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Ranked: The biggest stadiums in the Top 14

EXETER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Antoine Dupont of Stade Toulousain looks on as he signs autographs during the Investec Champions Cup match between Exeter Chiefs and Stade Toulousain at Sandy Park on December 14, 2024 in Exeter, England. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Faced with an ever-increasing demand for tickets, Stade Toulousain seems to be forced to expand Ernest-Wallon, as reported by La Dépêche du Midi on Wednesday, April 10.

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Although the Red and Blacks have gotten into the habit of relocating their big matches to the Stadium, a 33,150-seat stadium where Toulouse Football Club plays, they are also starting to feel cramped in the enclosure located at Sept Deniers.

The stadium, which has fewer than 19,000 seats and would be better suited to the club’s new needs with 5,000 more seats, is sold out for almost every match.

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    But did you know that Ernest-Wallon only has the fifth highest capacity in the Top 14? In other words, if Stade Toulousain increases its capacity by 5,000 seats by 2028, it will move from the Top 5 to the Top 3 of the highest capacities in the Top 14.

    Here is the ranking of the stadiums* in the championship, from highest to lowest capacity. **

    Matmut Stadium Gerland (Lyon) (35,052 seats)

    Chaban Delmas Stadium (Bordeaux) (33,000 seats)

    Jean Bouin Stadium (Stade Français Paris) (19,607 seats)

    Marcel Michelin Stadium (Clermont) (19,357 seats)

    Ernest Wallon Stadium (Toulouse) (18,784 seats)

    Paris La Défense Arena (Racing 92) (16,840 seats)

    Stade Mayol (Toulon) (16,437 seats)

    Stade Marcel Deflandre (La Rochelle) (16,000 seats)

    GGL Stadium (Montpellier) (15,697 seats)

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    Hameau Stadium (Pau) (15,043 seats)

    Aimé Giral Stadium (Perpignan) (14,727 seats)

    Jean Dauger Stadium (Bayonne) (14,537 seats)

    Pierre Fabre Stadium (Castres) (12,300 seats)

    Charles Mathon Stadium (Oyonnax) (11,150 seats)

    Unsurprisingly, the two old football stadiums – and not the least – occupy the first two places.

    The stadiums that once hosted Olympique Lyonnais and Girondins de Bordeaux, former French football champions, now see LOU and UBB play.

    Modern stadiums like those of Racing or Stade Français stand out more for their architecture than for their large capacity.

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    As for stadiums like Marcel-Michelin or Jean-Dauger, renovated in 2021, they have stands close to the pitch and more vertical which generate a unique atmosphere. This is notably why Clermont and Bayonne are often cited as the best atmospheres in the Top 14.

    If Ernest-Wallon, where TO XIII also plays, actually increases to 24,000 seats by 2028, as desired by president Didier Lacroix, it would be the first stadium entirely dedicated to rugby to pass the 20,000 seat mark in France.

    This would also allow the five-time European champion to play in a stadium more in line with its ambitions, at a time when the enthusiasm generated by Stade Toulousain extends to a large part of the Occitanie region.

    * Only the “home” stadiums of clubs involved in the Top 14 for the 2023/24 season are taken into account . Relocation stadiums, such as the Stadium de Toulouse or Anoeta in San Sebastian are not included in this ranking.

    **Capacities are as displayed on the official Top 14 website.

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    Comments

    4 Comments
    N
    NK 89 days ago

    ST are five-time European champions as stated in the article, but six-time winners of the trophy. Because, you know, their 6th was won when the competition became trans-continental.

    J
    JW 89 days ago

    Nice comment about Occitanie region, so vocal few seem to realise this.


    30k is a really nice stadium size, but it does bring in the conundrum that it loses appeal when the club turns to hard times, and isn't as popular. So 25k might be a nice middle ground. Where a lot of NZ stadiums sit.

    H
    HU 89 days ago

    true, an empty seated Ellis Park does not exude much charm ..... the challenge is, to fill the stadiums in the club rugby competitions ....

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    Comments on RugbyPass

    I
    IkeaBoy 2 hours ago
    Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

    “Why are you so insistent on being wrong? Man United won in 2008 (beating Chelsea in the final). In 2009 Barcelona won, beating United.”

