USA Perpignan

Full name	Union sportive arlequins Perpignan-Roussillon
Founded	1902; 123 years ago (1902) (as AS Perpignan) 1919; 106 years ago (1919) (as US Perpignan) 1933; 92 years ago (1933) (as USA Perpignan)
Location	Perpignan,France
Ground	Stade Aimé Giral (Capacity: 14,593)
President	François Rivière
Coach	Franck Azéma
Captain	Jamie Ritchie
League	Top 14
2024–25	13th
Teamkit 2ndkit
Official website
www.usap.fr

Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to asUSA Perpignan orPerpignan, is a French professionalrugby union club founded in 1933 and based inPerpignan, in thePyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in theTop 14, France's elite division of rugby.

The club is a result of a merger between US Perpignan and Arlequins Perpignanais in 1933. US Perpignan was also born from a 1919 union of merging clubs AS Perpignan (founded in 1902) and Stade Olympien Perpignanais.^[1]

Its home ground is the 14,593-capacityStade Aimé Giral but important fixtures may occasionally be taken toEstadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, inBarcelona.^[2] The club's colours aresky blue,scarlet andgolden yellow, which derived from the CatalanSenyera and give Perpignan its nicknameLes Sang et Or (French for "The Blood and Golds").

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One of the two merging clubs was established in 1902 as AS Perpignan. It would be in 1914 that the club would go on to make its first ever final appearance. On 3 May, Perpignan defeatedStadoceste Tarbais 8–7 at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux inToulouse in front of 15,000 people. 19-year-old fly-half Aimé Giral converted a late try and went on to become captain. 14 months after their victory, Aimé Giral died alongside seven other members of the team at the outbreak of WW1^[3] and, to honour their sacrifice, it was decided to colour USAP jersey like aPoilu uniform and to name the stadium after Giral.

Four years after the championship in 1914, the club was renamed as US Perpignan after a merging with Stade Olympien Perpignanais. Under the new club name, US Perpignan made it to the final of the French championship three seasons after the change. On 17 April 1921, Perpignan defeatedStade Toulousain 5–0 at Parc des Sports de Sauclières inBéziers and thus claiming their second championship. Three seasons later, the finalists of 1921 would meet again in the final of 1924, though this time Toulouse won the game 3–0 inBordeaux.

The success continued throughout the 1920s, and following the final defeat of the 1924 season, US Perpignan were able to make it to the final of the 1925 season. They facedUS Carcassonne inNarbonne, and defeated them 5–0 to win the 1925 Championship. For the third season in a row, US Perpignan made it to the final. The opponents were Stade Toulousain once again, the two sides had each defeated each other once in a final in recent years. Toulouse won 11–0 in Bordeaux. After their prominence in the mid-1920s, Perpignan's final appearance in 1926 was their last for nearly a decade.

Perpignan's next final appearance came in 1935 againstBiarritz at Stade des Ponts Jumeaux in Toulouse on 12 May, with Biarritz winning 3–0. That season they also won theChallenge Yves du Manoir. Three seasons later Perpignan were again involved in the Championship final against Biarritz. The final was played on 8 May, and this time, Perpignan defeated Biarritz, winning 11–6 to claim their first Championship since 1921. They were also runners-up of the Challenge Yves-du-Manoir that same season as well.

The success continued throughout the late 1930s, with Perpignan again being runners-up of theChallenge Yves du Manoir in 1936. It was also the 1936 season that Biarritz and Perpignan would face off in the Championship. Both of Perpignan's last two final appearances were against Biarritz, and both Perpignan and Biarritz had won one each against each other. The final took place on 30 April, and Biarritz turned out to be victorious, defeating Perpignan 6–0. Two years later, Perpignan were in the final of theChallenge Yves du Manoir, but became runners-up.

Their next final appearance would not be until the season of 1944. Perpignan playedAviron Bayonnais atParc des Princes inParis on 26 March to decide who would be the champions of France. Perpignan won, defeating Aviron Bayonnais 20–5, claiming their first Championship since 1938.

Perpignan would have to wait another eight years until they would make it to the final again. In the 1952 season, Perpignan metFC Lourdes in the final at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, where they went down to FC Lourdes 20–11. However, both sides would meet in another final three years later to decide the 1955 Championship. This time Perpignan emerged victorious, defeating FC Lourdes 11–6 in Bordeaux. Perpignan also won theChallenge Yves du Manoir during the 1955 season, and were runners-us the following year as well.

Perpignan won theChallenge Yves du Manoir in 1965, but made their first final appearance 20 years after 1955, to decide the 1977 season Championship. They metAS Béziers in the final, who defeated Perpignan 12–4 atParc des Princes. Perpignan won theChallenge Yves du Manoir in 1994,

They would next appear in the final in 1998, where they went down toStade Français 34–7 in Paris in front of 78,000 people.

