I have just watched a fantastic game of Rugby League with the Pie Eaters playing the only French Team in the Super League.
The French Team won in a thriller.
Everyone, including me, thought that 'The Pies' would win and would be facing my team::
The Saints
in the first game of Rugby League at the new Wembley.
The French have had a tough time in Rugby League
A bit of their history here::
On 6 April 1934 the French Rugby League was born with the constitution of the Ligue Française de Rugby à XIII (i.e. the French RL Federation).
On 12 January 1938 the Ligue Française de Rugby à XIIIe de Rugby à XIII was given official recognition by the government of Prime Minister Camille Chautemps, himself a former rugby union player of Stade Français.
The Prime Minister took the decision rather than the Minister for Sports, Léo Lagrange, who was not in favour of such a decision as he was against professional sports and their development. Two days later, for other reasons, the government resigned.
The defeat of France in the Second World War had serious implications for rugby league.
On 15th October 1940 the French RL Federation instructed its clubs to play rugby union as rugby league was banned. Only under 18 players were exempt, and only for one more year.
On 29th December 1941 by a decree of the Vichy regime rugby league was banned after a demand by Berlin.
Numerous players, clubs and officials switched to rugby union.
Between the end of 1940 and the middle of 1942, at least six other French Amateur Sport Federations were also banned and destroyed by the Vichy regime, this in relation with the sport policy of the Vichy Regime and of its National revolution. A BBC reporter explained it thus: "This year (2002) a French government inquiry found that "influential officials in the French Rugby Federation endeavoured to eliminate the competitor, which they claimed was a deviant form of rugby union.""
Rugby league was a working-class sport and had connections to the pre-war socialist government whereas union had connections to more conservative right-wing organisations. The ban was to do with the Germans and Vichy suppressing any opposition to their occupation.
Now there is a great hope that RL will gain from this forthcoming event - national recognition and promotion ....... and even better if they win!
I am delighted for them and RL as we are a minority sport.
Often we have been oppressed by rich powerful men and clubs - even the Vichy government in French occupied France.
Good on you lads ......
