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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 southern British Rugby Union and IRB when Rugby split in 1895. By the 1930s the rugby union authorities concluded that France rugby union was breaching amateur regulations, and they were suspended from playing against the other nations. Looking round for an alternative, many French players turned to rugby league, which soon became the dominant game in France, particularly in the south west of the country. Rugby league became associated with Socialist politics in France whereas rugby union remained the game of the establishment. The Defeat Of France in the Second World War had serious implications for rugby league. The French rugby union authorities worked with the collaborating Vichy regime to re-establish the dominance of their sport; rugby league was banned and many players and officials of the sport were punished. All of the assets of the rugby league and its clubs were handed over to the Union. ''"They just came to the club. I was there training in the Under 13's. They told us we had to stop playing Rugby 13. They took our kit, and even the balls"'' - Unknown The consequences of this action reverberate to this day; the assets were never returned, and although the ban on rugby league was lifted, it was prevented from using the word rugby in its title until the mid-eighties, having to use the name Jeu à Treize (''Game of Thirteen'', in reference to the number of player in a rugby league side). 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 . 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. Over the years many players have left the sport to play Rugby Union , which has overshadowed league sice the war. Rugby union has also ran a relentless campaign against rugby league, one recent example being the fact that during a Kangaroos tour in 2005 they booked a stadium purely so the date of a rugby league test had to be changed. GOVERNING BODY The governing body for rugby league in France is the ''Fédération Francaise de Rugby à Treize''. The Federation is a full member of the Rugby League European Federation . 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 is currently titled ''Elite Championship''. The premier knock-out cup is the Lord Derby Cup . In the early Super League (Europe) a new team, '' Paris Saint Germain'' took part, the players being drawn from the French league. It failed 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. However the links between French and English rugby league did not die with the demise of the Paris club. Each year four French teams take part in the Challenge Cup , and the French club based in Perpignan, formerly known as UTC (Union Treiziste Catalan), now known as Les Catalans play in Super League. Other French clubs such as Toulouse may follow. POPULARITY In 2002, it was estimated that around rugby league had around 15,000 regular players in France, compared with around 215,000 for rugby union. The game struggles for attention in the national media, but is covered by local outlets in the south. THE NATIONAL TEAM See Also: France national rugby league 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 . REFERENCES |
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