Coach World Ranking · Managers · Ligue 1 managers

RC Lens

France · Ligue 1 · Manager: Yannick Cahuzac since Sep 2026
#53 World rank · club rating
1,952 Club rating
7th in Ligue 1

RC Lens have had 9 managers since 2015/16. Pierre Sage (Aug 2025 – May 2026) had the best points per game of them (2.13 in 39 matches) and took the club rating from 1,965 to 2,131.

RC Lens managers

21 spells since 1997 · newest first
Manager Period MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Club rating Coach ratingCoach Vs expected
Yannick Cahuzac Sep 2026 – present · PPG 1.00 current Sep 2026 – present 9 3-0-6 1.00 1,978 → 1,935 −43 −17.0 −0.10
Dino Toppmoller #158 now Aug 2026 – Sep 2026 · PPG 1.67 caretaker Aug 2026 – Sep 2026 6 3-1-2 1.67 2,084 → 2,041 −42 −2.7 +0.09
Pierre Sage #176 now Aug 2025 – May 2026 · PPG 2.13 Aug 2025 – May 2026 39 26-5-8 2.13 1,965 → 2,131 +166 +33.0 +0.19
Will Still #920 now Aug 2024 – May 2025 · PPG 1.56 Aug 2024 – May 2025 36 16-8-12 1.56 1,967 → 1,982 +15 +14.5 +0.07
Edward Still (stand-in) 8 Feb 2025 8 Feb 2025 1 0-0-1 −3.6
Franck Haise #435 now Mar 2020 – May 2024 · PPG 1.69 Mar 2020 – May 2024 167 78-48-41 1.69 1,619 → 2,005 +386 +87.3 +0.22
Lilian Nalis (stand-in) 9 Mar 2024 9 Mar 2024 1 1-0-0 +5.0
Philippe Montanier #139 now Jul 2018 – Feb 2020 · PPG 1.64 Jul 2018 – Feb 2020 73 33-21-19 1.64 1,714 → 1,660 −53 −7.7 +0.01
Eric Sikora Aug 2017 – May 2018 · PPG 1.38 Aug 2017 – May 2018 40 14-13-13 1.38 1,671 → 1,635 −36 −7.3 −0.05
Alain Casanova Jul 2016 – Aug 2017 · PPG 1.61 Jul 2016 – Aug 2017 46 21-11-14 1.61 1,601 → 1,645 +43 +10.6 +0.13
Antoine Kombouare #179 now Aug 2013 – May 2016 · PPG 1.34 Aug 2013 – May 2016 122 42-37-43 1.34 1,609 → 1,691 +82 +0.5 +0.02
Before 2015/16 · 12 spells, Aug 1997 – May 2013
Manager Period MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Club rating Coach ratingCoach Vs expected
Eric Sikora Sep 2012 – May 2013 · PPG 1.44 Sep 2012 – May 2013 36 13-13-10 1.44 1,564 → 1,499 −65 −9.7 −0.01
Jean-Louis Garcia Jul 2011 – Sep 2012 · PPG 1.21 Jul 2011 – Sep 2012 47 13-18-16 1.21 1,706 → 1,519 −187 −37.2 −0.18
Laszlo Boloni Jan 2011 – May 2011 · PPG 0.95 Jan 2011 – May 2011 20 4-7-9 0.95 1,691 → 1,623 −69 −6.9 −0.07
Jean-Guy Wallemme Aug 2008 – Dec 2010 · PPG 1.44 Aug 2008 – Dec 2010 99 38-29-32 1.44 1,667 → 1,690 +23 −12.0 −0.17
Jean-Pierre Papin Sep 2007 – May 2008 · PPG 1.12 Sep 2007 – May 2008 34 9-11-14 1.12 1,688 → 1,619 −69 −11.9 −0.12
Guy Roux Aug 2007 · PPG 0.50 caretaker Aug 2007 4 0-2-2 0.50 1,707 → 1,655 −52 −8.4 −0.29
Francis Gillot Jan 2005 – May 2007 · PPG 1.57 Jan 2005 – May 2007 92 37-33-22 1.57 1,658 → 1,682 +24 +9.0 +0.12
Joël Muller Jul 2001 – Jan 2005 · PPG 1.50 Jul 2001 – Jan 2005 138 54-45-39 1.50 1,553 → 1,630 +78 +12.1 +0.13
Georges Tournay Feb 2001 – May 2001 · PPG 1.00 caretaker Feb 2001 – May 2001 8 1-5-2 1.00 1,525 → 1,562 +37 +0.6 −0.01
Rolland Courbis Jul 2000 – Feb 2001 · PPG 1.23 Jul 2000 – Feb 2001 26 8-8-10 1.23 1,567 → 1,501 −67 −21.8 −0.08
François Brisson Oct 1999 – May 2000 · PPG 1.58 Oct 1999 – May 2000 26 12-5-9 1.58 1,531 → 1,599 +69 +21.7 +0.03
Daniel Leclercq Aug 1997 – Sep 1999 · PPG 1.62 Aug 1997 – Sep 1999 82 39-16-27 1.62 1,471 → 1,463 −8 +1.5 +0.04

