France Elite Season 1970-74

In 1970, St Gaudens win the grand final.
(See link at the bottom of the page for more)

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the early 1970s. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64. 

1969-70: Lézignan was the top side for this season, narrowly ahead of Villeneuve and XIII Catalan. The league winner was Villeneuve, the grand final St Gaudens and the cup Lézignan,

1970-71: St Gaudens topped the list from St Estève. They won the league, St Estève the grand final Marseille the cup. That cup win must have been an upset for that season.

1971-72: St Estève was comfortably the strongest side on points with Carcassonne the closest to them. Carcassonne could argue it was the best team as they won the league and grand final. However, they failed miserably in the cup, St Estève was the winner of that trophy.

1972-73: Marseille pipped St Gaudens for the most points (in my system). St Estève won the league, Toulouse the grand final and St Gaudens the cup.

1973-74: Lézignan, St Gaudens and St Estève all had a good year. Saints (Estève) took the league title, Saints (Gaudens) the grand final and Albi popped up from nowhere to win the cup. 

Summary: I was surprised to find St Gaudens the top club for the five year period. Lézignan, Villeneuve and St Estève were not far behind in a tight bunch. St Estève emerged to prominence during this time.

Point of interest: Established in 1953 as the Montpellier Diables Rouges (Red Devils), the club was reasonably successful from the late 1950s for some years. It left the chart in 1971-72 and doesn't reappear until briefly some forty years later. It is currently in division two.

For the picture source and article on St Gaudens winning the 'double', simply click here.

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1975-79.

France Elite Season 1965-69

This is part of a series that charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We continue with the early 1960s, a time when the game was much stronger in France. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

To start at the beginning of the series, simply click on the following dates 1960-64.                                 

1964-65: Toulouse was the best side for the season. Catalan XIII and Villeneuve deserve honourable mention. Catalan took the league title, Marseilles the cup and Toulouse the grand final. Carcassone was consistent but trophyless.

1965-66: There was nothing to separate Carcassonne and Lézignan as the two strongest performing clubs. Carcassonne took the league and grand final but Lézignan the cup. 

1966-67: This was the only time in the 1960s where one side won the treble but Carcassonne pulled that off. St Gaudens and Limoux did well enough to be mentioned.

1967-68: Carcassonne again was the best team with no one going close with others sharing the points fairly evenly. That said, they only won the cup. Marseille prevailed in the league and Limoux the grand final. 

1968-69: Carcassonne's reign as the best team over the past three seasons ended here. The Catalan club was best by virtue of their cup and grand final victories. Limoux was the best in the league.

Summary: Carcassonne was clearly the most successful outfit over this period, with Catalan XIII next but some way behind. St Gaudens was third despite not winning any of the fifteen trophies on offer.

Point of interest: The Bordeaux club started in 1934 but achieved little in the way of success. They continued to 1978 when as far as I can ascertain they were disbanded. A shame but perhaps being so far west worked against them. 

For the following article in the series, please click the dates 1970-74.

France Elite Seasons 1960-64

It was in 1962 when the military players of XIII had met an Anglo-Saxon team. Source: La Dépêche.

This is part of a series that starts here and charts the clubs that have played elite Rugby league in France in five year increments. We start with the early 1960s, a time when the game was much stronger in France. The chart has points I have allocated according to where teams finished in the League, Finals and Cup competitions. Any feedback is appreciated in the comments section below.  

1959-60: Carcassonne was the leading team (just) ahead of a group including Roanne, Albi, Villeneuve and Lézignan. The honours were well spread. Albi won the league, Lézignan the cup and Roanne the grand final. 

1960-61: Lézignan was the best ahead of Carcassonne and Roanne. Roanne won the league, Carcassonne the cup and Lézignan the grand final. Again, a nice spread. 

1961-62: Albi took the top spot by a whisker from Roanne. Albi took the league and grand final, with Roanne winning the cup. 

