Lyon OU Rugby

Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby or LOU is a French professional rugby union team based in Lyon that currently competes in the Top 14, the highest level of the country's professional league system, having been most recently promoted for the 2016–17 season after winning the 2015–16 title of the second-level Pro D2. The club has bounced between the top two levels in recent years, having also been promoted in 2011 and 2014 and relegated in 2012 and 2015.

They were founded in 1896 and play in red and black. In 2011, the team left the Stade Vuillermet for the new Matmut Stadium. In 2017 the team moved to the Matmut Stadium de Gerland.

History

Le LOU, as it is traditionally known, is one of the oldest sports clubs in France and among the first outside Paris to have set up a rugby section. The club's original name was Racing Club, the result of a merger of the Racing Club de Vaise and the Rugby Club de Lyon. It was renamed Racing et Cercles Réunis in 1902 after several other clubs joined it, then a few months later Lyon Olympique. Finally, in 1910, it became Lyon Olympique Universitaire. The red and black were adopted in 1902.

The club developed several sections (it now has 13), one of the most successful being the rugby union section, which is now known as LOU Rugby. The rugby club took part in three successive French championship finals (1931–33), losing the first one to Toulon (3–6) but winning the next two against Narbonne (9-3 and 10–3). It then played in lower amateur leagues until it was promoted back to the second professional division (Pro D2). In 2006–07, it had the second biggest budget of the championship and its ambition was to rejoin the Top 14 in the next two years, under the leadership of their coach Christian Lanta, who formerly led Racing Club de France, Italian club Treviso and Agen. However, they would not succeed in their promotion quest until 2011. Since then, they have been a proverbial "yo-yo team", having been either relegated or promoted four times in the six seasons since their 2011 promotion.

Honours

• European Rugby Challenge Cup
  • Champions (1): 2022
  • Runners-up (1): 2025
• French championship Top 14
  • Champions (2): 1932, 1933
  • Runners-up (1): 1931
• Pro D2
  • Champions (3): 2011, 2014, 2016
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (1): 1933
  • Runners-up (1): 1932
• Fédérale 1
  • Champions: 2002
• Deuxième Division
  • Champions: 1989, 1992

Finals results

French championship

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
10 May 1931	RC Toulon	6-3	Lyon OU	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	10,000
5 May 1932	Lyon OU	9-3	RC Narbonne	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	13,000
7 May 1933	Lyon OU	10-3	RC Narbonne	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	15,000

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Date	Winner	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
27 May 2022	Template:Flagicon Lyon OU	30–12	Template:Flagicon RC Toulon	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille	51,431
23 May 2025	Template:Flagicon Bath	37–12	Template:Flagicon Lyon OU	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff	36,705

Challenge Yves du Manoir

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up
1932	SU Agen	round robin	Lyon OU
1933	Lyon OU	round robin	SU Agen

Current standings

{{#lst:2024–25 Top 14 season|table}}

Current squad

The Lyon squad for the 2024–25 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 Yanis Charcosset Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Camille Chat Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Guillaume Marchand Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Sam Matavesi Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Jermaine Ainsley Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Irakli Aptsiauri Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Wayan de Benedittis Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Cedate Gomes Sa Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Hamza Kaabeche Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Jérôme Rey Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Sébastien Taofifénua Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Kilian Geraci Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Mickaël Guillard Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Félix Lambey Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Tomás Lavanini Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Alban Roussel Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Liam Allen Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Steeve Blanc-Mappaz Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Arno Botha Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Dylan Cretin Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Maxime Gouzou Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Pierre-Samuel Pacheco Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Beka Saghinadze Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Beka Shvangiradze Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Théo William Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag

Player Position Union Charlie Cassang Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Baptiste Couilloud Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Martin Page-Relo Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Léo Berdeu Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Paddy Jackson Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Martin Méliande Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Josiah Maraku Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Théo Millet Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Alfred Parisien Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Semi Radradra Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Thibaut Regard Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Ethan Dumortier Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Monty Ioane Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Vincent Rattez Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Davit Niniashvili Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Alexandre Tchaptchet Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag

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 Terence Fusi Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Baptiste Narmand Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Ave Maalo Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Thomas Marceline Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Lyan Pakihivatau Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Valentin Simutoga Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Lilian Brun-Bourdi Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Fousseynou Cissokho Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Jarlath Gleeson Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Bartholome Sanson Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Ruan Viviers Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Gael Almorin Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Cleo Bard Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Lilian Baret Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Antoine Deliance Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Luka Saginadze Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Marvin Okuya Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Jules Vuachet Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag

Player Position Union Leny Aram Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Teo Boucheron Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Esteban Gonzalez Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Mathis Galeazzi Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Paco Mazoyer Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Romain Rigult Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Dorian Diabou Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Dorian Marceline Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Mylan Sosse Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Miracle Tangata Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Noah Jallet Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Charly Mignot Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Luka Khorbaladze Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag Gabin Lacoste Template:Rugby squad role Template:Rugby union governing body flag

See also

• List of rugby union clubs in France
• Rugby union in France

External links

• Template:In lang Lyon OU Official website
• LOU Omnisports Sportsclub