FRENCH Rugby League launched its 90th anniversary celebrations in Perpignan on Saturday with plans for internationals against England in Toulouse, a rebrand of the Elite 1 Championship and a World Cup qualifying match against Wales in Paris.
French Federation chiefs attended Catalans Dragons’s pre-season game against an Elite 1 Select team at Stade Gilbert Brutus with president Dominique Baloup announcing: “Rugby League is alive and kicking in France after 90 years. It is a time to celebrate our history but also a time to move forward.”
Baloup watched his representative side’s 88-6 defeat to the Super League Dragons and declared: “That game shows just how far we have come, and just how far young French players can now go.
“Those youngsters know they can have a successful career in Rugby League if they follow the examples of Ben Garcia, Julian Bousquet and Arthur Mourgue.
“There are so many opportunities now following the success of the Dragons, so while we celebrate our birthday, we have our eyes firmly set upon the future.”
French Rugby League’s official birth date is April 6, 1934, when former player-turned promoter Jean Galia formed a French team that toured Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The code grew rapidly and threatened to overtake rugby union in popularity in France until the outbreak of World War Two, when the game was banned by the Vichy government and all of its assets were seized.
A glorious revival after the war culminated in two successful tours down under in the 1950s, as France thrilled crowds of over 60,000 in Sydney with their flamboyant running style, led by inspirational captain Puig Aubert.
However, since those glory days French Rugby League dwindled in popularity.
But Baloup, who took over from former FFRXIII president Luc Lacoste last year, said he was “excited” by new opportunities ahead for the game in France, including increased television coverage and promotional initiatives designed to put the sport back into French mainstream media.
The Federation has launched a regional newspaper campaign promoting its anniversary and the Lord Derby Coupe De France semi-finals will be held in Marseille in April, where an exhibition will be established based on the founding fathers of French RL.
A similar exhibition will be established in Toulouse, where a double-header international against England men and women is planned for Saturday, June 29.
The season of celebrations will culminate in a return to Paris for Rugby League with a World Cup qualifying game between France and Wales in the nation’s capital in October.
Federation chiefs have also announced that next season’s Elite 1 championship competition will be renamed ‘Top 13’, with further details yet to be revealed regarding composition, sponsorship and potential television coverage.
“We are celebrating an historic birthday for the French game this year but all the while we are reaffirming our belief that Rugby League is the sport of the future,” added Baloup.