France national rugby league team

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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. The team is administered by the Fédération Francaise de Rugby à Treize.

French team Les Catalans were introduced Super League (Europe) in 2006. It is hoped that the Catalans will form the basis of the French national team just as New Zealand Warriors form the backbone of the New Zealand national team.

History

On New Year’s Eve 1933, England and Australia play in Paris – the first game of rugby league in France. The match was one sided, with Australia winning 63-13 in front of a crowd of 5,000, but the seed was sown. French rugby union players, disgruntled that France had been suspended from the Five Nations Championship, formed the 'Ligue Francaise de Rugby a XIII' on the 6th April 1934. Jean Galia, a former rugby union international and champion boxer, leads France on a six match tour of England in 1934 and they record their one win at Hull. The national team’s first game was in Paris on 15th April 1934, losing 21-32 to England in front of a crowd of 20,000. By 1939 the French league has 225 clubs and the national side beats England and Wales to take the European championship.

The game of rugby league suffered in France during the Second World War, as the French Rugby Union authorities worked with the collaborating Vichy regime to have rugby league banned. Many players and officials of the sport were punished, whilst all of the assets of the rugby league and its clubs were handed over to the union. (See:history of rugby league#france).

After the war the French game was re-established and the French became one rugby league’s major powers, competing in the Rugby League World Cup and major international series against Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1951 just a decade after being wound up, France win their first series in Australia. That French side, led by the chain smoking full-back Puig Aubert, repeated the feat by winning again in 1955. The 1951 and 1955 French tours of Australia are still regarded as two of the strongest sides ever to tour Australia.

France donated the original World Cup trophy, but they have never won it. The closest they went to getting their hands on it was in the very first World Cup in 1954, when they went down narrowly, 16-12, to Great Britain in the final in Parc des Princes, Paris.

The French have appeared in one other World Cup final, in 1968, when they finished runner-up to Australia in Sydney, after beating both Great Britain and New Zealand to qualify.

In 1978 France beat the Kangaroos 13-10 and 11-10 which remained Australia's last failed attempt to win an international series or competition until 2005.

However the game has since declined in France with many players defecting to rugby union, and les chanticleers are no longer the power they once were. They do not compete in the Tri-Nations, but do feature in the European Nations Cup, and other tournaments such the Victory Cup.

In 1990 a Great Britain team including Shaun Edwards, Garry Schofield, Martin Offiah and Denis Betts were embarrassed by a 25-18 loss which was France’s first victory on English soil for 23 years.

In the 1995 World Cup France had to play the Samoans three days after taking a physical pounding from the Welsh in Cardiff.

In 2004 the French returned to form with a narrow 20-24 defeat to New Zealand and a losing but creditable performance against Australia. However, the game was played under modified rules and was not at the time considered an official test match. Shortly afterwards the game was retrospectively awarded test status.

In 2005, the French suffered a 44-12 defeat to Australia in Perpignan. Unlike their last match against Australia, this game was played under normal rules and is considered a normal test match. This was their best performance in an official test match against Australia since 1990.

France will be at the 2008 World Cup as they have been granted automatic qualification.

Famous players

• Puig Aubert
• Jean Dop
• Jean Galia
• Max Rousie

See also

• French rugby league championship
• Lord Derby Cup
• European Nations Cup
• Victory Cup
• Union Treiziste Catalane

External links

• [Federation Francaise de Rugby a Treize national team page] (in French)
• [France 1951]

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