Treize Tournoi Explained

The Treize Tournoi was a short-lived Anglo-French rugby league competition held at the end of the season in 1998. Known as the EMAP Treize Tournoi for sponsorship reasons, the tournament was organised by the First and Second Division Association, and was contested by the winners and runners-up of the First Division, the winners of the Second Division, and three teams from the French Championship.

Teams

• Wakefield Trinity
• Featherstone Rovers
• Lancashire Lynx
• St-Estève
• Limoux
• Villeneuve

Results

Round 1

^[1]

Round 2

^[2]

Round 3

^[3]

Round 4

^[4]

Final

FB 1 Frédéric Banquet RW 2 Daniel Calvert RC 3 Laurent Minut LC 4 Laurent Frayssinous LW 5 Gilles Cornut SO 6 Fabien Devecchi (c) SH 7 Steve Plath PR 8 David Collado HK 9 PR 10 Paul Sironen SR 11 Laurent Carrasco SR 12 Pierre Sabatie LF 13 Grant Doorey Substitutions: IC 14 Vea Bloomfield IC 15 Emmanuel Peralta IC 16 Christophe Canal IC 17 Julien Rinaldi Player-coach: Grant Doorey

FB 1 Doc Murray RW 2 David Jones RC 3 Milton Finney LC 4 Craig Campbell LW 5 Neil Parsley SO 6 Phil Jones SH 7 Chris Kelly PR 8 Steve Taylor HK 9 Andy Ruane (c) PR 10 Carl Briscoe SR 11 Steve Gee SR 12 Simon Smith LF 13 Substitutions: IC 14 Lee Prest IC 15 Paul Norton IC 16 Neil Briscoe IC 17 P. J. Solomon Coach: Steve Hampson

Aftermath

Despite some interest in staging the tournament again the following year,^[5] this didn't materialise and the Treize Tournoi was never repeated. In 1999, Villeneuve played a "European Challenge" match against a Northern Ford Premiership XIII at Widnes, winning the match 24–14.^[6]

In 2012, an Anglo-French Challenge competition took place, consisting of four fixtures between English Championship and French Elite One Championship clubs.^[7]

References

• Book: Fletcher . Raymond . Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1999 . Headline . 1999 . 978-0-7472-7572-5 . 258–64.

Notes and References

1. News: Weekend Results. The Guardian. 5 October 1998. A11. .
2. News: Weekend Results. The Guardian. 12 October 1998. A11. .
3. News: Weekend Results. The Guardian. 19 October 1998. A11. .
4. News: Weekend Results. The Guardian. 26 October 1998. A11. .
5. Web site: Rugby League: Double boost for bullish France . The Independent . 30 November 2024 . 8 January 1999.
6. Web site: Sweet 'n sour for Donlan . Lancashire Telegraph . 30 November 2024 . 8 October 1999.
7. Web site: European action for Centurions . Leigh Journal . 30 November 2024 . 27 April 2012.