Vannes Win Promotion to Top 14 with South America a Part of the Glory

Vannes are the Pro D2 Champions. The team from Brittany now joins the French elite, the Top 14. This is historic as never before has Vannes played at the highest level in France. It means that Vannes officially trade plays with the relegated Oyonnax for the 2024-2025 Top 14 season.

Getting there was far from easy but has come after investments in the roster and in transforming the club itself. Puma Francisco Gorrissen was part of the road to the Top 14. Gorrissen was signed from Super Rugby Americas to play for Vannes.

Gorrissen joined Vannes from Argentina in 2021. He captained the Pro D2 side to the play-off’s in 2023 and to the top spot of the Pro D2 during the 2024 season. Now in June 2024, Gorrissen has made history by captaining Vannes to Pro D2 glory.

The 29-year-old debuted for Argentina against Australia in the 2021 Rugby Championship. In 2024 he may add to his two test caps. Felipe Contepomi will be rotating players in July ahead of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

The Pro D2 Final saw Gorrissen joined by Juan Bautista Pedemonte in the back-row. Pedemonte is also a former Super Rugby Americas player. He joined Vannes in 2005. Like Gorrissen, Pedemonte will be a possibility for Contepomi’s roster in July.

Vannes’ 16-9 win over Grenoble included not only the aforementioned Argentines but also Uruguay’s captain. Andrés Vilaseca played outside center for Vannes. The 32-year-old is to remain at the club next season. Uruguay will thus far at leas two players in the Top 14 again as Santiago Arata plays for Castres while Manuel Leindekar is joining Oyonnax from Bayonne.

The Brittany club is also adding a player from a third South American country. Iñaki Ayarza has ben recruited from Charente. Ayarza and Vilaseca offer the proposed of a Chilean-Uruguayan mid-field combination. Both were starting players for their countries at Rugby World Cup 2023.

VANNES 2024-2025

Vannes will compete in the 2024-2025 Top 14 and the 2024-2025 Challenge Cup. In recent seasons the gap between the Pro D2 and Top 14 has decreased. This has been demonstrated by the ability of team to adapt and thus avoid relegation. Vannes top priority will be to compete as such to remain in the competition and not be relegated straight back to the Pro D2.

The club’s home venue is the Stade de la Rabine. The team has strong local support. It has a population of 55,000. The largest attendance was 11,865 for Vannes vs Dax in April. This included temporary seating.

Vannes recently announced a significant stadium upgrade. The new modern facility will have a capacity of 10,000. This is the minimum requirement to compete in the Top 14.

SOUTH AMERICA PART OF THE GLORY

– Francisco Gorrissen, Juan Bautista Pedemonte
– André Vilaseca
– Iñaki Ayarza