In 2002, the club entered into a partnership with the University of Barcelona Rugby Union Club, hence renaming them USAPBarcelona, which compete in theDivisión de Honor, the national Championship inSpain. Perpignan made it to the 2004 final, where they met Stade Français, who defeated them in the 1998 final. Stade Français won again, 38–20 atStade de France in front of 79,722 people.

In European competition, Perpignan reached the final stage in 2003 (losing 21–17 to Toulouse in DublinLansdowne Road) after losing a 1999 semi-final in Toulouse Stadium against Colomiers. They were beaten in the quarter-finals in Lansdowne Road again in 2006 by eventual winnersMunster.

They signedAll Blacksfly-halfDan Carter, widely regarded as one of the world's best players, on a six-month deal starting from December 2008.^[4] Carter's stint at Perpignan, however, ended prematurely when he tore anAchilles tendon.

Their season ended by progressing into the Top 14 semi-final with a 25–21 win overStade Français and eventually winning it with a fantastic 22–13 win overASM Clermont Auvergne in the final. In 2010, they advanced to the final again against Clermont, but they sawLes Jaunards end decades of frustration by winning their first championship final in 11 tries.

In 2011 they signed a twinning agreement with FC Barcelona of Spain, which proposes USAP to be promoted through FC Barcelona.

• French championship Top 14
  • Champions (4):1938,1944,1955,2009
  • Runners-up (7):1935,1939,1952,1977,1998,2004,2010
• Heineken Cup /European Rugby Champions Cup
  • Runners-up (1):2003
• Challenge Yves du Manoir
  • Champions (3): 1935, 1955, 1994
  • Runners-up (5): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1956, 1965
• Pro D2
  • Champions (2):2018,2021

Date	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Spectators
24 May 2003	Stade Toulousain	22–17	USA Perpignan	Lansdowne Road,Dublin	28,600

The Perpignan squad for the2025–26 season is:^[5][6]

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

Player Position Union Sama Malolo Hooker Samoa Victor Montgaillard Hooker France Ignacio Ruiz Hooker Argentina Giorgi Beria Prop France Kieran Brookes Prop England Pietro Ceccarelli Prop Italy Bruce Devaux Prop France Akato Fakatika Prop France Nemo Roelofse Prop South Africa Giorgi Tetrashvili Prop Georgia Max Hicks Lock New Zealand Mathieu Tanguy Lock France Jaco van Tonder Lock South Africa Posolo Tuilagi Lock France Adrien Warion Lock France Noé Della Schiava Back row France Mahamadou Diaby Back row France Mattéo Le Corvec Back row France Joaquín Oviedo Back row Argentina Jamie Ritchie Back row Scotland Patrick Sobela Back row France Lucas Velarte Back row France Peceli Yato Back row Fiji

Player Position Union Gela Aprasidze Scrum-half Georgia Tom Ecochard Scrum-half France James Hall Scrum-half South Africa Tommaso Allan Fly-half Italy Antoine Aucagne Fly-half France Jake McIntyre Fly-half Australia Benjamin Urdapilleta Fly-half Argentina Eneriko Buliruarua Centre Fiji Alivereti Duguivalu Centre France Jerónimo de la Fuente Centre Argentina Duncan Paia'aua Centre Samoa Job Poulet Centre France Théo Forner Wing France Jefferson-Lee Joseph Wing France Jordan Petaia Wing Australia Tavite Veredamu Wing France Lucas Dubois Fullback France Tristan Tedder Fullback South Africa

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

Player Position Union Mathys Lotrian Hooker France Melvyn Zafra Hooker France Joan Barcenilla D'Onghia Prop Spain Lorencio Boyer Gallardo Prop France Giorgi Meskhidze Prop Georgia Rudy Ndinda Prop France Giani Callegari Lock France Bastien Chinarro Lock France Julen Guillot Lock France Davit Lagvilava Lock Georgia Ismael Millan Lock Spain Gabriel Pige-Yoyotte Lock France Andro Dvali Back row Georgia Marco Lopez Back row Spain Jad Ouzzani Back row France Ronald Sharma Back row Fiji Simon Taty Back row France

Player Position Union Marc Guillet Scrum-half France Mathis Gomez Fly-half France Gabin Kretchmann Fly-half France Anthony Guirado Centre France Sebastien Tofan Centre Belgium Maxim Granell Wing France Aurelien Lucuze Wing France Setareki Toganiyadrava Wing Fiji Mayron Fahy Fullback France Charles Salikikoro Fullback Fiji

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• List of rugby union clubs in France
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• Official fans site of Perpignan in Paris(in French)
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