RC Toulon

Rugby Club Toulonnais was founded on 3 June 1908 as a merger of Étoile Sportive Varoise and members of the Stade Varois, a club based in nearby La Seyne-sur-Mer. It took the club 23 years to reach the top of French rugby, when they won the 1931 championship against Lyon Olympique Universitaire (6–3, 2 tries to 1). The players were greeted by 30,000 people when they returned from Bordeaux, where the final had been held.

Toulon remained one of the top French clubs, but they lost four finals scattered over 35 years (1948, 1968, 1971 and 1985). The 1985 extra-time defeat by Stade Toulousain left them with many regrets, and playing a spectacular final (36–22) did nothing to alleviate the pain of losing. The Red and Black waited only two more years to finally lay their hands on the Bouclier de Brennus, as they defeated Racing at the Parc des Princes. The third title came in 1992, against Biarritz Olympique, in Serge Blanco's last match and last chance to win the title.

For eight years, Toulon were not particularly successful and were in heavy financial trouble (a 10 million franc deficit) forced the Ligue Nationale de Rugby to demote them to the Second Division in July 2000. The club missed an immediate return the next year, going down in the final to Montauban, as only one club was promoted that year. It took them five more years to do so as Toulon went on to win the Pro D2 title. But despite immense popular support (gates averaged more than 12,000), and much enthusiasm, they managed to win only three games out of 26 and were relegated after only a season.

On the day of his arrival in Paris, on 1 May 1895, just before his first concert, Félix Mayol was met by a female friend at the station, who gave him some lily-of-the-valley, a flower people traditionally exchange on 1 May in France. He pinned it on his lapel, his concert was a success and Mayol, who was superstitious, made the lily-of-the-valley his personal emblem. It was taken up by the rugby club in 1921.

In 1920, its stadium was inaugurated. It is named after Félix Mayol, a very popular concert hall singer from Toulon who had succeeded in Paris in the early 20th century. Shortly after World War I, he purchased what would be the stadium site and donated it to the club. It is one of the few French stadiums to be almost completely surrounded by the city and overlooks the Toulon bay and military harbour in the Mediterranean.

The club has played in cross-code charity matches with a half each of rugby union and football. On July 18, 2013, they played Olympique de Marseille in the first ever match of the kind at the Stade Mayol to benefit a local charity with Marc Lièvremont and Eric Cantona as the referees in either half, with Olympique de Marseille winning 36–35.[8][9]

Two years later, the club played another such match to benefit a local children's charity at the Stade Mayol against France 98, the charity association team composed of France's 1998 FIFA World Cup winners, and won 33–26. Bernard Laporte served as one of the referees.[10]

• Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup
  • Champions (3): 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
• European Challenge Cup
  • Champions (1): 2022–23
  • Runners-up (4): 2009–10, 2011–12, 2019–20, 2021–22
• Top 14
  • Champions (4): 1930–31, 1986–87, 1991–92, 2013–14
  • Runners-up (9): 1947–48, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1984–85, 1988–89, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (2): 1934, 1970
  • Runners-up (3): 1939, 1954, 1983
• Rugby Pro D2
  • Champions (2): 2004–05, 2007–08
  • Runners-up (1): 2000–01

The Toulon squad for the 2022–23 season is:[11]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Teddy Baubigny Hooker France Anthony Étrillard Hooker France Christopher Tolofua Hooker France Kieran Brookes Prop England Bruce Devaux Prop France Florian Fresia Prop France Beka Gigashvili Prop Georgia Jean-Baptiste Gros Prop France Dany Priso Prop France Emerick Setiano Prop France Brian Alainu'uese Lock Samoa Alun Wyn Jones Lock Wales Swan Rebbadj Lock France David Ribbans Lock England Mathieu Tanguy Lock France Adrien Warion Lock France Esteban Abadie Back row France Jules Coulon Back row France Cornell du Preez Back row Scotland Facundo Isa Back row Argentina Charles Ollivon Back row France Selevasio Tolofua Back row France Yannick Youyoutte Back row France

Player Position Union Jules Danglot Scrum-half France Baptiste Serin Scrum-half France Ben White Scrum-half Scotland Dan Biggar Fly-half Wales Enzo Hervé Fly-half France Mathieu Smaili Fly-half France Waisea Nayacalevu Centre Fiji Duncan Paia'aua Centre Samoa Maëlan Rabut Centre France Rayan Rebbadj Centre France Jérémy Sinzelle Centre France Leicester Fainga'anuku Wing New Zealand Noa Nakaitaci Wing France Kalani Robert Wing France Gabin Villière Wing France Jiuta Wainiqolo Wing Fiji Aymeric Luc Fullback France

Espoirs squad

The RC Toulonnais Espoirs squad is:[12]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Yanis Boulassel Hooker France Pierre Damond Hooker France Leo Ametlla Prop France Tau Junior Fifita Prop New Zealand Davit Mcheldidze Prop Georgia Mateo Tornel-Rodriguez Prop France Yanis Trabelsi Prop France Eliott Yemsi Prop France Thomas Adelaide Lock France Julien Godel Lock France Matthias Halagahu Lock France Emilio Orsoni Lock France Semi Ramacake Lock Fiji Mathias Courcy Back row France Clement Eigziano Back row France Marc Essoh Back row France Wendemi Viellard Back row France

Player Position Union Ilyes Daoud Scrum-half France Arthur Pissot Scrum-half France Nathan Azais Fly-half France Pierre Hugard Fly-half France Thibaut Andral Centre France Marius Domon Centre France Thomas Fabre Centre France Theo Moitrier Centre France Louis Morland Centre France Karsen Talalua Centre France Kalani Robert Wing France Alberto Carmona Fullback Spain

This is a list of former players in alphabetical order showing nationality and the period played for the club.

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

• (in French) RC Toulonnais Official website