France national rugby league team
The French national rugby league team are often nicknamed les chanticleers, after the cockerel which is the emblem of the team. The team is administered by the Federation Francaise de Rugby a Treize.
The French first took up the sport in the 1930s, and the national team’s first game was in Paris on 15th April 1934, losing 21-32 to England. The game of rugby league suffered in France during the Second World War, as the French Rugby Union authorities worked with the collaborating Vichy regime to have rugby league banned. Many players and officials of the sport were punished, whilst all of the assets of the rugby league and its clubs were handed over to the union. (See:history of rugby league#france).
After the war the French game was re-established and the French became one rugby league’s major powers, competing in the Rugby League World Cup and major international series against Great Britain, Australiaand New Zealand . However the game has since declined in France, and les chanticleers are no longer the power they once were. They do not compete in the Tri-Nations, but do feature in the European Championships, and other tournaments such the Victory Cup.
External link
Federation Francaise de Rugby a Treize National team page ()in French)
