Montpellier Hérault Rugby

Montpellier HR
Full nameMontpellier Hérault Rugby
Nickname(s)Les Cistes (The Rockroses)
Les Bleu et Blanc (The Bleu and Whites)
Founded1986 (1986)
LocationMontpellier, France
GroundGGL Stadium (Capacity: 15,697)
ChairmanMohed Altrad
CoachJoan Caudullo
Captain(s)Alexandre Bécognée
Yacouba Camara
Arthur Vincent
Most appearancesFulgence Ouedraogo (340)
Top scorerBenoît Paillaugue (1,368)
Most triesTimoci Nagusa (92)
LeagueTop 14
2024–259th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.montpellier-rugby.com

Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃pɛlje eʁo ʁyɡbi klœb, -pəl-]; Occitan: Montpelhièr Erau Rugbi Club) is a French professional rugby union club, based in Montpellier, Occitanie and named after the Hérault department. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, the Top 14. They originally played at Stade Sabathé (capacity 5,000) but moved in 2007 to the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, later known as Altrad Stadium, and since renamed the GGL Stadium. They wear white and blue.

History

The club was established in 1986 through the merger of two other rugby union clubs, the Stade Montpelliérain and MUC Rugby.

In 1993 the club won the Challenge de l'Espérance.

In 2003 the club became the champion of France's second division national rugby league, the Pro D2. After finishing second in the league table at the end of the 2002–03 season, Montpellier advanced to the playoffs. They defeated Auch in the semi-finals and Tarbes in the finals to win promotion to the Top 14. The following season the club played for the European Shield, and contested the final. Played in May 2004, Montpellier defeated Italian club Viadana 25 points to 19 to win the Shield.

The club barely avoided relegation after the 2006–07 season. Winning only nine games during a 26-game season, Montpellier found itself in a relegation position with only two games left to play. Thanks to a bonus-point victory in week 25, the team finished just four points ahead of Agen which was relegated to the Pro D2 at the end of the year.

After 2006–07, the club's fortunes began to improve. In June 2007, Fulgence Ouedraogo became the first Montpellier player to play on the French national rugby union team. That same summer the club's new stadium, the Stade Yves-du-Manoir (now GGL Stadium), opened. In 2007–08 Montpellier enjoyed its first winning season in the Top 14. The club made its next step up the table in 2010–11 when it unexpectedly finished sixth by a single point and made the Top 14 playoffs for the first time. The underdog squad defeated both Castres and Racing Métro to make the championship game where they were defeated 15–10 by Toulouse. Since that season, Montpellier has become a consistent playoff contender, finishing fifth in both 2011–12 and 2012–13 and second on the league table in 2013–14.

Thanks to the club's excellent 2010–11 showing, Montpellier was awarded its first spot in the Heineken Cup tournament for 2011–12. The club returned for the 2012–13 tournament and made the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Clermont. Montpellier returned for the final edition of the Heineken Cup in 2013–14, and participated in the successor to the Heineken Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup, in 2014–15.

From 2011 the club has been chaired and funded by Mohed Altrad.[1]

Honours

Finals results

French championship

Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
4 June 2011 Stade Toulousain 15–10 Montpellier Hérault RC Stade de France, Saint-Denis 77,000
2 June 2018 Castres Olympique 29–13 Montpellier Hérault RC Stade de France, Saint-Denis 79,441
24 June 2022 Montpellier Hérault RC 29–10 Castres Olympique Stade de France, Saint-Denis 78,245

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
13 May 2016 Montpellier Hérault RC 26–19 Harlequins Grand Stade de Lyon, Lyon 28,556 [2]
21 May 2021 Montpellier Hérault RC 18–17 Leicester Twickenham, London 10,000

European Shield

Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
21 May 2004 Montpellier Hérault RC 25–19 Viadana Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 2,553

Current standings

2025–26 Top 14 Table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Toulouse 17 13 0 4 662 352 +310 90 40 10 2 62 Qualification for playoff semi-finals and European Rugby Champions Cup
2 Pau 16 11 0 5 495 420 +75 61 53 5 2 51
3 Bordeaux Bègles 17 10 0 7 574 444 +130 81 56 7 3 50 Qualification for playoff semi-final qualifiers and European Rugby Champions Cup
4 Montpellier 17 9 1 7 520 373 +147 64 42 6 4 48
5 Clermont 17 10 0 7 558 452 +106 72 56 5 1 46
6 Racing 92 17 10 1 6 497 517 −20 58 66 2 1 45
7 Stade Français 17 8 1 8 471 427 +44 58 55 5 5 44 Qualification for European Rugby Champions Cup
8 Toulon 17 9 0 8 452 523 −71 61 63 6 1 43
9 Castres 17 9 0 8 405 470 −65 47 59 1 4 41 Qualification for European Rugby Challenge Cup
10 La Rochelle 17 7 0 10 520 461 +59 68 56 5 4 37
11 Lyon 17 8 0 9 508 489 +19 64 64 3 2 37
12 Bayonne 17 8 0 9 452 557 −105 51 71 2 2 36
13 Perpignan 16 3 0 13 283 445 −162 31 51 1 1 14 Qualification for relegation play-off
14 Montauban 17 1 1 15 325 792 −467 39 113 0 1 7 Relegation to Pro D2
Updated to match(es) played on 15 February 2026. Source: Top 14


Current squad

For player movements before or during the 2025–26 season, see List of 2025–26 Top 14 transfers § Montpellier.

The Montpellier squad for the 2025–26 season is:[3][4]

Montpellier Hérault 2025–26 Top 14 squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

(c) denotes the team captain.
Bold denotes internationally capped players.
Source: [3]

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
Lyam Akrab Hooker France
Adrien de Klerk Hooker Australia
Ugo Izarn Hooker France
Ratu Ratavo Hooker Fiji
Baptiste Gilliocq Prop France
Ilan Leblanc-Feron Prop France
Luka Kotorashvili Prop Georgia
PJ Poutasi Prop Australia
Sylvestre Vakauliafaa Prop France
Isoa Bakeidaku Lock Fiji
Sacha Joncart Lock France
Nils Punti Lock France
Youssouf Soucouna Lock France
Raphael Audebert Back row France
Richard Farret Back row France
Louis Galleni Back row France
Jason Ilimotama Back row Fiji
Solomon Shand Back row England
Djibril Sissako Back row France
Player Position Union
Tom Baraer Scrum-half France
Gabin Came Scrum-half France
Sandro Dubois Fly-half France
Souheib Benabdelkader Centre France
Jules Ducros Centre France
Joan Notolan Centre France
Titoan Rouvelet Centre France
Miracle Tangata Centre Australia
Ridhau Bey Wing South Africa
Rupeni Junior Caucaunibuca Wing Fiji
Melvyn Rates Wing France

Notable former players

See also

References

  1. ^ Savchuk, Katia (23 March 2015). "From Bedouin To Billionaire: Meet The Man Changing What It Means To Be French After Charlie Hebdo". Forbes. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  2. ^ "REPORT: Montpellier claim maiden Challenge Cup crown : European Rugby Challenge Cup (EPCR)". Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  3. ^ a b "Effectif - Montpellier Hérault Rugby" (in French). Montpellier Rugby. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Montpellier squad for season 2025/2026". All Rugby. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
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