Toulouse Olympique or TO XIII is a professional rugby league club in Toulouse, south-west France. Founded in 1937, two years after the French Rugby League Federation, the club is a six-time winner of the French Rugby League Championship.
Association Sportive of Carcassonne are a semi-professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the region of Occitanie in the south of France. They play in the French Elite One Championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of eleven French rugby league championship titles and fourteen Lord Derby Cups.
Football Club de Lézignan are a semi-professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France. They play in the Elite One Championship. They have won seven French Championship titles and six Lord Derby Cups.
Geraint Rhys Davies, is a Welsh former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level in Super League for the Crusaders, on loan from the Crusaders at South Wales Scorpions and the Limoux Grizzlies as a second-row or loose forward, and played club level rugby union (RU) for Llanelli Scarlets (Academy). He is also known as “the Welsh Phil Mitchell”, and claimed this title when he lost in a 100m race to Steve McFadden during a charity event in Hendy park where Geraint used to conduct his sprint training.
The 2007/08 season was the fifth year of the Elite One Championship, the top level rugby league competition in France. The season commenced on 6 October 2007 and like the previous season, there were 11 teams with one team missing a round each week. A total of 22 rounds were played, with the last finishing on 12 April 2008 before the play-offs, that determined who played in the Grand Final. RC Albi were the league's new club having been promoted from the Elite Two Championship. Pia XIII were the defending champions having beaten Lézignan Sangliers in the 2006/2007 season Grand Final. The top 8 clubs qualified for the end of season play-offs. In the first week of the Play-Offs, Saint-Gaudens Bears and UTC both easily beat Toulouse Olympique and RC Albi respectively. However both teams were then beaten, Saint-Gaudens Bears by third placed AS Carcassonne, and UTC by Limoux Grizzlies in Week 2. Pia XIII beat AS Carcassonne in the first semi-final and a day later Lézignan Sangliers, the league leaders, squeezed past Limoux Grizzlies. In the Grand Final held at the Stade de la Mediterranee in Béziers, Lézignan Sangliers did what they had failed to do the previous season and beat Pia XIII 26-16, and thus winning the title for the first time. Despite finishing 8th and reaching the Lord Derby cup final RC Albi were relegated and Toulouse Olympique left the league and joined the English Rugby League system. SO Avignon were promoted from the 2nd tier. The Lord Derby Cup was won by Limoux Grizzlies.
The 2006/07 season was the fourth year of the Elite One Championship, the top-level rugby league French Championship. The season commenced on 6 October 2006. Like the previous season, there were 11 teams with one team missing a round each week. A total of 22 rounds were played, with the last finishing on 18 April 2007, before the top four Pia XIII, Toulouse Olympique, Lézignan Sangliers and Saint-Gaudens Bears progressed to the Play-Offs. Pia XIII beat Lézignan Sangliers in the Grand Final 20-16 which was played at Colomiers. That win completed a double for Pia XIII as they had already lifted the Lord Derby Cup beating AS Carcassonne 30-14. Lyon Villeurbanne XIII finished bottom, finishing with 23 points but it was Villefranche XIII Aveyron who'd finished 9th who were relegated to the Elite Two Championship, replaced by RC Albi.
The Elite One Championship is the top level rugby league competition in France. The season runs from September to April. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final.
The Elite One Championship V Grand Final was the last match to complete the Elite One Championship V season and to crown the 2008 champions. The final was contested by Lézignan Sangliers, who had finished first in the league table and had beaten Limoux Grizzlies to reach the final, and Pia Donkeys who had finished second in the league table and had beaten Carcassonne to reach the final. The final was held at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers on 17 May 2008.
Marseille XIII Avenir are a French Rugby league club based in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The club plays in the French National Division 2. The club was founded in 1946 and then re-founded in 2007. It plays its matches at the Stade Roger Couderc. In addition to the open age team, the club also has a women's team and a thriving junior section.
Union Sportive Ferrals XIII are a French Rugby league club based in Ferrals-les-Corbières, Aude in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The play in the National Division 1. They play their home games at the Stade de la Fontaine.
