Stade Ernest-Wallon

Toulouse, France

Stade Ernest-Wallon is a multi-purpose stadium in Toulouse, France. It is currently the home of rugby union team Stade Toulousain. The stadium was built in the late 1980s and was recently renovated. It has a capacity of 19,500. The stadium however is not always suitable for big games. For the larger fixtures, such as championships play-offs or Heineken Cup games, the fixture may be moved to Stadium Municipal, which has nearly double the capacity. The Stade Ernest-Wallon was used to host the rugby league international fixture between France and England, in which England defeated France 56-8. The stadium once again hosted rugby league on 31 October 2009, seeing a 2009 Gillette Four Nations game between France and New Zealand, resulting in a 62-12 win for the Kiwis in front of 12,412 spectators. It also hosted the French Super League side Catalans Dragons, as part of their initiative to expand club rugby league in France, in 2013: a sellout crowd, many of whom carried banners supporting local side Toulouse Olympique's bid to enter the Super League, saw the Dragons lose 22-21 to Hull Kingston Rovers.