France News
Known by the nicknames of Les Chanticleers and as Les Tricolores, the French national side have always been at the forefront of international Rugby League having played in every World Cup, including hosting the inaugural competition.
Other the last decade or so, the country have started to develop several top stars and so it is no surprise to see the interest in them increase as well but now it is easier than ever to read all the latest news regarding the French RL test side as we bring you all of the latest news headlines right here on this page.
France Breaking News
If you are looking for French breaking news stories regarding the international test side, you are in the right place as we bring you all the breaking news stories regarding the French test side from new outlets across the globe.
France Rugby League Latest News Today
Here at 13v13.com we bring you all the latest French RL news from news outlets around the globe, so you no longer need to spend time and effort searching for the news you want to read.
All you need to do is click on the headlines that are of interest to you for the full story.
Stadium
The French Rugby League national representative side don’t have a national stadium of their own, as they take their home matches on the road to all parts of the country but with the majority taking place in the sports heartlands.
Other the years, the country has used the grounds of their top clubs including the State Gilbert Brutus (Catalans Dragons) and have played in towns and cities including Toulouse, Bordeaux, Limoux and Marseille.
Confederation
The country is run by the national French federation, the Federation Francaise de Rugby a XIII, who also oversee the countries domestic competitions such as Elite 1 and Elite 2.
The French national side are one of the most successful in continental Europe and come under the control of the European Rugby League Federation.
About
The French test side are one of the most successful in the history of Rugby League as they have reached 2 Rugby League World Cup finals, although they finished runners up in both.
They have also enjoyed success on the regional stage, including winning the European Rugby League Championship.
History
The history of the French national team can in many ways be traced back to a match between England and Australia that took place on New Year’s Eve 1933.
That game, that took place in Paris, was the first ever Rugby League match to be played in the country and with the French union team banned from the 5 nations, the idea of starting up a league quickly turned into reality.
In 1934, a team representing France set sail across the channel after playing their first ever match against England in Paris where a home crowd of around 20,000 saw them lose 21-32.
The growth of the sport was quick in the country with 225 registered clubs by 1939 and the national team would go onto win the 1938-39 European Rugby League Championship, when they became the first ever French national team of any sport to defeat and English side.
The 1940’s decimated the sport in France as the sport was ruled to be illegal by the Vichy government and all of the clubs had to switch to union, with their stadiums handed over to the RU authorities.
That only seemed to spur the French on however as after the war, they would become a powerhouse of the sport, be at the forefront of the Rugby League World Cup and in 1949, they became the first side representing France to win at Wembley Stadium.
In 1951, the French sent a side including the legendary Puig Aubert for their first ever tour of Australasia where there first test match against Australia drew around 60,000 to the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In the third match of that series, over 67,000 watch the French side pick up their first ever win against the Kangaroos.
The French pushed for and hosted the inaugural RLWC in 1954 and they enjoyed a successful tournament with wins over Australia and New Zealand but in the and they would lose the final to Great Britain.
That would prove to be the boom period for the country as the next couple of decades would see them regularly come up against the big 3 but they would continue to struggle.
The 1980’s saw the struggle for the funds needed to even compete but the 1990’s saw an upturn for the country as they would take on and defeat a star-studded Great Britain to give France their first win on English soil for 23 years.
Over the last couple of decades, the French have become the top European side, aside from England, and have become a main stay of the Rugby League World Cup.
Thanks to the formation of the Catalans Dragons and the full-time environment Toulouse Olympique paly in, there is now a new generation of stars been developed and that should see a good future for the French national team, especially with the 2025 RLWC taking place in the country.
France News Headlines
If you are looking for the latest news headlines for the French international test side, you are in the right place as we bring you all the latest news headlines regarding the country from across the globe.
France Rugby League News Update
As is the case with all types of news nowadays, when a story breaks regarding Les Bleus, you can be sure that it will be reported before the whole story is known.
Here at 13v13, we constantly update the latest stories as and when they change to save you from having to search for the latest news.
