The 2006–07 Top 14 competition was the 108th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and the 2nd using the name Top 14. Biarritz were out to defend their crown, after their defeat of Toulouse in the 2005–06 Top 14 final. New teams to the league included Albi and Montauban who were promoted from 2004–05 Pro D2, replacing relegated sides Toulon and Pau.[1] During the season attendance records in the league were once again broken with 79,741 attending the Round 19 clash between Stade Français and Toulouse at the Stade de France, and over 2 million supporters attended games across the campaign.
In the league Stade Français jumped out to an early lead, winning their first nine matches. Although they faded somewhat as the season went on, they held on to top the regular-season ladder. Toulouse and Clermont each entered the final week with a chance to top the ladder, but Stade Français' win over Agen (without a bonus point) made it impossible for Clermont to overtake them, while Toulouse failed to secure the bonus point in their win over Bourgoin that would have made it possible for them to pip the Parisians for the top seed. The last playoff berth came down to the last round between Biarritz and Perpignan, with Biarritz securing fourth place in style with a bonus-point win over Castres.
The final Heineken Cup berth came down to the last round as well, with Bourgoin holding off the challenge of Top 14 newcomers Montauban. The relegation battle came down to the last week. Narbone had been assured of the drop after Round 25, while any of six other clubs were in mathematical danger of the drop going into the final week. In the end, Agen, who were next-to-last entering the final week, were consigned to the drop by league leaders Stade Français. Both clubs would be relegated to the 2007–08 Pro D2.
The play-offs saw Stade Français and Clermont win their respective semi-finals to qualify for the final. In the end it was Stade Français who lifted the Bouclier de Brennus as Top 14 champions for the 13th time in the club's history, beating Clermont 23–18 at the Stade de France.
The seventh-place team would have received a Heineken Cup place if a French club had advanced farther in that season's Heineken Cup than any club from England or Italy. However, the quarterfinal losses of Biarritz and Stade Français, the last two remaining French sides in the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, to English sides Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers, meant that the "extra" Heineken Cup place would go to England. (The remaining two semifinalists were another English side, eventual winners London Wasps, and Welsh side Llanelli Scarlets.)
The 2007–08 Heineken Cup was in doubt earlier this season. French clubs announced plans to boycott the competition, and the English PRL clubs joined them, demanding a financial stake in the competition from the RFU. However, recent negotiations have ensured that top teams from both countries will now play.
Fixtures & Results
Round 1
18 August 2006
Biarritz
29–24
Clermont (1 BP)
Parc des Sports Aguiléra Attendance: 12,631[2]
19 August 2006
(1 BP) Stade Français
52–20
Montpellier
Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 8,150[3]
19 August 2006
Albi
24–12
Bayonne
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Attendance: 5,088[4]
19 August 2006
Agen
18–6
Bourgoin
Stade Armandie Attendance: 7,164[5]
19 August 2006
(1 BP) Montauban
41–20
Narbonne
Stade Sapiac Attendance: 6,403[6]
19 August 2006
Perpignan
20–16
Castres (1 BP)
Stade Aimé Giral Attendance: 13,860[7]
19 August 2006
Brive
9–24
Toulouse
Stade Amédée-Domenech Attendance: 12,747[8]
Round 2
25 August 2006
Castres
16–26
Stade Français
Stade Pierre-Fabre Attendance: 6,669[9]
25 August 2006
Montpellier
26–7
Agen
Stade Sabathé Attendance: 5,449[10]
26 August 2006
(1 BP) Bourgoin
42–17
Brive
Stade Pierre Rajon Attendance: 5,080[11]
26 August 2006
(1 BP) Toulouse
23–0
Albi
Stade Ernest-Wallon Attendance: 16,548[12]
26 August 2006
Bayonne
9–20
Montauban
Stade Jean Dauger Attendance: 9,815[13]
26 August 2006
Narbonne
25–18
Biarritz (1 BP)
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié Attendance: 7,299[14]
26 August 2006
Clermont
25–12
Perpignan
Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 10,556[15]
