Lord Derby Cup

The Lord Derby Cup (French: Trophée Lord Derby), also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs.

It was first contested in 1934, the same season as the French Rugby League Championship first got under way. The first winner of the cup was US Lyon Villeurbanne on the 5th of May 1935 in Toulouse.

The Lord Derby Trophy was offered by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby on May 1935 to the winner of the game played between Castleford, the winners of English Challenge Cup, and US Lyon Villeurbanne. Edward George Villiers Stanley was the honorary president of the Rugby Football League, a politician and had also previously served as the British ambassador in Paris. The match took place on the 12th of May 1935, in Paris; US Lyon Villeurbanne won it and were awarded the Trophy.

Some months after, to symbolize the English-French rugby league Entente Cordiale, US Lyon Villeurbanne handed over the trophy to the Ligue Française de Rugby à XIII. At the French rugby league cup final on 19th of April 1936, Côte Basque were awarded the Lord Derby Trophy and it has been competed for ever since.

List of champions

Year Winners Score Runner-up 1934-35 Lyon 22-7 XIII Catalan 1935-36 Côte Basque 15-8 US Villeneuve 1936-37 US Villeneuve 12-6 XIII Catalan 1937-38 RC Roanne 36-12 US Villeneuve 1938-39 XIII Catalan 7-3 Toulouse Olympique 1939-40 Final did not take place due to the Second World War1 1940-44 "Rugby league banned by Vichy regime" 1944-45 XIII Catalan 23-14 AS Carcassonne 1945-46 AS Carcassonne 27-7 XIII Catalan 1946-47 AS Carcassonne 24-5 SO Avignon 1947-48 RC Marseille 5-4 AS Carcassonne 1948-49 RC Marseille 12-9 AS Carcassonne 1949-50 XIII Catalan 12-5 Lyon 1950-51 AS Carcassonne 22-10 Lyon 1951-52 AS Carcassonne 28-9 XIII Catalan 1952-53 Lyon 9-8 US Villeneuve 1953-54 Lyon 17-15 XIII Catalan 1954-55 SO Avignon 18-10 RC Marseille 1955-56 SO Avignon 25-12 Bordeaux XIII 1956-57 RC Marseille 11-0 XIII Catalan 1957-58 US Villeneuve 20-8 SO Avignon 1958-59 XIII Catalan 7-0 SO Avignon 1959-60 FC Lézignan 7-4 AS Carcassonne 1960-61 AS Carcassonne 5-2 FC Lézignan 1961-62 RC Roanne 16-10 Toulouse Olympique 1962-63 AS Carcassonne 5-0 Toulouse Olympique 1963-64 US Villeneuve 10-2 Toulouse Olympique 1964-65 RC Marseille 13-8 AS Carcassonne 1965-66 FC Lézignan 22-7 US Villeneuve 1966-67 AS Carcassonne 10-4 XIII Catalan 1967-68 AS Carcassonne 9-2 Toulouse Olympique 1968-69 XIII Catalan 13-8 US Villeneuve 1969-70 FC Lézignan 14-8 US Villeneuve 1970-71 RC Marseille 17-2 FC Lézignan 1971-72 AS Saint-Estéve 12-5 US Villeneuve 1972-73 RC Saint-Gaudens 22-8 AS Carcassonne

Year Winners Score Runner-up 1973-74 RC Albi 21-11 FC Lézignan 1974-75 Pia XIII 9-4 RC Marseille 1975-76 XIII Catalan 23-8 Toulouse Olympique 1976-77 AS Carcassonne 21-16 XIII Catalan 1977-78 XIII Catalan 18-7 FC Lézignan 1978-79 US Villeneuve 15-5 AS Carcassonne 1979-80 XIII Catalan 18-8 AS Carcassonne 1980-81 (cancelled)2 1981-82 SO Avignon 18-12 AS Carcassonne 1982-83 AS Carcassonne 10-3 XIII Catalan 1983-84 US Villeneuve 18-7 SC Limoux 1984-85 XIII Catalan 24-7 SC Limoux 1985-86 US Le Pontet 35-10 AS Saint-Estéve 1986-87 AS Saint-Estéve 20-10 XIII Catalan 1987-88 US Le Pontet 5-2 AS Saint-Estéve 1988-89 SO Avignon 12-11 AS Saint-Estéve 1989-90 AS Carcassonne 22-8 AS Saint-Estéve 1990-91 RC Saint-Gaudens 30-4 Pia XIII 1991-92 RC Saint-Gaudens 22-10 RC Carpentras 1992-93 AS Saint-Estéve 12-10 XIII Catalan 1993-94 AS Saint-Estéve 14-12 XIII Catalan 1994-95 AS Saint-Estéve 28-8 Pia XIII 1995-96 AS Limoux 39-12 AS Carcassonne 1996-97 XIII Catalan 25-24 AS Limoux 1997-98 AS Saint-Estéve 38-0 SO Avignon 1998-99 US Villeneuve 20-5 FC Lézignan 1999-00 US Villeneuve 34-14 XIII Catalan 2000-01 XIII Catalan 38-17 SC Limoux 2001-02 US Villeneuve 27-18 Pia XIII 2002-03 US Villeneuve 16-14 Pia XIII 2003-04 Union Treiziste Catalane 36-24 AS Carcassonne 2004-05 Union Treiziste Catalane 31-12 SC Limoux 2005-06 Pia XIII 36-20 FC Lézignan 2006-07 Pia XIII 30-14 AS Carcassonne 2007-08 AS Limoux 17-14 RC Albi

Footnotes

1. - Semi-final 28th of April 1940 in Bordeaux: Côte Basque 14-5 XIII Catalan. - 12th of May 1940 (reason: unavailability of the ground on 5th of May 1940) in Toulouse: semi-final Pau XIII v AS Carcassonne: game not played because 10th of May 1940 the invasion of Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands by the German military, the German first air machine-gunnings and air bombardments of departments in the North East of France and, events which followed on 12th of May 1940 in the French Ardennes.

- 19th of May 1940 in … : no final Côte Basque v Pau XIII or AS Carcassonne, i.e.: season 1939-1940: Lord Derby Cup "Not awarded due to the war" (mentioned above).

2. The final between AS Carcassonne and XIII Catalan was cancelled because of the fight at the championship final the previous week.

Books

* Le Rugby à XIII le plus français du monde -1934 to 1996- by Louis Bonnery,
* the Forbidden game by Mike Rylance.

ee also

* Rugby league in France

External links

* [http://www.ffr13.com/ French rugby league federation]
* [http://www.infostreize.com/pages/c01_04.html Infostreize]