1962-63: Carcassonne came back for this season and was the most successful. St Gaudens and Lézignan were the closest. Carcassonne won the league and cup double but missed out on the grand final which was secured by Lézignan.

1963-64: Villeneuve-sur-Lot grabbed the most points this season, with only Toulouse being close. St Gaudens won the league but the other two trophies went to Villeneuve. 

Summary: The strongest side was Carcassonne with 153 points. It wasn't decisive as others were very close behind. It's good that honours are shared around, something less common in sport today where money often decides who has the best squad.

Point of interest: Battaillon de Joinville was apparently a military unit of the French army. It allowed athletes to play their sport while doing military service but has ceased operation. The picture at the top features them. As to when the Rugby league side ended I'm unsure. Clarification on that anyone? 

For the next part, simply click on the dates 1965-69.

League One Regular Season Round Up : 2021

Pic: https://www.barrowrlfc.com/

League One (third division) consisted of ten teams stretching across England and Wales. Like the other divisions, win percentage decided the final placings as not all teams played the same number of matches. 

Barrow took the top spot by a reasonably clear margin and gained automatic entry into the Championship (second division) as a result. The next five clubs battle it out for the other spot. The bottom four dust themselves down and hope for something better in 2022. 

With money becoming more scarce in a sport already skint, it will be interesting to see in what form the 2022 season takes. This is especially so for the bottom feeders that dwell in League One. 

Pic: https://northwalescrusaders.com/

Championship Regular Season Round Up : 2021

Toulouse celebrate winning the league competition

The 14 team Championship is the second division of RL in the UK and Europe. Win percentage decides the placings as not all sides could fulfill their scheduled fixtures due to Covid. Some teams are full time but most are only part time. The sport hasn't got the finances to have a fully professional league below the top tier. Rather than do a team by team coverage, I will give a broader assessment. 

Working from the bottom up, the two sides being relegated to League One are Oldham and Swinton. These two clubs with a proud history in the sport were clearly the ones that deserved to go down in terms of performance on the field. 

The next grouping is for those that didn't make the playoffs, from 7th to 12th. Of those, only London managed to have a win rate exceeding 50%. They and Widnes are the two clubs in this division to recently have played in the Super League elite level. 

The top six battle it out to see who can get the one promotion slot allocated to the Championship sides. Two were by far the best. Toulouse and Featherstone. The latter is irked that they played 21 games to just 14 by the French outfit. The fact is Covid has stopped teams traveling to France and the games Toulouse did play involved going to the UK, meaning more travel than the other sides. That's a disadvantage outweighing the fewer games played.

European SL Regular Season Round Up : 2021

The 2021 Super League moves on to the finals but the league competition has concluded. That's the end of the road for some clubs and playoff matches for others. As the Covid pandemic meant some games couldn't go ahead, a win percentage became the most important factor. So how did they do? Starting from the bottom:

12) Leigh: They came in with half the central funding of all the other teams and had a squad that clearly was going to struggle at this level. Two wins from 22 games sums up the season. They were only admitted to make a 12 team competition possible. A cynical decision by SL, an unfair deal the club unbelievably accepted. Demotion is their fate. Yet another shameful episode RL has added to its ever growing catalogue. Win rate: 9.1%.

11) Salford: A new coach and a decent squad for the Manchester based side that didn't deliver much until well into the season. Too little too late would aptly sum up the season. Win rate 31.8%.

10) Wakefield: Another team with a side that had potential but also left things too late to make the playoffs. In recent years they have struggled to have many finals appearances. Win rate: 37.5%.

9) Huddersfield: Some good players and a generous owner didn't translate into a particularly successful season. They also have a hard time interesting the locals to follow them. Win rate: 37.5%.

8) Hull FC: A club that has a strong fan base and started off not too bad but things got worse as the season progressed. In the end, they over achieved in terms of where they finished. Their supporters have every right to feel frustrated. Win rate: 40.5%.

7) Castleford: I find it hard to say what I think about the club this year. Their differential of -115 shows they finished higher than they deserved. Their departing coach will hopefully do better at Warrington. Win rate 47.8%.

