Jump to content

FRENCH FINALS


Recommended Posts

Line-ups decided this past weekend. Regardless of the unsatisfactory format Elite1/2 provided fascinating semi-finals – double headers at Foix and Villefranche respectively. Interestingly too the top two in the respective divisions at the conclusion of the regular season have both made the finals.

 

Carcassonne-Limoux will be a repeat of the 1968 Final played at the Municipal Stadium in Toulouse (14,432). Back then there was a 16 team division and ASC(3rd) and Limoux (4th) finished behind Marseille and XIII Catalan. These two Aude sides have never played each other in a Championship Final since so the clash at Albi on the 21st May promises a spectacle. The U20s curtain raiser will be between St Esteve and Avignon reflecting where the base of the game is strongest.

 

Elite 1 semis  -   Lezignan 18-22 Limoux

                           ASC 17-16 St Esteve (after extra time)

                           attendance 2,280

 

Elite 2 semis -   Lescure 25-24 Villefranche

                          La Reole 20-18 St Gaudens

 

 

National 1  semis -  Entraigues  24-14 St Martin du Cru

                                Ferrals 27-18  Tonniens

 

Juniors 20s  semis -  St Esteve  49-20  Limoux

                                  Avignon  45-26  Toulouse

 

13e26c_29e70247e46e43e59a6c38999101b5c7_photo  courtesy of gerard barrau

 

Vinnie Anderson front row far left with daughter - Marc Palanque club President back row far right.

Clement Soubayras's drop goal in extra time won it for the Canaris!

"It involves matters much greater than drafting the new rules...the original and existing games have their own powerful appeal to their players and public and have the sentiments which history inspires"  - Harold 'Jersey' Flegg 1933

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."  - Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

Si tu( Remi Casty) devais envoyer un fax au Président Guasch? " Un grand bravo pour ce que vous avez fait,et merci de m 'avoir embarqué dans cette aventure"

gallery_02-am31503_5b827265940b7_.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I could not follow these matches, but when i checked  Carca vs St Est, there was not a lot of time left in the match, and i saw Carca with a confortable advance.. must have been a great last 10-15mn for St esteve right? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whatever one thinks of the state of French RL or the structure of their play-offs, the striking thing about the results kindly provided by Audois and Barnyia is how close all the eight adult matches were (Entraigues' ten point winning margin looks like the proverbial one-way traffic!), which must be a good thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Line-ups decided this past weekend. Regardless of the unsatisfactory format Elite1/2 provided fascinating semi-finals – double headers at Foix and Villefranche respectively.

 

Interesting to choose Foix as the venue - presumably this was at US Foix XV ground? Would be good to see RL make a comeback in Ariège, with only one club, Pamiers, barely clinging on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Makes a mess of the elite 2 final! St gaudens lose in the semi and get promoted! So must mean la reole and lescure aren't interested in being promoted!

The elite 1 has been announced with 10 teams next year! Heard that Palau want to drop down to elite 2, so maybe 2 teams will be promoted, but I reckon Palau won't be allowed to drop down,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting to choose Foix as the venue - presumably this was at US Foix XV ground? Would be good to see RL make a comeback in Ariège, with only one club, Pamiers, barely clinging on.

Views worth a visit alone!

1-P5077764_zps7hkfdgut.jpg

10-P5077612_zpsr3l5ffuh.jpg

"It involves matters much greater than drafting the new rules...the original and existing games have their own powerful appeal to their players and public and have the sentiments which history inspires"  - Harold 'Jersey' Flegg 1933

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."  - Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

Si tu( Remi Casty) devais envoyer un fax au Président Guasch? " Un grand bravo pour ce que vous avez fait,et merci de m 'avoir embarqué dans cette aventure"

gallery_02-am31503_5b827265940b7_.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Views worth a visit alone!

