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 1980s. 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.
1979-80: Villeneuve was the best, just ahead of XIII Catalan with Carcassonne not out of the picture. It was however Avignon that took the league title Villeneuve the grand final and Catalan the cup.
1980-81: The Catalan side was clearly top although silverware eluded it. The cup final wasn't played as punishment for violence in the grand final, which was abandoned. Both teams were involved with both fixtures. Pia won the league, the only trophy that was actually won that year
1981-82: Avignon was the best side, it won both the league - for a second year - along with the cup. Catalan won the grand final.
1982-83: Catalan and Carcassonne were back with a clear lead over other teams. The former won the league and grand final, the latter got the cup.
1983-84: Villeneuve was the top ranked club but with only the cup in the cabinet. Catalan took out the other two but not registering in the cup cost them the best club status by my calculations.
Summary: XIII Catalan was the best with Carcassonne and Villeneuve tied for second place. Avignon was a little behind the leaders but two trophies are worth a mention. The television company broadcasting RL games in France pulled out after the abandoned grand final match in 1981. A classic case of the French RL shooting itself in the foot.
No comments:
Post a Comment