vichy | 16-14 |
| Valence | Boucau | 9-6 |
| Béziers | Bègles | 26-8 |
| Toulouse | Biarritz | 30-19 |
| Avignon Saint-Saturnin | Bayonne | 4-15 |
| Stade Beaumontois | La Rochelle | 11-6 |

### "Last 16"

In bold the clubs qualified for the next round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Results |
| Stade Bagnérais | Perpignan | 9-19 |
| Graulhet | Agen | 12-7 |
| Stadoceste | Narbonne | 12-11 |
| Toulon | La Voulte | 7-14 |
| Brive | Montferrand | 18-9 |
| Dax | Valence | 34-12 |
| Béziers | Toulose | 21-12 |
| Bayonne | Stade Beaumontois | 16-15 |

### Quarter of finals

In bold the clubs qualified for the next round
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Results |
| Perpignan | Graulhet | 10-3 |
| Stadoceste | La Voulte | 15-3 |
| Brive | Dax | 10-16 |
| Béziers | Bayonne | 28-12 |

### Semifinals

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Results |
| Perpignan | Stadoceste | 0-6 |
| Dax | Béziers | 23-3 |

## Final

| Teams | Stadoceste - Dax |
| Score | 18-12 |
| Date | 20 May 1973 |
| Venue | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse |
| Referee | André Cuny |
| Line-up | |
| Stadoceste | Lucien Abadie, Antoine Marin, Gilbert Verdier, Francis Sénac, Francis Biescas, Claude Cabar, Patrick Leblanc, Christian Paul, Alain Save, Daniel Marty, Jean Sillières, Fernand Marin, Joël Pécune, Jean-Louis Montagne, Georges Michel |
| Dax | Pierre Duclos, Jacques Ibanez, Christian Hoursiangou, Jean-Pierre Bastiat, Bernard Dutin, Yves Courrouy, Gilles Benali, Bernard Vinsonneau, Georges Capdepuy, Patrick Freicha, Bernard Trémont, Jean-Pierre Lux, Philippe Lebel, Michel Arrieumerlou, Jean-Paul Cazenave |
| Scorers | |
| Stadoceste | 2 tries Biescas and Pécune, 2 conversions, 1 penalty and 1 drop Michel |
| Dax | 1 try Arrieumerlou, 1 conversion Duclos, 1 drop Freicha |