 

Certainly are. The road from Andorra to Toulouse has some stunning views & towns on the way - Ax-Les-Thermes etc.  Pretty much all the French RL elite teams are in beautiful locations. Villefranche, which had the Elite-2 semi-finals is lovely too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I crossed the Channel I spent some weeks getting around league venues. Didn't make Villefranche though. Villeneuve sur-Lot, Carpentras and Avignon visited. Monday night floodlit footy at St Gaudens on a lovely late autumn evening below the snow capped Pyreens stood out. Pitch side barbeques sizzling away and the little grandstand packed out as it was a televised Pathe Sports game and the locals wanted to be seen. Lets hope St Gaudens back again in Elite 1can reach such peaks again.

2004 Dulac's bleu et blanc gang Champions in Perpignan. Me and timtum witnessed it too!

"It involves matters much greater than drafting the new rules...the original and existing games have their own powerful appeal to their players and public and have the sentiments which history inspires"  - Harold 'Jersey' Flegg 1933

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."  - Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

Si tu( Remi Casty) devais envoyer un fax au Président Guasch? " Un grand bravo pour ce que vous avez fait,et merci de m 'avoir embarqué dans cette aventure"

gallery_02-am31503_5b827265940b7_.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moving a little off thread, I know, but I see there is an interview with Bernard Guasch on the website of L'Independant, dated 9th May.  My 50-years-old 'O' level French can cope with bits, but overall I am struggling with it;  is there anything new in it?  He really does seem to have fallen out with the current FFR13 president.

 

Any assistance from audois, hvy wg, barnyia, fabou, etc gratefully received!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tried my best to do a decent translation before heading to work. Hope it's understandable.

"L'independant : Mister President, Carlos Zalduendo and the FFRXIII announced that the France's coaching staff was reappointed, right after a meeting with you and Toulouse's leaders... 

BG : Effectively, there was a reunion in Paris, initiated by Nigel Wood (RFL president), following a first reunion that took place in novembre, in which the English made us aware that they were extremely unhappy about what was happening in France and the French national team, that France needs to get better or they will question the money they're injecting. I had never been invited to such a meeting so I was very happy. But this meeting triggered my anger. We proposed Catalans' structures, for the national team, to hold a France meeting at least once a month. It was a 2 years project. Once more, Zalduendo said "the only viable project is my own". Today, I'm confronting Zalduendo because he's not telling the truth to our treiziste family, the English are unhappy and they can question their support to French rugby. Without their help, France's nothing. 

L'independant : Is this what led you to support Marc Palanques?

BG : I'm worried. I was in Avignon for the quarter final. We were 300 in the stadium. I'm the Catalans president but I'm also the Rugby League in France. Perhaps more now than ever. Catalans are the "tree hiding the forest". I was in Foix. It's a beautiful city. But it was a "burial". Why do we go hiding in Foix? Where will we go next time? Mirepois? I like Ariège (Foix's department), land of courage, but I think Rugby League deserves better. I'm afraid the English will let us go. What I'm saying is that, in 40 years of time, each time there was a turning point for us, we missed it. We are always missing the opportunities. In Marc Palanques, we have the luck to have an opportunity that big.

L'independant : You asked for a general assembly when the Federal Congress takes place on 11th of june, but it didn't "succeed". Is that the first "fail" for Palanques' team?

BG : It is not a fail but we can't go faster than light. Those behind Palanques know the danger in which the League is, at the moment. Those people are marching together to create a new ambition. Now, don't talk to me about a date because if all of the treiziste, unanimously, said "the last four years were disastrous, we can't go on like that, we need to change the direction" I'd ask my friends Carlos to go. But he wants to stay and tries to throw some sand into the wheels of our movement in order to avoid elections, we'll go back with a bogus local league, without ambition where some clubs are stolen and others have all of the gifts. Where will that take us? If Zalduendo wants to play like that, he needs to assume the failure of French Rugby League. I'm very afraid for the game I love. I'm offering a big "table ronde" with all of the 50 persons of rugby league, because we're not 500. We will spend 3 days long on it, if it's what we need but in the end, French Rugby League needs to be put back on the right way."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Coupe Déjean (DN1) final between Entraigues and Ferrals kicks off at 2pm. Suspect that'll bump the crowd up a bit, it's a fair old way from La Reole. 15 Euros for 2 games. Or, if you don't happen to be in Lézignan-Corbières this weekend, it's going to be live streamed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.