Rugby league in France
Overview of rugby league in France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rugby league has been played in France since 1934.[2] As with rugby union, rugby league was introduced by the English and the heartland of the game is in the south of France.
Rugby league in France | |
---|---|
Country | France |
Governing body | Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII |
National team(s) | France |
Nickname(s) | The Chanticleers (for the Anglophone media) or les Bleus or les Tricolores |
First played | 1934 |
Registered players | 39,994[1] |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
During the Second World War, in association with the French Rugby Federation (FFR), the sport was banned by the Vichy government, an act from which the code has struggled to recover. There has been a recent resurgence of the sport following the admission of Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique to the professional RFL system, with Catalans a mainstay in the Super League who most recently made the Grand Final in 2023.
In 2012, there were approximately 30,000 active participants.