Bassin from Arcachon, land of rugby
Friday is the kickoff of the Rugby World Cup, which will keep many enthusiasts in suspense for almost 2 months, at the highest world level!
The french team, three-time finalists in the history of the competition without ever winning it, has been working for 4 years to reach the highest place on the podium. Despite the injury of certain senior players of the team, the XV of France remains one of the favorites.
As for matches, it's in Bordeaux that it's happening!
The good news is that Bordeaux is host city and welcome 5 matches :
- IRELAND – ROMANIA: Saturday September 9 – 3:30 p.m.
- WALES – FIJI: Sunday September 10 – 9:00 p.m.
- SAMOA – AMERICAS 2: Saturday September 16 – 3:00 p.m.
- SOUTH AFRICA – ROMANIA: Sunday September 17 – 3:00 p.m.
- FIJI – GEORGIA: Saturday September 30 – 5:45 p.m.
And less than 45 minutes from Bordeaux, on the Bassin from Arcachon, rugby is king ! Oval land, the Bassin has seen the birth of several clubs on its territory, developing a real rugby fabric with today 5 men's rugby clubs and 2 women's clubs.
Discover our different clubs:
- The RCBA (Rugby Club Bassin of Arcachon) : Merger of the La Teste de Buch club and that of Arcachon, it is the club which plays at the highest level on the Bassin in Arcachon. It is classified in Nationale 2, the 4th French division and the lowest of the national competitions. He plays at the La Teste de Buch stadium (Stade Bonneval/Biraben). Player Benjamin Sa, current player of the club, played in elite rugby in the Racing 92 and Union Bordeaux Bègles clubs. He is the father of Connor Sa, UBB hopeful player and loaned to the club Carcassonne in ProD2 (2nd French division). They play in black, blue and yellow.
- The UAGM (Gujan-Mestras Athletic Union) : Located at the Louis Bézian stadium in the city center of Gujan-Mestras, this club was founded in 1908 and plays in Federal 2 (6th French division). In the 1940s the club was part of the French first division for a few seasons. Patrice Lagisquet, emblematic player of the France team and coach of the backs of the Blues, began his career at Gujan-Mestras. They play in black and white.
- The COR (Cazaux Olympique Rugby) : Second club in the commune of La Teste de Buch but located in the village of Cazaux, COR plays in Regional 2 (9th French division). The club house located on the banks of the lake was completely burned by the fire in the summer of 2022. They play at the Clavier stadium. They play in yellow and black.
The RCLCF (Rugby Club Lège Cap Ferret) : Based on the Cap Ferret peninsula, the club house and the training ground are located in Bourg de Lège and the match field is located at the end of the spit of land, at the foot of the lighthouse in a sumptuous setting at Sesostris stadium. It evolves into Regional 2 (9th French division). They play in red and black.
- Biganos Rugby XV (Formerly AS Facture Biganos). The rugby union club has lived in the shadow of the rugby union club (which despite its name has little to do with rugby union). LThe Biganos Rugby Union club is slowly getting back on its feet after a slump and the disappearance of the club around 4 years ago. It plays in Regional 2 (9th French division) and plays at the Stade de la Verrerie. They play in green and white
For the youngest, each club has from a rugby school. For cadets and juniors (-16 years and -19 years), the SBAR agreement brings together players from Arcachon, La Teste de Buch, Cazaux, Gujan-Mestras and Biganos and plays at national level in a South-West group. They play in black and yellow in the stadiums of each club in the agreement in rotation. For these same categories,The Lège-Cap Ferret club is in agreement with the Pays Médoc club located in Lesparre and Pauillac. They play in black and red or Bordeaux and white in the stadiums of Médoc or in Lège-Cap Ferret.
For girls, it is the RFBA (Women's Rugby Bassin of Arcachon) (rugby XV) which brings together players from Arcachon, La Teste de Buch and Gujan-Mestras in - and over 18 years.
And nationally: the Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB)!
UBB is the affiliated rugby club to the towns of Bordeaux and Bègles.
Originally, there were 2 clubs, Stade Bordelais and CABBG (Club Athlétique Bordeaux Bègles Gironde). THE Stade Bordelais is the oldest rugby club in the southwest (1889) and won 7 times the French First Division championship. CABBG (1907) has always been the rival team of Stade Bordelais. During the transition to professional rugby in the 1990s-2000s, the club was known for being a very good team which innovated and made very effective recruitments (the spontaneous melee was originally nicknamed the “Béglaise turtle”). Jacques Chaban-Delmas was a former CABBG player.
However in 2006, the 2 clubs are forced to merge because the existence of these 2 clubs halves public funding and sponsors. After the merger, the club then found itself in ProD2 (2nd French division) and moved up to Top14 in 2011. Since then the club has never gone down and for 3 seasons, it has never missed a qualification in the final stages.
And obviously, even UBB players appreciate the authenticity of our Bassin: it's not Clement MAYNADIER (hooker) who will tell you the opposite!