Ille-sur-Têt XIII are a French Rugby league club based in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées Orientales in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The club plays in the French Elite Two Championship. Founded in 1945 they play their home games at the Stade Jean Galia.
The season 2008/09 was the sixth year under the title Elite One Championship the top level rugby league competition in France. The season ran from October to May. Ten clubs competed for the title playing 20 rounds in the league before the top five progressed to the end of season play-offs. UTC who had finished 5th were not allowed to take their place in the play-offs, their place was given to Carpentras. Pia XIII were beaten by Lézignan Sangliers in a repeat of the previous two finals, and AS Carcassonne knocked out RC Carpentras XIII. At the second stage Lezignan shocked league leaders Limoux Grizzlies 20-18 away to reach the final in the other game AS Carcassonne eliminated Pia. In the elimination final Limoux thrashed AS Carcassonne 41-16. The final was held at Carcassonne's Stade Albert Domec and defending champions Lézignan Sangliers beat Limoux Grizzlies 40-32. At the other end of the table Lyon Villeurbanne XIII were relegated. In the Lord Derby cup final AS Carcassonne beat Limoux Grizzlies to complete a winless campaign for Limoux
Gilbert Benausse was a French rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at the international level for France, and at club level for AS Carcassonne, Lézignan Sangliers and Toulouse Olympique, playing at centre, stand-off, or scrum-half, i.e. number 3 or 5, 6, or 7.
Mickaël Simon is a French rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for AS Carcassonne in the Elite One Championship and for France at international level.
Abraham Papali'i is a professional rugby player from New Zealand. He has played both rugby union and rugby league professionally. Papali'i currently plays rugby union for Irish Pro14 side Connacht Rugby as a back row. He last played league professionally with French side Lézignan Sangliers in the Elite One Championship, where he covered second-row, lock and centre.
In 2016–2017 ten clubs competed for the title. The season ran from October 2016 to June 2017. The first round of matches took place at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan where the ten clubs played over the weekend called "Magic Weekend 1" this was followed by 18 rounds home and away matches before a second Magic Weekend as the last round of games. The top six clubs then progressed into the end of season play-offs to determine the champions. The league saw the return of Saint-Gaudens Bears following their promotion.
The 2009/10 Elite One Championship season saw the league reduced to 9 teams with each team playing home and away with the top 5 going on to contest the play-offs. The season ran from October to May with Lézignan Sangliers eventually coming out on top after beating Pia XIII in the final which was played in Montpellier. This victory completed a league and cup double coming just a month after they had beaten Limoux Grizzlies in the Lord Derby Cup final 18-14 in Avignon.
Nabil Djalout is a French international rugby league footballer who plays for Palau Broncos in the Elite One Championship as a second row.
Season 2010–2011 in the French Elite One Championship the top level league competition saw Lézignan Sangliers retain their title after they finished top of the table and then went on to beat Limoux Grizzlies in the Grand Final in Narbonne 17-12. The season ran from October to May and after 20 rounds of home and away matches the top five entered the play-offs. At the end of the season both RC Carpentras XIII and Saint-Gaudens Bears were relegated. The Lord Derby Cup was also won by Lezignan Sagliers to complete a second successive league and cup double, they beat Pia XIII in the final 27-18 in Carcassonne.
Season 2011/12 in the French Elite One Championship, the top level rugby league competition in France saw 10 teams play home and away matches before the top six progressed to the play-offs. The season ran from September to May. There were two new clubs, Toulouse Olympique returned to the competition after they had participated in the British rugby league second tier Championship and RC Lescure-Arthes XIII who had won promotion from the French second tier Elite Two Championship. Pia XIII finished top after the regular season and went on to reach the Grand Final, but they were beaten by AS Carcassonne in that final at Narbonne 26-20. The same two teams had already met in the Lord Derby Cup final with AS Carcassonne enjoying a league and cup double after winning 14-12. At the other end of the table Montpellier Red Devils opted for relegation thus saving new boys RC Lescure-Arthes XIII who had finished bottom.
