Rugby league in France
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| Rugby league in France | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII |
| National team | France |
| Nickname(s) | les Chanteclairs or les Tricolores |
| First played | 1934 |
| Registered players | 20,000[citation needed] |
| Competitions | |
| National | |
| - Rugby League World Cup | |
| - Four Nations | |
| Club | |
| - Super League | |
| - Elite One Championship | |
| - Elite Two Championship | |
| - Lord Derby Cup | |
Rugby league has been played in France since the 1934. As with rugby union, the heartland of the game is the south of the country.
During the Second World War, the sport was banned by the Vichy government, an act which the sport has struggled to recover from. There has been a recent resurgence of the sport following the admission of Catalans Dragons to Super League.
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[edit] History
Rugby football was introduced into France by the British in the early 1870s. It quickly began to flourish in the poorer, more rural south. The French rugby clubs remained in affiliation with the English Rugby Football Union and IRB when rugby split into rugby union and rugby league in 1895.
Reports of professionalism and on-field violence in internationals angered the Rugby Football Union and in 1931, France was ejected from the Five Nations Championship.
In 1934, Jean Galia took a French team that had never played rugby league to Yorkshire and Lancashire. Looking round for an alternative, many French players turned to rugby league, which soon became a popular game in France, particularly in the south west of the country.
On 6 April 1934 the French rugby league championship was founded, by 1939 there were around 142 amateur and 13 semi-professionnal rugby league clubs in France. The same year three leading rugby union clubs – Narbonne, Carcassonne and Brive – switched to rugby league.
Germany invaded France in May 1940 and divided France into occupied France and a pro-Nazi Vichy France which roughly corresponded to the rugby-playing heartlands. Some of the French Rugby Union's senior administrators took advantage of their close relationship with the new regime to have rugby league outlawed as a "corrupter" of French youth[1]. Rugby league's funds, players, stadiums and even kit were confiscated.
[edit] Post War to the Present
Although the ban on rugby league was lifted, it was prevented from using the word rugby in its title from 24 April 1949 until 26 June 1991, having to use the name Jeu à Treize (Game of Thirteen), in reference to the number of players in a rugby league side and to Jean Galia who is the parent of the said expression (his introduction of the 1st to 13th May 1934 Yorkshire RL's tour in France).
After the war the French game was re-established and the French became one of rugby league’s major powers. The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954 in order to raise funds. France played major international series against Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The 1951 and 1955 French tours of Australia are still regarded as two of the strongest sides ever to tour Australia. However the game has since declined in France overshadowed by rugby union.
In February 1996, a French team, Paris Saint Germain was formed to take part in the otherwise English Super League (Europe). The players being drawn from the French league. It was abandoned in October 1997, partly because Paris was not in the southern heartland of French rugby league and partly because the players had the double burden of playing for both Paris and their original club.
In 1998, XIII Actif were formed under the Chairmanship of French rugby league historian Robert Fassolette, to put pressure on the French government over the Vichy banning of the sport and the return of stolen assets. The French Minister of Sport commissioned an enquiry, which found in favour of XIII Actif. The Court then ruled that only the French rugby league federation could take up case further. This they declined to do.
Professional rugby league returned to France in February 2006 when Perpignan-based club Catalans Dragons joined Super League.
[edit] Governing body
Since 26 June 1991 the governing body for rugby league in France has been the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII (i.e. formerly Ligue Française de Rugby à XIII then, Fédération Française de Jeu à XIII). The Federation is a founding member of and a full member of the Rugby League International Federation (i.e. IRLB Jan. 1948) and of the Rugby League European Federation (i.e. May 2003).
[edit] Competitions
The French Rugby League Championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties. The championship is divided into several divisions; the top league being Elite One Championship, below that is the Elite Two Championship. There are several lower and regional divisions below them. The premier knock-out cup is the Lord Derby Cup and there is the Coupe Falcou for National Division One and Federal clubs.
Each year four French teams take part in the Challenge Cup, and since February 2006 the Perpignan based club formerly known as UTC (Union Treiziste Catalan), now known as Catalans Dragons, play in Super League. Toulouse Olympique bid for a 2009 Super League franchise but were rejected; subsequently they have accepted a place in the Championship.
[edit] Super League
| Team | Stadium | City/Area | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
 Catalans Dragons |
Stade Gilbert Brutus | Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales | 2000 (XIII Catalan, 1935) |
Super League is the highest rugby league competition in Europe. France has one Super League team, Catalans Dragons.
Paris Saint Germain played in Super League between 1995 and 1997.
[edit] Popularity
In 2002, it was estimated that rugby league had around 20,000 regular players in France[citation needed], compared to around 215,000 for rugby union. The game struggles for attention in the national media, but it is covered by local outlets in the south. However the introduction of Catalans Dragons into Super League has seen substantial with articles appearing in national newspapers such as L'Équipe, Libération and Le Figaro during 2006.
[edit] The National Team
The French national rugby league team are often nicknamed les Chanteclairs, after the cockerel which is the emblem of the team, or as les Tricolores. They have competed in every World Cup and European Nations Cup, as well as playing in other tournaments such the Victory Cup.
It was announced that from 2009, France would enter into the current Tri-Nations setup involving Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain. The introduction of Catalans Dragons into the Super League, and recent strong outings from the international side led to this decision. This should benefit the rugby league world as a whole.
The French territory of New Caledonia has had its own rugby league team since 2003, which is run by the Fédération Francaise de Rugby à Treize.
[edit] Media
[edit] Television
Orange sport TV shows every Catalan Dragons home match live. Selected games from the Elite Championship are broadcast live on Orange TV and summaries of each match Elite 1 are available to subscribers. They also broadcast some of Toulouse Olympique's home games live.
[edit] Radio
Radio Marseillette has rugby league debate and news every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00. They also have exclusive live commentary of all Catalans Dragons home matches and also have commentary on some Elite League games.
Radio France Bleu Roussillon carries commentary on every Catalans Dragons away match played in the UK.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Dine, Philip (2001). French rugby football: a cultural history. Berg Publishers. pp. 107-108. ISBN 1859733271, 9781859733271. http://books.google.com/books?id=mfXa0dXyN6YC&printsec=frontcover.
[edit] External links
- Jean Galia's introduction of the May 1934 Yorkshire's tour in France : Jean Galia's parent of the expression jeu à treize or Game of thirteen
- France Rugby League
- French RL Banned
- April 1999, the French Republic's Homage to all sportmen, sportwomen, clubs and federations (FRL included) having had to suffer from the vichy regime and of its national revolution
- Le Rugby à XIII le plus Français du monde (500 pages) by Louis Bonnery (former National Technical Director -1978 to 2000- of the French RL and international RL player)
- French Republic' educationnal facilities in Carcassonne, Toulouse, Salon de Provence for the FRL
- Rugby treize forum (French and English)
- History of Rugby football in France at independent.co.uk
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