France's proposed Super 13 Pro League - Which teams?

[titoelcolombiano]

2014 following the world cup is the latest word

 

[Foreign Legion]

it would be intresting to see if they decide to play in the summer or winter months. Because if played during winter teams would be able sign NRL and super league players for a bit the season and improve the league... But much prefer the comp to be aligned with the other major leagues

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Agreed - I would like to see it line up with the other major leagues and push for inclusion in the world club challenge (this would of course mean that Catalans would switch back to their home league)

 

[parraparraparra]

Super XIII!

 

[Foreign Legion]

I just cant wait to follow the french league......... and buy a club jersey

 

[byrner]

Has anything more happened with this?

It has been said a few times in this forum but I think a few people are still confused. In France rugby league is called rugby 13, as in 13 players on the field. So I would assume that super 13 would be refering to super rugby league, rather then 13 teams in the comp.

 

[druzik]

I just cant wait to follow the french league......... and buy a club jersey

Why arent you following the current one?

 

[chibimatty]

If they don't want to step on the Dragons toes, why not make the Sxiii team Barcelona?

 

[miguel de cervantes]

If anything happens, and it is really quite unlikely, it will be in 2014 after the world cup. This has been stated several times as the timeline.

The 13 in the Super13 was actually a reference to thirteen teams (and possibly to the idea of rugby à xiii as well). I don't think a lot of thought has gone into this.

In the last week a multi-sporting club in Bordeaux (http://www.les-girondins.com/) has pledged its support if anything were to go ahead and a team were to be established in Bordeaux or thereabouts (a former rugby league city lost to the ravages of time). This is a positive piece of news, hopefully more similar folk come out of the woodwork as time goes on and the thing picks up some momentum. This is what is needed. A single sugar-daddy cannot take the burden by themselves, but if a few notable names back the idea it could take on a bit more of a realistic shape. Got to keep the ball rolling.

 

[Bronco Rob]

If anything happens, and it is really quite unlikely, it will be in 2014 after the world cup. This has been stated several times as the timeline.

The 13 in the Super13 was actually a reference to thirteen teams (and possibly to the idea of rugby à xiii as well). I don't think a lot of thought has gone into this.

In the last week a multi-sporting club in Bordeaux (http://www.les-girondins.com/) has pledged its support if anything were to go ahead and a team were to be established in Bordeaux or thereabouts (a former rugby league city lost to the ravages of time). This is a positive piece of news, hopefully more similar folk come out of the woodwork as time goes on and the thing picks up some momentum. This is what is needed. A single sugar-daddy cannot take the burden by themselves, but if a few notable names back the idea it could take on a bit more of a realistic shape. Got to keep the ball rolling.

I am reading 'The Forbidden game' at the moment and what a great read and a real shame what happened to the game in France. One wonders where the game of RL would be today if things turned out differently, the game might have been spread to French colonies, Italy, Spain and surrounding nations but all history now. Maybe the French could produce a documentary on what occurred and play it to the French and try and re-kindle interest and show the population what travesties ocurred in the past.

 

[chibimatty]

What I can never understand about the situation in French League, is that the confiscation and banning happened mainly with the Vichy regime in WW2; but the golden age of "France Rugby a XIII" happened AFTER that in the 1950's. The game recovered to the point where the French became the best in the world, beating all major RL test teams away from home and receiving ticker-tape parades on their return to France- even in cities like Marseilles of all places. During this period they beat us (Australia) in two test series, both here on Australian soil (1951 and 1955). They were awarded a "World Championship" in 1951 prior to the institution of the World Cup and intriguingly, were able to unofficially hold the Ashes during this period.

The part that I still can't understand is how French RL got itself into this position after making such a tremendous recovery from the Vichy treatment in the 40's? How a professional code, which developed it's own sporting culture like Australian RL, rather than being just a paid-for-play spin-off of union; could fizzle like this is hard to fathom. French RL may have had to deal with under-the-table shamateurism similar to Wales; but the game was much bigger in France and had it's own strong regions and culture, separate from union; how it never broke out into soccer areas of France, where professional sport was the norm and NOT frowned upon is surprising. I often wonder if the game was taken to areas which were not staunch union territory like Bourgogne, Picardie, Lille, Pays de la Loire etc and given real support, or if they never tried this at all?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Firstly, the game would have been in even better shape if its assets had been returned after the war.