6) Hull KR: I have to say the club did better than I expected in making the top six. It may be the lowest ranked team to make the playoffs but their opportunity to extend their success is deserved. Win rate: 50.0%.

5) Leeds Rhinos: I wasn't overly impressed with them this season but they have finished quite strongly and their fans are optimistic about their finals chances. I'm not so sure. Win rate: 54.2%.

4) Wigan: A proud club that at times this season looked very ordinary. Yet, somehow they have shown enough grit to win some low scoring contests. Without a star studded roster, they have played to their strength and made the top four with a low +2 points differential. One can never write off a Wigan side. Win rate: 60%.

3) Warrington: They have a reputation as a bridesmaid club. Competitive but lacking that something to go all the way. Will 2021 be another almost season? Win rate: 73.8%.

2) St Helens: I would think most people's favourite to win the league and go on to take out the grand final as well. They didn't quite achieve the first one but the second is still there for the taking. A classy outfit. Win rate 76.2%.

1) Catalan: The side from the south of France has never won the league leaders shield but that one is now taken care of. The real prize is the grand final trophy and while one wouldn't write them off, a season of much travelling and striving to maintain the season's high standard through the finals is a tough ask. They may find it all a bit too much. Win rate 82.6%.

A French Double

Toulouse in action. Pic: www.totalrl.com

France was a force in Rugby League when it took to the code in the 1930s. After reforming post WWII (it was forcibly disbanded during the war) the game did well for a while but for various reasons declined over the years to the point where it is really struggling today. 

In a rare moment of forward thinking and enterprise, the decision to admit a club from France into the UK's Super League was made. This was first tried with a team from Paris, which was a short lived failure. The second time around it was in a region where RL is strongest and at a club with solid roots. The plan worked and the Catalan Dragons are still part of the SL competition. There is also a club in Toulouse, pushing hard for a place in SL and look well placed to achieve that. 

This season has witnessed an unprecedented event. The Catalan Dragons have for the first time won the league competition at the highest level in Europe. This after fifteen earlier attempts. On top of that, the club from Toulouse that plays in the Championship (Europe's second division) has also won that league competition for the first time. They joined in 2017 (5th), in 2018 3rd, 2019 2nd, comp canceled in 2020, and top in 2021. 

So what does this mean? The French media may have to start acknowledging the code's existence in the country. It puts the Catalan club in a strong position in the playoffs for its first grand final appearance. For Toulouse, also strongly placed going into the playoffs and if winning the Championship final, gaining promotion into Super League. Two French clubs in the top flight of European RL for the first time!

This will surely mean RL will have more credibility within the country. It will also mean matches between the two clubs each year, generating a local derby rivalry. At a time RL seems lost and directionless, something for Europe to build on as a genuine alternative to the naval-gazing NRL competition in Australia. 

USA Season : 2021

In 2019 when the last season was played, I divided the coverage into three posts. This year it's in one. This is due to the reduction in teams participating. Another tournament was going to be played in 2021 and most sides from the North East decided to join. When that didn't eventuate, I expected them to return for the season under the USARL but that was not the case. 

The outcome of that was a largely unaffected Southern Conference (less Atlanta) and a virtually nonexisting one to the north. The southern part is now just comprised of Florida based sides and the total participating teams went from five in 2019 to four in 2021. The Northern Conference went from six to two, which was a real shame. 

Below are all the regular season games played during 2021. Southern teams are shaded yellow, northern blue:

As for a summary of the season, below are the final league placings and two games thereafter. The Southern Conference had a playoff game between an unbeaten Jacksonville and closest rival Tampa Bay. In what was presumably an upset (Tamp Bay may question that), Tampa won 18-14 to enter the grand final with the Delaware Black Foxes. The result was a 60-10 victory for Tampa. 

Congratulations to the Mayhem for a great season. Commiserations to the Axemen. Well done the Northern Conference for your efforts in a limited season for both sides.