France Elite 1 : 2020-21

Carcassonne vs Avignon

The ten-team league has been completed and the final table is below. The previous season was null and void due to the coronavirus. Eighteen matches made up the season with six teams moving on to the finals. Below colour is used to show the sides who progressed and those who can contemplate next season. 

Carcassonne won the last league title played in 2019 (2020 was cancelled) as well as 2016 and 2015. So winning the league is getting to be a habit. Lézignan last won in 2017. St Estève was victorious in 2018 so that covers the past six years the league was completed.  

As for the playoffs, Avignon and St Estève advanced from the first round of knock-out rounds. Unfortunately for both of them, neither advanced from the semi-final phase, with the top two sides from the league defeating them. This set up a classic encounter between the two top sides of the season. 

The scores were locked at 12-12 at half time before the Lézignan Sangliers squeaked home 16-12. The last time Lézignan won the grand final was in 2011, although they were losing finalists in 2014 and 2017. Carcassonne won in 2012 and losing finalists 2015, 2016 and 2019. They can add 2021 to that painful list. There was no grand final in 2020. 

As the two 2021 grand final teams haven't been winning grand finals of late, who were? St Estève in 2019, Avignon (2018) and Limoux (2016 and 2017), Toulouse (2014 & 2015) and Pia (2013). 

Lézignan celebrate the grand final victory

Australia Attendance Comparison 2019 - 2021 (half year)

It would normally make sense to compare one year to the next but as we all know Covid put pay to any meaningful comparison in that regard. So going back a year earlier and we can make a case for a reasonable contrast in fortunes. 

The first thing of note is that crowds are down 9% on a year to date basis after thirteen rounds. With a year off for people going to games, have some lost the habit? Is the threat of Covid still holding some folk back? Are there local issues that affect some teams? Looking down the list will answer that more conclusively.

First up, the Brisbane Broncos are the big one and they are down 20%. They are second from bottom with just three wins from thirteen starts. They were the bottom side in 2020 so the incumbent wooden spoon holders. Minus 356 as points differential in twenty games (in 2020) was a disaster. Has eighteen months of failure affected numbers. For such a proud club with a fine history, probably.

Penrith is doing the opposite regarding form compared to the Broncos and that shows with numbers up 18%. North Queensland has a nice new stadium so you would expect some gain there. The Gold Coast team has shown some promise so maybe that has helped. The NZ Warriors are playing on the Central Coast, Australia so can't compete with home game attendances. 

What is showing up is that Sydney clubs are in many cases well down. South Sydney has always had yo-yo crowd numbers so only by year's end will we know for sure. Canterbury (-17) St George (-29), Cronulla (-48) and Manly (-42) all are enduring hefty drops. Some are performing better on the field than others but the attendance figures don't follow form in this case. Is Covid a factor, especially with traveling fans within the city? 

With the total down nearly 140,000 or -8% isn't great but all things considered, it could have been worse. 2021 isn't going to be great with crowd numbers. Maybe 2022 would be a better year to compare if Covid has gone by then but for now we do get a picture of what's happening in the now. 

Please note that Magic Weekend figures are included in the total but not in the club averages.

2021 Championship Season Commences

The second division of UK RL has commenced, known as the Championship. Fourteen teams compete for the chance to gain entry to the elite Super League competition. One will make it with one side coming down from SL. Of course, this assumes the status quo will apply by season's end. 

This competition is hard to predict, especially for me as I haven't followed it until recently. With that caveat, I will proceed.

Top-notch: My pick to be promoted is the Toulouse Olympique club from France. They have the set-up and backing to make a success of playing at the elite level. Featherstone Rovers are always competing and for such a small town do remarkably well. 

In the running: The York City Knights have ambition, and a nice new stadium so would be a nice fit at the top level. The Widnes Vikings were until recently at the top so one cannot discount them. 

Long shots and no-hopers: Long shots would include the Sheffield Eagles which are a team that has potential as do the Dewsbury Rams. The Batley Bulldogs has a staunch following and a useful side. The Halifax Panthers still have claws so can't be totally written off. The London Broncos want to be a top side again but have work to do.

The no-hopers would be Oldham, Newcastle, Swinton, Whitehaven and Bradford. They aren't bad sides but I don't see them going up. I hope that is a fair assessment. For a taste of what the Championship is about, the brief highlights video above will give you an idea.