XIII Catalan on the attack in the 1950s, France’s golden age
The first ever full season of rugby league in France was well underway, with 10 clubs forming the breakaway competition from rugby union.
The clubs were based in Paris, Bordeaux, Albi, Perpignan, Bayonne, Roanne, Lyon, Pau and of course, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the first centre to embrace the faster, more open 13-man code. There were also six regional committees – in Paris, Agen, Languedoc, Roussillon, the Pyrenees and Lyon.
“The people will want this game because it is fast and open with, it is quite apparent to me, 12 three quarters and one fullback on each side,” commented one former rugby union international.
Despite the dissolution of the Rugby League by the Nazi backed, Vichy Government in 1941, rugby league resumed in late 1944 and continues in France to this day, with 2024 marking the game’s 90th anniversary, a milestone which passed with barely a mention in the sports media.
As a tribute to the spirit of the people of people involved with ‘Rugby Treize’, here are a few photographs from across the decades.
About Author