Round 3
30 August 2006
Albi
21–18
Bourgoin (1 BP)
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Attendance: 5,054[4]
30 August 2006
(1 BP) Montauban
19–24
Toulouse
Stade Sapiac Attendance: 9,053[6]
30 August 2006
(1 BP) Biarritz
54–0
Bayonne
Parc des Sports Aguiléra Attendance: 13,013[2]
30 August 2006
(1 BP) Perpignan
45–6
Narbonne
Stade Aimé Giral Attendance: 12,826[7]
30 August 2006
(1 BP) Stade Français
45–13
Clermont
Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 8,935[3]
30 August 2006
Montpellier
20–16
Castres (1 BP)
Stade Sabathé Attendance: 5,807[10]
30 August 2006
Agen
22–16
Brive (1 BP)
Stade Armandie Attendance: 6,515[5]
Round 4
3 September 2006
(1 BP) Bourgoin
35–22
Montauban
Stade Pierre Rajon Attendance: 5,050[11]
3 September 2006
Toulouse
20–3
Biarritz
Stade Muncipal Attendance: 28,955[16]
3 September 2006
Bayonne
9–20
Perpignan
Stade Jean Dauger Attendance: 7,969[13]
3 September 2006
Narbonne
24–33
Stade Français
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié Attendance: 7,332[14]
3 September 2006
(1 BP) Clermont
55–7
Montpellier
Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 9,791[15]
3 September 2006
Brive
6–3
Albi (1 BP)
Stade Amédée-Domenech Attendance: 6,908[8]
3 September 2006
Castres
31–26
Agen (1 BP)
Stade Pierre-Fabre Attendance: 5,784[9]
Round 5
8 September 2006
Biarritz
12–6
Bourgoin (1 BP)
Parc des Sports Aguiléra Attendance: 8,355[2]
9 September 2006
Perpignan
30–17
Toulouse
Stade Aimé Giral Attendance: 13,250[7]
9 September 2006
(1 BP) Stade Français
48–29
Bayonne
Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 8,455[3]
9 September 2006
(1 BP) Montpellier
33–10
Narbonne
Stade Sabathé Attendance: 5,825[10]
9 September 2006
Castres
13–9
Clermont (1 BP)
Stade Pierre-Fabre Attendance: 5,850[9]
9 September 2006
Montauban
21–20
Brive (1 BP)
Stade Sapiac Attendance: 6,014[6]
9 September 2006
(1 BP) Agen
32–3
Albi
Stade Armandie Attendance: 6,776[5]
Round 6
15 September 2006
Bourgoin
22–3
Perpignan
Stade Pierre Rajon Attendance: 5,839[11]
16 September 2006
(1 BP) Toulouse
12–16
Stade Français
Stade Muncipal Attendance: 33,661[16]
16 September 2006
Bayonne
25–20
Montpellier (1 BP)
Stade Jean Dauger Attendance: 9,481[13]
16 September 2006
(1 BP) Narbonne
39–17
Castres
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié Attendance: 6,236[14]
16 September 2006
(1 BP) Brive
14–21
Biarritz
Stade Amédée-Domenech Attendance: 7,817[8]
16 September 2006
Albi
12–10
Montauban (1 BP)
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Attendance: 6,373[4]
16 September 2006
Clermont
20–3
Agen
Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 9,892[15]
Round 7
22 September 2006
Montpellier
9–9
Toulouse
Stade Sabathé Attendance: 6,545[10]
23 September 2006
(1 BP) Stade Français
41–27
Bourgoin
Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 8,485[3]
23 September 2006
(1 BP) Castres
39–15
Bayonne
Stade Pierre-Fabre Attendance: 5,918[9]
23 September 2006
(1 BP) Clermont
43–0
Narbonne
Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 8,943[15]
23 September 2006
(1 BP) Perpignan
24–13
Brive
Stade Aimé Giral Attendance: 11,454[7]
23 September 2006
Biarritz
20–6
Albi
Parc des Sports Aguiléra Attendance: 7,592[2]
23 September 2006
Agen
13–9
Montauban (1 BP)
Stade Armandie Attendance: 7,171[5]
Round 8
26 September 2006
Bourgoin
25–3
Montpellier
Stade Pierre Rajon Attendance: 4,553[11]
26 September 2006
(1 BP) Toulouse
35–3
Castres
Stade Ernest-Wallon Attendance: 14,535[12]
26 September 2006
Bayonne
24–13
Clermont
Stade Jean Dauger Attendance: 9,568[13]
26 September 2006
Brive
6–21
Stade Français
Stade Amédée-Domenech Attendance: 9,629[8]
26 September 2006
Albi
16–7
Perpignan
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Attendance: 6,431[4]
26 September 2006
Montauban
19–13
Biarritz (1 BP)
Stade Sapiac Attendance: 7,216[6]
26 September 2006
Narbonne
33–18
Agen
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié Attendance: 6,266[14]
Round 9
30 September 2006
Agen
20–18
Biarritz (1 BP)
Stade Armandie Attendance: 7,245[5]
30 September 2006
Castres
18–16
Bourgoin (1 BP)
Stade Pierre-Fabre Attendance: 6,211[9]
30 September 2006
Narbonne
25–12
Bayonne
Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié Attendance: 7,033[14]