    Good lad, just checking. So you’re not a bot! Chelsea bombed the 2008 final more than United won it. John Terry… couldn’t happen to a nicer fella.


    “The gap between wins ignores the finals contested. 2 in 2 years with his City Triumph. The most recent put him in the elite company of managers to have won it with multiple clubs. Yet more late career success and history.”

    Again - you’re not correct. City won the CL in 2023, and made the final in 2021. Those are the only two CL finals they have made.”

    So the difference between 2021 and 2023 would of course be TWO YEARS. 24 months would account for 3 different seasons. They contested ECL finals twice in two years. The first in 2021 - which they lost - was still the first elite European final in the clubs then 141 year history. Explain clearly how that’s not an achievement? Guess what age he was then…


    “I think your take on Gatland is pretty silly. Gatland was without Edwards in the 2013 and 2017 Lions tours and managed to do alright.”

    I thought you don’t care what certain managers did 10 years ago…

    Why would I address Eddie Jones? Why would he be deserving of a single sentence?


    “I am aware Les Kiss has achieved great things in his career, but I don’t care what he did over ten years ago. Rugby was a different sport back then.”

    So you haven’t watched even a minute of Super Rugby this year?


    “lol u really need to chill out”

    Simply frightful! If you’re not a bot you’re at least Gen-Z?

    171 Go to comments
    f
    fl 3 hours ago
    Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

    “Pep didn’t win the ECL in 2009. It was 2008 with Barca”

    Why are you so insistent on being wrong? Man United won in 2008 (beating Chelsea in the final). In 2009 Barcelona won, beating United.


    “The gap between wins ignores the finals contested. 2 in 2 years with his City Triumph. The most recent put him in the elite company of managers to have won it with multiple clubs. Yet more late career success and history.”

    Again - you’re not correct. City won the CL in 2023, and made the final in 2021. Those are the only two CL finals they have made. With Barcelona, Pep made the semi final four consecutive times - with City he’s managed only 3 in 8 years. This year they didn’t even make the round of 16.


    To re-cap, you wrote that Pep “has gotten better with age. By every measure.” There are some measures that support what you’re saying, but the vast majority of the measures that you have highlighted actually show the opposite.


    I am aware Les Kiss has achieved great things in his career, but I don’t care what he did over ten years ago. Rugby was a different sport back then.


    I think your take on Gatland is pretty silly. Gatland was without Edwards in the 2013 and 2017 Lions tours and managed to do alright. You’ve also not addressed Eddie Jones.


    I agree wrt Schmidt. He would ideally be retained, but it wouldn’t work to have a remote head coach. He should definitely be hired as a consultant/analyst/selector though.


    “Look at the talent that would be discarded in Schmidt and Kiss if your age Nazism was applied.”

    lol u really need to chill out lad. Kiss and Schmidt would both be great members of the coaching set up in 2025, but it would be ridiculous to bank on either to retain the head coach role until 2031.

    171 Go to comments
    I
    IkeaBoy 3 hours ago
    Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

    Pep didn’t win the ECL in 2009. It was 2008 with Barca. The gap between wins ignores the finals contested. 2 in 2 years with his City Triumph. The most recent put him in the elite company of managers to have won it with multiple clubs. Yet more late career success and history.


    His time with City - a lower win ratio compared to Bayern Munich as you say - includes a 100 PT season. A feat that will likely never be surpassed. I appreciate you don’t follow soccer too closely but even casual fans refer to the sport in ‘pre and post Pep’ terms and all because of what he has achieved and is continuing to achieve, late career. There is a reason that even U10’s play out from the back now at every level of the game. That’s also a fairly recent development.


    How refreshing to return to rugby on a rugby forum.


    Ireland won a long over due slam in 2009. The last embers of a golden generation was kicked on by a handful of young new players and a new senior coach. Kiss was brought in as defence coach and was the reason they won it. They’d the best defence in the game at the time. He all but invented the choke tackle. Fittingly they backed it up in the next world cup in their 2011 pool match against… Australia. The instantly iconic image of Will Genia getting rag-dolled by Stephen Ferris.


    His career since has even included director of rugby positions. He would have an extremely good idea of where the game is at and where it is going in addition to governance experience and dealings. Not least in Oz were many of the players will have come via or across Rugby League pathways.


