audois Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 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 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" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabou Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 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 More sharing options...
barnyia Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 National 1 b semis, Sauvetere 14 st Laurent de salanque 12 Villeneuve minervois 16 salon de Provence 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltshire Warrior Dragon Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 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 More sharing options...
JonM Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 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 More sharing options...
Evil Homer Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 O/T but looks like St Gaudens have been accepted to return to Elite 1 next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hvy wg Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 O/T but looks like St Gaudens have been accepted to return to Elite 1 next season. It's official! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Homer Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 It's official! Good news? It doesn't really fit in with Palanques idea of targeting big cities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnyia Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 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 More sharing options...
burnleywelsh Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Where are the Grand Finals being held. I'm over there this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnyia Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 The elite 2 is at lezignan on Sunday at 16 h with the dn1 cup final between ferrals and entraigues as a curtain raiser at 14h, the elite one final is the 21st in albi, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnleywelsh Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audois Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 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! "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" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonM Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 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 More sharing options...
audois Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 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" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Hopefully see you there Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltshire Warrior Dragon Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 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 More sharing options...
Hvy wg Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 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 More sharing options...
Jim from Oz Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 He sounds like he knows what needs to be done. I think BG is French rugby league's only hope. Is that a fair statement everyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim from Oz Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Another thought: perhaps the Rugby football league are paying the wage of Agar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hvy wg Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Another thought: perhaps the Rugby football league are paying the wage of Agar? I heard him and his assistant were on 4k/month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltshire Warrior Dragon Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Thanks for the translation, hvy wg - much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Are there any other game/s as curtain raisers for the Elite 2 Final day. I assume it is still a 16.00 kick off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonM Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 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 More sharing options...
barnyia Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 The ferrals version of the publicity for the game, by ex player stephane Selles who also did the great lezignan through the years wall painting inside the stadium wall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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