Before 2015/16 the source names the manager on fewer matches, so these rows can miss games.

Franck Haise is the longest-serving: 167 matches over 4 years (Mar 2020 – May 2024), and the most coach rating added (+87.3).

Club rating - the club's rating at the manager's first rated match → after the last. Coach rating - what the spell added to the manager's coach rating. Vs expected - average result per match above what the club rating predicted. Stand-in - a caretaker who covered a few matches during another manager's spell, folded under that spell. Every competition we hold, lower divisions included.

Club rating

since 2015/16 · line by manager
1,952Club ratingWeek 46, 2026
#53World rankof 943 active clubs
#7Ligue 1of 19 clubs
2,050Peak since 2015/16Dec 2025 · low 1,530, Oct 2015
1,4001,6001,8002,0002,200201620182020202220242026Nov 2026 · Yannick Cahuzac1,973 club rating1,4001,6001,8002,0002,200201620202024Nov 2026 · Yannick Cahuzac1,973 club rating
Colour changes with each manager (9 since 2015/16) · hover a point for the name

RC Lens's club rating peaked at 2,050 in December 2025, under Pierre Sage, its highest since 2015/16; the low was 1,530 in October 2015, under Antoine Kombouare.

One point per month: the club's rating before its last rated match of the month, the manager's part left out. World rank among the 943 clubs with a match in the last 12 months and 30+ rated matches. The rating describes results so far - it doesn't predict the next game. How the club rating works ›

Next matches

next 14 days · UK time
Sat 21 Nov · 19:45 Ligue 1 H v Toulouse
Preview RC Lens v Toulouse ›
Tue 24 Nov · 20:00 UEFA Champions League A at RB Leipzig
No chances for European games · why
Preview RB Leipzig v RC Lens ›

Club rating chances on league games only (home / draw / away), calibrated on 85,718 league matches. This week's matches ›

Cards and corners

a game · by season
Season GP Cards Agst Lg 2nd half Corners Agst Lg
2026/27 10 2.10 1.60 1.82 81% 5.80 4.20 4.54
2025/26 34 2.12 2.32 2.01 62% 6.21 4.15 4.80
2024/25 34 2.79 1.94 2.04 67% 5.47 3.74 4.69
2023/24 34 2.41 2.09 2.08 63% 5.15 3.76 4.72
2022/23 38 1.74 2.16 1.82 55% 5.37 4.24 4.63
3 earlier seasons, 2018/19 – 2021/22
Season GP Cards Agst Lg 2nd half Corners Agst Lg
2021/22 38 2.11 2.39 2.11 66% 5.61 4.42 4.88
2020/21 38 2.66 2.18 2.08 66% 5.11 4.84 4.74
2018/19 4 2.50 2.75 1.99 56% 5.25 3.50 4.77

RC Lens picked up 2.79 cards a game in 2024/25, their most in any season since 2020/21 and 37% above Ligue 1's average side (2.04).

