Elite 1 (rugby league)

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For the predecessor competition, see French Rugby League Championship.
Elite 1
ELITE1.jpg
Country  France
Founded 2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Number of teams 9
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Elite 2
Domestic cup(s) Lord Derby Cup
Current champions [[Image:|16px|]] XIII de Limouxin (2022-2023)
Most championships CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne (12)
TV partners viàOccitanie, Sport en France
Website site
Elite One Championship 2023–2024

Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worldwide. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final. The competition is the continuation and first division of the French Rugby League Championship, which has been in existence since 1934.[1]

The league is generally regarded as the third most important domestic championship in the world, behind Australia's National Rugby League and the United Kingdom's Super League, and ahead of the NZRL National Competition, PNGNRL, Balkan Super League and Rhino Cup.[citation needed]

History

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Main article: French Rugby League Championship

The French Rugby League Championship began in 1934, the first one being the only one where it was won by the team finishing top of the table on points and not by a play-off series.

The Elite One Championship was founded in 2002 after the French Rugby League Championship was split into two divisions. The format stayed the same with teams playing each other home and away, before a play-off series would determine the Champions. The club finishing bottom would not be automatically relegated, it would be dependent on whether the club finishing top of Elite Two Championship either wanted to be promoted or their facilities were up to standard.

Teams for 2022–23 season

Teams currently Participating in the Elite One
Elite 1
Team Stadium Location
[[Image:|16px|]] Albi Tigers Stade Mazicou Albi, Tarn
[[Image:|16px|]] SO Avignon Parc des Sports (Avignon) Avignon, Vaucluse
CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne Stade Albert Domec Carcassonne, Aude
LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan Stade du Moulin Lézignan-Corbières, Aude
[[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies Stade de l'Aiguille Limoux, Aude
[[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII Stade Daniel-Ambert Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales
[[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Estève Catalan Stade Municipal Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales
[[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Gaudens Bears Stade Jules Ribet Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne
File:ToulouseRLcolours.PNG Toulouse Olympique Broncos Stade des Minimes Toulouse, Haute-Garonne
[[Image:|16px|]] Villeneuve Leopards Stade Max Rousie Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne

Results

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For previous winners, see French Rugby League Championship.
Year Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance
2002–03 [[Image:|16px|]] Villeneuve Leopards 31 – 18 [[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Gaudens Bears Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne 8,000
2003–04 [[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Gaudens Bears 14 – 10 [[Image:|16px|]] Union Treiziste Catalane Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan 7,500
2004–05 [[Image:|16px|]] Union Treiziste Catalane 66 – 16 File:ToulouseRLcolours.PNG Toulouse Olympique XIII Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne 5,000
2005–06 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII 21 – 18 File:ToulouseRLcolours.PNG Toulouse Olympique XIII Stade des Minimes, Toulouse 5,462
2006–07 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII 20 – 16 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers 7,882
2007–08 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 26 – 16 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII Stade de la Mediterranee, Béziers 9,550
2008–09 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 40 – 32 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne 11,263
2009–10 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 32 – 22 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII Altrad Stadium, Montpellier 6,612
2010–11 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 17 – 12 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne 11,874
2011–12 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne 26 – 20 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII 8,980
2012–13 [[Image:|16px|]] Baroudeurs de Pia XIII 33 – 26 [[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Estève Catalan Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan 6,732
2013–14 File:ToulouseRLcolours.PNG Toulouse Olympique XIII 38 – 12 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 7,245
2014–15 File:ToulouseRLcolours.PNG Toulouse Olympique XIII 20 – 12 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers 5,800
2015–16 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies 26 – 24 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne Stadium municipal d'Albi, Albi 5,420
2016–17 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies 24 – 22 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne 8,270
2017–18 [[Image:|16px|]] Sporting Olympique Avignon 30 – 28 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi 5,000
2018–19 [[Image:|16px|]] Saint-Estève Catalan 32 – 24 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne 1,500
2019–20 Competition abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France[2]
2020–21 LezignanRLcolours.PNG FC Lézignan 16 – 12 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse 3,200
2021–22 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne 20 – 16 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne 8,231
2022–23 [[Image:|16px|]] Limoux Grizzlies 34 – 24 CarcassonneRLcolours.PNG AS Carcassonne Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne 8,221

Source: [1]

Winners

# Club No. Year(s)
1 Lézignan Sangliers 4 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2020–21
2 Pia XIII 3 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13
3 Villeneuve Leopards 2 2002, 2002–03
Toulouse Olympique 2013–14, 2014–15
AS Carcassonne 2011–12, 2021-22
Limoux Grizzlies 2015–16, 2016–17
6 SO Avignon 1 2017–18
Saint-Gaudens Bears 2003–04
Union Treiziste Catalane 2004–05
Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan 2018–19

Media coverage

Television

Unlike, for instance, the BBC, France Television didn't offer any program to the French public about Rugby League.

Sport en France cover the Championship across their television platforms nationwide.[3] Coverage includes the match of the week and one match from each week of the playoffs including the Grand Final.

From 2020, some Elite 1 games are televised by a local channel ViàOccitanie; this is a free-to-air channel in the South of France but they are also available on the internet and via the triple play internet devices. Therefore, they offer, indirectly, free nationwide coverage of the domestic championship.[4]

Presently, French clubs have to fund the broadcast of their own games or to televise their own matches themselves via the social networks or YouTube.

Radio

Radio Marseillette, a local Southern radio, has rugby league debate and news every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00. They also have commentary on some Elite League games.

Press

The French national mainstream media barely follow the game. Very occasionally, some articles about the sport are published in newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro or the national Sport newspaper L'Équipe.

Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a French specificity: the Weekly Rugby Union magazine Midi Olympique has a one-page section devoted to Rugby League. However, only two local newspapers genuinely cover the game; L'Indépendant ( based in the South of France) and la Dépêche du Midi (based in the South west of the country).

The British Rugby League press cover this championship; for example magazines like Rugby Leaguer & League Express offer a weekly report of the games. In Australia, the monthly publication Rugby League Review offer a few columns about the games as well.

See also

References

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  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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