Elite 1 (rugby league)
viàOccitanie, Sport en France | |
Website | site |
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Current: Elite One Championship 2023–2024 |
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worldwide. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final. The competition is the continuation and first division of the French Rugby League Championship, which has been in existence since 1934.[1]
The league is generally regarded as the third most important domestic championship in the world, behind Australia's
]History
The French Rugby League Championship began in 1934, the first one being the only one where it was won by the team finishing top of the table on points and not by a play-off series.
The Elite One Championship was founded in 2002 after the
Teams for 2022–23 season
Elite 1 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | Stadium | Location | |
Albi Tigers | Stade Mazicou | Albi, Tarn | |
SO Avignon | Parc des Sports (Avignon) | Avignon, Vaucluse | |
AS Carcassonne | Stade Albert Domec | Carcassonne, Aude | |
FC Lézignan
|
Stade du Moulin | Lézignan-Corbières, Aude | |
Limoux Grizzlies
|
Stade de l'Aiguille | Limoux, Aude | |
Baroudeurs de Pia XIII | Stade Daniel-Ambert | Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales | |
Saint-Estève Catalan | Stade Municipal
|
Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales | |
Saint-Gaudens Bears | Stade Jules Ribet | Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne | |
Toulouse Olympique Broncos | Stade des Minimes | Toulouse, Haute-Garonne | |
Villeneuve Leopards | Stade Max Rousie | Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne |
Results
Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002–03 | Villeneuve Leopards | 31 – 18 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | Parc des sports et de l'amitié , Narbonne |
8,000 |
2003–04 |
Saint-Gaudens Bears | 14 – 10 | Union Treiziste Catalane | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | 7,500 |
2004–05 |
Union Treiziste Catalane | 66 – 16 | Toulouse Olympique XIII | Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne | 5,000 |
2005–06 |
Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
21 – 18 | Toulouse Olympique XIII | Stade des Minimes, Toulouse | 5,462 |
2006–07 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
20 – 16 | FC Lézignan |
Stade Michel-Bendichou , Colomiers |
7,882 |
2007–08 | FC Lézignan |
26 – 16 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
Stade de la Mediterranee , Béziers |
9,550 |
2008–09 | FC Lézignan |
40 – 32 | Limoux Grizzlies |
Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne | 11,263 |
2009–10 | FC Lézignan |
32 – 22 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
Altrad Stadium , Montpellier |
6,612 |
2010–11 | FC Lézignan |
17 – 12 | Limoux Grizzlies |
Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne | 11,874 |
2011–12 | AS Carcassonne | 26 – 20 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
8,980 | |
2012–13 |
Baroudeurs de Pia XIII |
33 – 26 | Saint-Estève Catalan | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | 6,732 |
2013–14 |
Toulouse Olympique XIII | 38 – 12 | FC Lézignan |
7,245 | |
2014–15 |
Toulouse Olympique XIII | 20 – 12 | AS Carcassonne | Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers | 5,800 |
2015–16 |
Limoux Grizzlies |
26 – 24 | AS Carcassonne | Stadium municipal d'Albi, Albi | 5,420 |
2016–17 | Limoux Grizzlies |
24 – 22 | FC Lézignan |
Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne | 8,270 |
2017–18 | Sporting Olympique Avignon | 30 – 28 | Limoux Grizzlies |
Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi | 5,000 |
2018–19 | Saint-Estève Catalan | 32 – 24 | AS Carcassonne | 1,500 | |
2019–20 | Competition abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France[2] | ||||
2020–21 | FC Lézignan
|
16 – 12 | AS Carcassonne | Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse | 3,200 |
2021–22 | AS Carcassonne | 20 – 16 | Limoux Grizzlies
|
Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne | 8,231 |
2022–23 | Limoux Grizzlies
|
34 – 24 | AS Carcassonne | Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne | 8,221 |
Source: [1]
Winners
# | Club | No. | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Lézignan Sangliers |
4 | 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2020–21 |
2 | Pia XIII |
3 | 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13 |
3 | Villeneuve Leopards | 2 | 2002, 2002–03 |
Toulouse Olympique | 2013–14, 2014–15 | ||
AS Carcassonne | 2011–12, 2021-22 | ||
Limoux Grizzlies |
2015–16, 2016–17 | ||
6 | SO Avignon | 1 | 2017–18 |
Saint-Gaudens Bears | 2003–04 | ||
Union Treiziste Catalane |
2004–05 | ||
Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan |
2018–19 |
Media coverage
Television
Unlike, for instance, the BBC, France Television didn't offer any program to the French public about Rugby League.
Sport en France cover the Championship across their television platforms nationwide.[3] Coverage includes the match of the week and one match from each week of the playoffs including the Grand Final.
From 2020, some Elite 1 games are televised by a local channel
Presently, French clubs have to fund the broadcast of their own games or to televise their own matches themselves via the
Radio
Radio Marseillette, a local Southern radio, has rugby league debate and news every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00. They also have commentary on some Elite League games.
Press
The French national mainstream media barely follow the game. Very occasionally, some articles about the sport are published in newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro or the national Sport newspaper L'Équipe.
Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a French specificity: the Weekly Rugby Union magazine Midi Olympique has a one-page section devoted to Rugby League. However, only two local newspapers genuinely cover the game; L'Indépendant ( based in the South of France) and la Dépêche du Midi (based in the South west of the country).
The British Rugby League press cover this championship; for example magazines like Rugby Leaguer & League Express offer a weekly report of the games. In Australia, the monthly publication Rugby League Review offer a few columns about the games as well.
See also
- Rugby league in France
- French Rugby League Championship
- Elite 2
- National Division 1
- National Division 2
- Lord Derby Cup
- Coupe Falcou
- Paul Dejean Cup
- French rugby league system
- Wheelchair Elite 1
References
- ^ a b "Championnat Elite 1". Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Coronavirus : la Fédération française met fin aux compétitions de rugby à XIII cette saison". lequipe.fr. Groupe Amaury. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Elite 1 - Finale hommes". Sport en France (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Rugby à XIII". viaoccitanie.tv. Retrieved 3 November 2022.