League matches only (Ligue 1), from 2015/16 - European and cup games carry no card or corner data. Lg = the league's average side that season. Bold green / red = 15%+ above / below it. Ligue 1 cards table › · corners table ›

Half-time / full-time

230 league matches since 2015/16
FT winFT W FT drawFT D FT lossFT L
HT winHT W 7131% 115% 63%
HT drawHT D 3515% 3214% 209%
HT lossHT L 63% 136% 3616%
31
Points won from behindPts from behind
losing at half-time in 55 matches
40
Points dropped from aheadPts dropped
winning at half-time in 88 matches
1st half · W 88 · D 87 · L 55 GD +41
2nd half · W 96 · D 76 · L 58 GD +55

League matches since 2015/16. Each half scored as its own match: 2nd half = goals after the break only.

Referees at RC Lens

18 referees with 5+ matches · most matches first
Referee MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Cards/g Club avg +/−
François Letexier 21 8-6-7 1.43 2.71 2.30 +18%
Bastien Dechepy 15 8-6-1 2.00 1.80 2.29 −21%
Benoît Bastien 14 8-2-4 1.86 2.00 2.30 −13%
Jeremie Pignard 14 9-1-4 2.00 2.36 2.30 +3%
Willy Delajod 14 5-4-5 1.36 2.21 2.30 −4%
Eric Wattellier 13 4-2-7 1.08 2.15 2.29 −6%
Jérôme Brisard 13 5-3-5 1.38 2.15 2.29 −6%
Thomas Leonard 13 7-4-2 1.92 1.62 2.30 −30%
Stephanie Frappart 12 5-4-3 1.58 2.17 2.22 −2%
Jeremy Stinat 11 6-3-2 1.91 2.27 2.27 0%
8 more referees with 5+ matches
Referee MatchesGP W-D-L PPG Cards/g Club avg +/−
Clement Turpin 10 5-2-3 1.70 2.30 2.32 −1%
Hakim Ben el Salem Hadj 10 6-1-3 1.90 2.40 2.37 +1%
Mathieu Vernice 9 7-0-2 2.33 2.44 2.41 +1%
Amaury Delerue 8 2-5-1 1.38 2.38 2.39 −1%
Benoît Millot 7 2-4-1 1.43 2.57 2.60 −1%
Romain Lissorgue 7 3-0-4 1.29 3.14 2.35 +34%
Benoit Millot 6 4-2-0 2.33 3.17 2.17 +46%
Florent Batta 6 2-3-1 1.50 3.00 2.22 +35%

Under Thomas Leonard, RC Lens picked up 1.62 cards a game, 30% below their own average in the same seasons (13 matches).

League matches since 2015/16 with the referee named (229). Cards = RC Lens's own yellows and reds. Club avg = their cards a game in the same seasons with every referee. Under 10 matches the gap is grey: too few to call. Referees aren't drawn at random - the big games go to the senior ones - so a gap here describes, it doesn't prove a bias.

Quick answers

4 questions · from the tables on this page

Who is RC Lens's manager?

Yannick Cahuzac, since September 2026 - 9 matches, 3 won (1.00 points per game).

How many managers has RC Lens had since 2015?

9, counting 1 caretaker. Plus 2 stand-ins: caretakers for a few matches during another manager's spell.

Who is RC Lens's longest-serving manager?

Franck Haise: 167 matches from March 2020 to May 2024.

How many cards a game do RC Lens get?

2.10 a game in Ligue 1 in 2026/27, against 1.82 for the league's average side.

The coach rating describes, it doesn't predict. It measures what a manager's teams did against what was expected of them. Match chances come from the club rating, calibrated on 85,718 league matches. How the rating works ›

Source: spells, ratings and ranks from the weekly ranking (Week 46, 2026); season stats updated nightly; next matches refreshed every hour.