Secondly, the poor treatment continued after the war. For example, the game wasn't allowed to be called rugby league right up until the 1980s.

But as for not spreading the game to new areas that might have allowed it to become eduringly strong, that is the story of RL everywhere. The game in England is more or less consigned to relative obscurity by its lack of expansion, NZ's heartlands are limited and even in Australia the game has missed a trick by not pushing into the shit states. Unfortunately in France its lack of geographical and possibly demographical growth, combined with other factors, meant that it went into a major decline that it may never recover fully from.

 

[chibimatty]

I wonder if they could look at this idea now? I always though it was a shame during the period of "no Wembley" in England a few years back, that they took the Challenge Cup Final "on tour" to Cardiff, Murrayfield and of all places, Twickenham. With a bit of backing from FFRXIII, an RFL Challenge Cup Final in those years could have been taken to the Stade de France instead. With a Lord Derby Cup Final in the mix as a potential double-header, how good would that have been?

I'm glad they took the test match with Wales up to Lens, the crowd they got there was about the same or better as they'd get in the heartlands so that was really encouraging. I wonder if they'll take a game up to the new stadium in Lille soon?

 

[Gambass]

With a bit of backing from FFRXIII, an RFL Challenge Cup Final in those years could have been taken to the Stade de France instead. With a Lord Derby Cup Final in the mix as a potential double-header, how good would that have been?

A couple of finals have been played in Paris (Charlety stadium) in the late 90's drawing an average of 7,000 spectators... So probably, not that good.

I often wonder if the game was taken to areas which were not staunch union territory like Bourgogne, Picardie, Lille, Pays de la Loire etc and given real support, or if they never tried this at all?

That something I had often wonder too. There have been a few clubs in some unsual places, but never a real will to grow the game in new territories. French RL has always been more about hjacking RU, than setting a new sport in his own right, focusing more their efforts on taking over RU ressources than setting up their own business.

Unfortunately in France its lack of geographical and possibly demographical growth, combined with other factors, meant that it went into a major decline that it may never recover fully from

Even during the 50's, there are never been more than 25,000 registered players (very few of them being underage players). To sum it up: not many players, no will to set up the sport in his own right or to expand it beyond his heartland, no proper resources. It was already a receipe for disaster.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

It seems to me, and this is true not just in France, that rugby league often lacks and has lacked people in high places and business to support the sport, whereas union has always had this in spades. Money attracts money, power attracts power. People like Bernard Gaush, Paul Barrière, Russel Crowe(?), that turn their back on the old-school faction are rare.

 

[chibimatty]

A couple of finals have been played in Paris (Charlety stadium) in the late 90's drawing an average of 7,000 spectators... So probably, not that good.

I was thinking more along the lines of the English RL Challenge Cup Final being paired with the Lord Derby Cup Final during the 2000-2006 period when there was no Wembley Stadium. It was a shame that during this time the Stade de France wasn't used for the RFL Challenge Cup final; I think that the FFRXIII could have used it as an opportunity to promote the game in France while giving the RFL a showpiece ground to play at. As it turned out the games at Cardiff and Murrayfield during this period were virtual sell-outs, but the Twickenham finals weren't. I think this was another missed opportunity.

But for that matter the RFL could have taken the Cup Final to The Amsterdam Arena. Maybe this could be an idea for one helluva magic weekend?
:music1:

 

[The Daddy2]

Anyone have an update on this comp?

 

[Foreign Legion]

No news...........

 

[parraparraparra]

We should form a World League using competitions such as France's Super 13 and the USA's NRLUS as conferences.

 

[Evil Homer]

We should form a World League using competitions such as France's Super 13 and the USA's NRLUS as conferences.

I don't even know where to start with what's wrong with that.