Aa League League Southern Sports

Aa League League Southern Sports

Aa League League Southern Sports

Posted on: December 04, 2011 - 10:21 am
by Admin

The introduction of the Catalans Dragons into the European Super League has been a unmitigated success. Attendances are averaging just under 10,000 and the Dragons have reached a Challenge Cup Final, as well as the Super League play-offs two years in a row. Many French players have the opportunity to play at the top level and the French national side have been admitted to the Four Nations, where they will play the likes of Australia and England.

The History of French Rugby League

Before the second world war rugby league in France was a powerful and widespread sport. The open nature of rugby league suited the French temperament. The French governing body was set up in 1934 and in the next 5 years over 220 clubs were created.

Due to its working class base rugby league was associated with the left and after the Vichy regime was set up in the wake of the German invasion, rugby union officials lobbied successfully for the sport to be banned as a 'deviant' version of rugby. Clubs and players were forced to play rugby union and the sports assets were handed over to the union authorities. The Vichy Sports minister, Jean Ybarnégaray, declared: "The fate of rugby league is clear. Its life is over and it will be quite simply deleted from French sport."

Post War Glory: Puig Albert et al

The ban was rescinded after the war but the assets were never returned. Maybe more importantly league was dislodged from the schools and still not allowed to use the name rugby. Instead they had to adopt the moniker jeu a treize, the game of thirteen.

Despite these travails, French rugby league still had a formidable team. A French touring team took on and beat the Aussies in 1951 and again in two more series. Puig Albert, the French full back, was considered by the Australians to be one of the best ever players. But the underlying problems of resources meant the golden age soon faded away.

Catalans Dragons and the European Super League

The sport was hanging on, still played mainly in the south west of France. Unfortunately with the launch of the European Super League in 1996 it was decided to add a Paris based team, Paris Saint-Germain, who folded after two seasons. Their distance from the heartlands of the sport, and the fact that players were backing up for their southern based clubs was hardly a recipe for success.