2006 Final? The one that got away

They’ve been one of France’s most successful club sides over the last decade yet what Biarritz Olympique truly crave is some European silverware, argues Ian Moriarty in Biarritz

VISITORS to Biarritz’s Stade Aguilera complex this weekend in the wealthy seaside town will notice the name of the club written on the side of the stand in big letters – Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque. Nothing unusual in that but in the town of Biarritz the name has added connotations that reflect the history of this proud club.

Several years ago however, the night before a vital Top 14 derby match against neighbours Bayonne, several Bayonne supporters, in an act of what could only be described as drunken antics, stole the letter ‘y’ from ‘pays’ leaving the signage reading out ‘Pas Basque’ or ‘Not Basque’.