Despite the health crisis, the Dragons and Toulouse have restored the Treizist coat of arms. The Catalans were in the Super League final when the TO won the Championship and reached the highest level in England. With the French candidacy for the 2025 World Cup, the French XIII is smiling again.
French rugby union is criticized for cultivating the past a little too much. How many times have the ardent defenders of the discipline put on the table the famous Australian tour in 1951 where France came back victorious with an unofficial title of world champion? 1968 and 1978 also have a special place in the memory cupboard. In May 1968, while the country was experiencing a social crisis, the France team distinguished itself by reaching the World Cup final against Australia, at the Cricket Ground in Sydney (20-2 loss).
In 1978, the team of Lézignanais Michel Maïque offered a double victory against Australia during the autumn tests in Carcassonne (13-10) and Toulouse (11-10). But by looking too far into the past, senior leaders haven’t really thought about the future. The training has not really been exemplary in clubs of the highest national level.
The treizist sky has turned blue
Disciplinary errors in the 1980s did not give the discipline a flattering image. The putting to sleep of the clubs of big cities (Marseille, Bordeaux, Paris, Grenoble) did not serve the interests of a national team which has not beaten the Australians since 1978, New Zealand since 1980, the England since 1981 and Great Britain since 1990. There have certainly been some feats, in particular a double qualification for the quarter-finals at the 2000 and 2013 World Cup. There is the Catalan Dragons effect, finalists of the Cup in 2007 against St Helens and winners in 2018 of this same competition, against Warrington. A Catalan coronation that opened the door to a brighter future.
This fall, the Treizista sky turned blue thanks to the prowess of the two French professional clubs: the Catalan Dragons and the Olympic Toulouse. On October 9, first, in Manchester, the Catalans came very close to the feat in their first Super League final. In front of 45,000 spectators, St Helens retained their title (12-10) with the indulgence of game director Liam Moore. The next day, at Ernest-Wallon, in front of a flattering audience of nearly 10,000 spectators, Toulouse won the Championship final at the expense of Featherstone (34-12). Success that sends Toulouse to the Super League.
France will therefore have two representatives in the most important European competition. ” We must use the performances of the Dragons and Toulouse to build projects », Declared national coach Laurent Frayssinous. In terms of project, the new federal steering committee and its president Lacoste have attempted a daring bet, that of organizing the 2025 World Cup. A World Cup which will honor four categories: seniors, women, juniors and wheelchair rugby .
If the French candidacy is validated by the International Federation, the four world events will not be limited to the traditional Treizist strongholds but throughout France. “ For the development of the discipline, the 2025 World Cup is an extraordinary communication tool. We will talk about rugby union in Rouen and Strasbourg », Declares the secretary general of the Federation, Dominique Baloup. After a year 2021 full of hopes, let’s hope that 2022 will be as rich for the XIII tricolor.
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