CA Brive

CA Brive

Full name	Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin
Nickname(s)	Les Coujous Les Gaillards (The Strapping Lads) Les Noir et Blanc (The Black and Whites) Les Zèbres (The Zebras)
Founded	1910; 114 years ago (1910)
Location	Brive-la-Gaillarde, France
Ground(s)	Stade Amédée-Domenech (Capacity: 14,759)
President	Simon Gillham
Coach(es)	Pierre Henry-Broncan
Captain(s)	Saïd Hireche
Most appearances	Jean-Claude Roques (373)
Top scorer	Jean-François Thiot (1796)
Most tries	Jean-Pierre Puidebois (115)
League(s)	Pro D2
2023–24	6th
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.cabrive-rugby.com

Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive (French pronunciation: [bʁiv]) or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department.

Brive is a historical member of French rugby union, being one of the clubs that spent the most seasons in the top French domestic competition. "Les Coujous" also won the Heineken Cup in 1997, defeating Leicester Tigers in the final in a 28-9 win.

Many great players, both French and foreign, played for the club currently headed by Simon Gillham, and the youth academy has a good reputation. Brive players who also on to play for France include: Amédée Domenech, nicknamed "Le Duc" ("The Duke") who played there in the 1950s and 60s, and gave his name to the stadium after his death in 2003; prolific flanker Olivier Magne, fly-halves Christophe Lamaison and Alain Penaud, number-eight Jean-Luc Joinel and hooker Michel Yachvili, the father of Dimitri Yachvili, also wore the black and white jersey.

Their home ground is the 14,759-capacity Stade Amédée-Domenech and the club colours are black and white.

The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on 12 October 1912.^{[clarification needed]} Before the Second World War, Brive changed from rugby union to rugby league but returned to union after the war.

It played regularly in the First Division, and established itself as the stronghold of rugby in Limousin but for many years its only title was a Second Division trophy won in 1957. Brive did not make it to the final of the First Division championship until 1965. On 23 May that year they met SU Agen at Stade de Gerland in Lyon only to lose 15–8. Brive next made it to the final in the 1972 season, where they faced AS Béziers on 21 May in Lyon again, and again the Black and White came out the losers, as Béziers won their second consecutive title (9–0). Brive met AS Béziers in the final again three season later, in 1975. By then, Béziers had become the unbeatable team of the decade, and they won their fifth title, this time by just one point (13–12), at Parc des Princes in Paris.

Brive experienced a resurgence in the middle of the 1990s, first in 1996, when they made their first finals appearance since the mid-1970s in Paris. Brive however went down 20–13 to Stade Toulousain. It was their fourth losing final. Only one club have lost more finals without winning one than them (US Dax, on five). That year however, they won the Challenge Yves du Manoir, defeating Pau 12–6. The following season, they made it to the final of the Heineken Cup where they faced the Leicester Tigers from England at Cardiff Arms Park. Brive finally won a final, defeating the Tigers 28–9.^[1] They are the only club to win the European Cup without ever winning their domestic championship.

On 22 February 1997, Brive, as European champions, were pitted against Auckland Blues who had recently won the Super 12. The French team were no competition to an extra powerful Kiwi side which won easily 47–11.^[2] In 1998 Brive again reached the final of the Heineken Cup, this time against Bath. They came close to capturing back-to-back titles, losing by just one point, 19–18 at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux.

Since then, however, the club has been in dire straits, as it was subjected to a punitive relegation to the second division in 2000 due to bad financial management. They bounced back two years later but have struggled ever since in the lower echelons of the league table, except in 2004 when they managed to qualify for the playoffs. In 2005, Brive went to the semi-finals of European Challenge Cup, but they lost to Pau. In 2009, after taking the sixth place of the Championship, the Black and White could participate in the Heineken Cup, but the competition was difficult for them, against the Europeans champions Leinster, Llanelli Scarlets and London Irish.

After difficulties and a relegation to the second division in 2012, Brive returned to the Top 14 the following year, after defeating Pau.^[3]

• Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup
  • Champions (1): 1997
  • Runners-up (1): 1998

• French championship Top 14
  • Runners-up (4): 1965, 1972, 1975, 1996

• Pro D2
  • Champions (1): 1957
  • Runners-up (2): 2013, 2019

• Promotion play-offs Final/Top 14 Access Match
  • Champions (2): 2012–13, 2018–19

• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (1): 1996
  • Runners-up (2): 1963, 1974

• French Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2000

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
25 January 1997	CA Brive	28–9	Leicester Tigers	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	41,664
31 January 1998	Bath	19–18	CA Brive	Parc Lescure, Bordeaux	36,500

The Brive squad for the 2023–24 season is:^[4][5]

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

Player Position Union Benjamin Boudou Hooker France Lucas Da Silva Hooker France Issam Hamel Hooker Algeria Adrien Pélissié Hooker France Vakh Abdaladze Prop Georgia Francisco Coria Marchetti Prop Argentina Nathan Fraissenon Prop France Hugo Reilhes Prop France Wesley Tapueluelu Prop Tonga Marcel van der Merwe Prop South Africa Julien Delannoy Lock France Courtney Lawes Lock England Tevita Ratuva Lock Fiji Oskar Rixen Lock Germany Sitaleki Timani Lock Tonga Renger van Eerten Lock Netherlands Sasha Gué Back row France Saïd Hireche Back row Algeria Retief Marais Back row South Africa Ross Moriarty Back row Wales Taniela Sadrugu Back row Fiji Asier Usarraga Back row Spain Matthieu Voisin Back row France Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco Back row New Zealand

Player Position Union Julien Blanc Scrum-half France Leo Carbonneau Scrum-half France Jackson Garden-Bachop Fly-half New Zealand Stuart Olding Fly-half Ireland Sammy Arnold Centre Ireland Guillaume Galletier Centre France Sam Johnson Centre Scotland Nico Lee Centre South Africa Paul Walisoliso Centre Fiji Arthur Bonneval Wing France Mathieu Brignonen Wing France Wesley Douglas Wing England Asaeli Tuivuaka Wing Fiji Aaron Grandidier Fullback France Thomas Laranjeira Fullback France

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

Player Position Union Quentin Algay Hooker France Valerio Siciliano Hooker Italy Daniel Fereti Prop Fiji Yann Lagane Prop France Ayermic Lager Prop France Pierre-Chanel Tafili Prop France Teun Karst Lock Netherlands Joeli Matalweru Lock Fiji David Geneste Back row France Loan Lavergne Back row France Max Lestro Back row Fiji Geoffrey Malaterre Back row France Thomas Seguy Back row France

Player Position Union Noe Bros Scrum-half France Luka Keletaona Fly-half France Tom Raffy Fly-half France Maxence Bisaotto Centre France Maxime Claux Centre France Kevin Fabien Centre Russia Bastien Masse Centre France Georges Shvelidze Centre Georgia Benjamin Lefranc Wing France Mathis Ferte Fullback France Nic Krone Fullback South Africa Lewis Noon Fullback England

The following are players who have represented their country, players who have won a title with the club, players who have played a sufficient number of games to go down in the club history or players who came from the academy and have made a significant career in another team:

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

• (in French) CA Brive Official website
• Unofficial fan's site
• CA Brive profile on Rugby15