Stade Gilbert Brutus

Stade Gilbert Brutus

Location	Perpignan, France
Coordinates	42°43′23″N 2°53′6.7″E / 42.72306°N 2.885194°E / 42.72306; 2.885194Coordinates: 42°43′23″N 2°53′6.7″E / 42.72306°N 2.885194°E / 42.72306; 2.885194
Owner	Fédération Francaise de Rugby à Treize
Capacity	13,000
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	1962
Expanded	2005, 2007 & 2011
Tenants
Catalans Dragons (2007-present)

Stade Gilbert Brutus is a rugby league stadium in Perpignan, France, which is the home ground of the Catalans Dragons.

History

The tribune Guasch-Laborde

In the 1970s and 1980s, the ground was used by both rugby league and rugby union clubs in Northern Catalonia. It was previously the home ground of rugby league club XIII Catalan. The stadium was named in honour of Gilbert Brutus, in memory of a French rugby union player, coach, chairman and referee, born on 2 August 1887 in Port-Vendres and, during wartime, died on 7 March 1944 in Perpignan.

Expansion

Before 2007, the Stade Gilbert Brutus held 4,200, including 900 seats.^[1] This was deemed inadequate for the Catalans Dragons who played at the Stade Aimé Giral in 2006. Expansion of the stadium began in 2006 with the aim of increasing capacity to 14,000.^[2]

The first phase of construction included two covered, all-seater stands, one with hospitality suites. By the end of the 2006 season, the work was finished and Catalans moved back into the stadium for the 2007 season. Further construction in 2010 brought capacity up to 13,000, with three all-seater stands.^[3]

Rugby League Test matches

The Stade Gilbert Brutus has hosted twenty-four rugby league internationals. Twenty-three of them involved France.^[4]

Date	Opponent	Final score	Attendance
11 March 1962	Great Britain	23 - 13	12,500
2 December 1962		17 - 12	12,500
8 March 1964		5 - 11	4,326
6 December 1964		18 - 8	7,150
28 November 1965	New Zealand	11 - 6	9,000
16 January 1966	Great Britain	18 - 13	7,255
25 January 1970	Wales	11 - 15	11,000
11 November 1971	New Zealand	11 - 27	3,581
8 March 1964	Great Britain	5 - 11	4,326
9 December 1973	Australia	9 - 21	5,109
19 January 1975**	England	9 - 11	7,950
26 October 1975	Australia	2 - 41	10,440
23 November 1980	New Zealand	6 - 5	6,000
7 December 1985♦		0 - 20	5,000
30 November 1986	Australia	2 - 44	6,000
18 March 1990	Great Britain	4 - 8	6,000
9 December 1990♦♦	Australia	10 - 34	3,428
27 January 1991♦♦	Great Britain	10 - 45	3,965
16 February 1992		12 - 30	5,688
13 December 1992	Wales	18 - 19	3,700
27 October 2007	Scotland	46 - 16	7,000
29 October 2011		46 - 10	10,313
11 November 2013†	Samoa	6 - 22	11,576

• • Match played as part of the 1975 World Cup.
    ♦ Match played as part of the 1985-1988 World Cup.
    ♦♦ Matches played as part of the 1989-1992 World Cup.
    † Match played as part of the 2013 World Cup.

On 29 October 1972, the Stade Gilbert Brutus hosted a 1972 World Cup match between Australia and Great Britain with an attendance of 6,324. Great Britain won 27 - 21

See also

• List of rugby league stadiums by capacity

References

External links