    Gatland isn’t a valid coach to compare too. He only ever over-achieved and was barely schools level without Shaun Edwards at club or test level. His return to Wales simply exposed his limitations and a chaotic union. It wasn’t age.


    Schmidt is open to staying involved in a remote capacity which I think deserves more attention. It would be a brain drain to lose him. He stepped in to coach the ABs in the first 2022 test against Ireland when Foster was laid out with Covid. They mullered Ireland 42-19. He was still heavily involved in the RWC 2023 quarter final. Same story.


    Look at the talent that would be discarded in Schmidt and Kiss if your age Nazism was applied.

    171 Go to comments
    f
    fl 5 hours ago
    Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

    “He won a ECL and a domestic treble at the beginning of his career.”

    He won 2 ECLs at the beginning of his career (2009, 2011). Since then he’s won 1 in 15 years.


    “He then won 3 leagues on the bounce later in his career”

    He won 3 leagues on the bounce at the start of his career too - (2009, 2010, 2011).


    If we’re judging him by champions league wins, he peaked in his late 30s, early 40s. If we’re judging him by domestic titles he’s stayed pretty consistent over his career. If we’re judging him by overall win rate he peaked at Bayern, and was better at Barcelona than at City. So no, he hasn’t gotten better by every measure.


    “You mentioned coaches were older around the mid-2010’s compared to the mid-2000’s. Robson was well above the average age you’ve given for those periods even in the 90’s when in his pomp.”

    Robson was 63-64 when he was at Barcelona, so he wasn’t very old. But yeah, he was slightly above the average age of 60 I gave for the top 4 premier league coaches in 2015, and quite a bit above the averages for 2005 and 2025.


    “Also, comparing coaches - and their experiences, achievements - at different ages is unstable. It’s not a valid way to compare and tends to torpedo your own logic when you do compare them on equal terms. I can see why you don’t like doing it.”

    Well my logic certainly hasn’t been torpedoed. Currently the most successful premier league coaches right now are younger than they were ten years ago. You can throw all the nuance at it that you want, but that fact won’t change. It’s not even clear what comparing managers “on equal terms” would even mean, or why it would be relevant to anything I’ve said.


    “You still haven’t answered why Kiss could be a risker appointment?”

    Because I’ve been talking to you about football managers. If you want to change the subject then great - I care a lot more about rugby than I do football.

    But wrt Kiss, I don’t agree that 25 years experience is actually that useful, given what a different sport rugby was 25 years ago. Obviously in theory more experience can never be a bad thing, but I think 10 years of coaching experience is actually more than enough these days. Erasmus had been a coach for 13 years when he got the SA top job. Andy Farrell had been a coach for 9 when he got the Ireland job. I don’t think anyone would say that either of them were lacking in experience.


    Now - what about coaches who do have 25+ years experience? The clearest example of that would be Eddie Jones, who started coaching 31 years ago. He did pretty well everywhere he worked until around 2021 (when he was 61), when results with England hit a sharp decline. He similarly oversaw a terrible run with Australia, and currently isn’t doing a great job with Japan.

    Another example is Warren Gatland, who also started coaching full-time 31 years ago, after 5 years as a player-coach. Gatland did pretty well everywhere he went until 2020 (when he was 56), when he did a relatively poor job with the Chiefs, before doing a pretty poor job with the Lions, and then overseeing a genuine disaster with Wales. There are very few other examples, as most coaches retire or step back into lesser roles when they enter their 60s. Mick Byrne actually has 34 years experience in coaching (but only 23 years coaching in rugby) and at 66 he’s the oldest coach of a top 10 side, and he’s actually doing really well. He goes to show that you can continue to be a good coach well into your 60s, but he seems like an outlier.


    So the point is - right now, Les Kiss looks like a pretty reliable option, but 5 years ago so did Eddie Jones and Warren Gatland before they went on to prove that coaches often decline as they get older. If Australia want Kiss as a short term appointment to take over after Schmidt leaves in the summer, I don’t think that would be a terrible idea - but NB wanted Kiss as a long term appointment starting in 2027! That’s a massive risk, given the chance that his aptitude will begin to decline.


    Its kind of analagous to how players decline. We know (for example) that a fly-half can still be world class at 38, but we also know that most fly-halves peak in their mid-to-late 20s, so it is generally considered a risk to build your game plan around someone much older than that.

    171 Go to comments
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