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Lyon Olympique Universitaire or LOU is a French rugby union team that currently takes part in Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system.
They were founded in 1896 and play in red and black. They are based in Lyon in Rhône-Alpes, and play at the Stade Vuillermet, in Lyon.
[edit] History
Le LOU, as it is traditionally known, is one of the oldest sports clubs in France and among the first outside Paris to have set up a rugby section. The club’s original name was Racing Club, the result of a merger of the Racing Club de Vaise and the Rugby Club de Lyon. It was renamed Racing et Cercles Réunis in 1902 after several other clubs joined it, then a few months later Lyon Olympique. Finally, in 1910, it became Lyon Olympique Universitaire. The red and black were adopted in 1902.
The club developed several sections (it now has 13), one the most successful being the rugby union section, which is now known as LOU Rugby. The rugby club took part in three successive French championship finals (1931-33), losing the first one to RC Toulon (3-6) but winning the next two against RC Narbonne (9-3 and 10-3). It then played in lower amateur leagues until it was promoted back to the second professional division (Pro D2). In 2006-07, it has the second biggest budget of the championship and its ambition is to rejoin the Top 14 in the next two years, under the leadership of their coach Christian Lanta, who formerly led Racing Club de France, Italians giants Treviso and SU Agen.
[edit] Honours
[edit] Finals results
[edit] French championship
[edit] Challenge Yves du Manoir
[edit] External links
