The French rugby league championship () was the top tier of the French rugby league system from its inception in 1934 until 2002 when the league was split into two divisions; the Elite One Championship and Elite Two Championship.

In all seasons except for the first, a play-off structure leading to a championship final has been used to determine the fate of the championship.

List of Grand Finals

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Season || Winners || Score || Runner-up || Venue || Attendance

|-

| 1934–35 || Villeneuve <sup>1</sup> || colspan=4 |No final played, champion was first placed team in regular season

|-

| 1935–36 || Catalan || 25–14 || Bordeaux XIII || rowspan=3|Parc de Suzon, Bordeaux || 14,150

|-

| 1936–37 || Bordeaux XIII || 23–10 || Catalan || 14,300

|-

| 1937–38 || Albi || 8–5 || Villeneuve || 14,880

|-

| 1938–39 || Roanne || 9–0 || Villeneuve || Stade Velodrome de Lescure, Bordeaux || 19,788

|-

| 1939–40 || Catalan || 20–16 || Pau XIII || Stade des Minimes, Toulouse || 10,000

|-

| colspan=6 |1940–44: Rugby league outlawed by Vichy regime

|-

| 1944–45 || Carcassonne || 13–12 || Toulouse || Stade Jean Laffon, Perpignan ||

|-

| 1945–46 || Carcassonne || 12–0 || Toulouse || rowspan=2|Stade de Gerland, Lyon ||

|-

| 1946–47 || Roanne || 19–0 || Carcassonne || 15,000

|-

| 1947–48 || Roanne || 3–2 || Carcassonne || Marseille || 20,000

|-

| 1948–49 || Marseille || 12–5 || Carcassonne || Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne || 23,500

|-

| 1949–50 || Carcassonne || 21–7 || Marseille || Perpignan || 18,000

|-

| 1950–51 || Lyon || 15–10 || Catalan || rowspan=26|Stade Chapou, Toulouse || 21,933

|-

| 1951–52 || Carcassonne || 18–6 || Marseille || 16,645

|-

| 1952–53 || Carcassonne || 19–12 || Lyon || 22,000

|-

| 1953–54 || Bordeaux XIII || 7–4 || Marseille || 8,000

|-

| 1954–55 || Lyon || 7–6 || Carcassonne || 12,000

|-

| 1955–56 || Albi || 13–5 || Carcassonne || 15,850

|-

| 1956–57 || Catalan || 14–9 || Avignon || 9,000

|-

| 1957–58 || Albi || 8–6 || Carcassonne || 16,163

|-

| 1958–59 || Villeneuve || 24–16 || Lézignan || 13,000

|-

| 1959–60 || Roanne || 31–24 || Albi || 13,800

|-

| 1960–61 || Lézignan || 7–4 || Roanne || 6,998

|-

| 1961–62 || Albi || 14–7 || Villeneuve || 12,068

|-

| 1962–63 || Lézignan || 20–13 || St Gaudens || 12,200

|-

| 1963–64 || Villeneuve || 4–3 || Toulouse || 5,166

|-

| 1964–65 || Toulouse || 47–15 || Villeneuve || 8,837

|-

| 1965–66 || Carcassonne || 45–20 || St Gaudens || 11,244

|-

| 1966–67 || Carcassonne || 39–15 || St Gaudens || 10,779

|-

| 1967–68 || Limoux || 13–12 || Carcassonne || 14,432

|-

| 1968–69 || Catalan || 12–11 || St Gaudens || 8,326

|-

| 1969–70 || St Gaudens || 32–10 || Catalan || 21,300

|-

| 1970–71 || St Estève || 13–4 || St Gaudens || 8,179

|-

| 1971–72 || Carcassonne || 21–9 || St Gaudens || 11,566

|-

| 1972–73 || Toulouse || 18–0 || Marseille || 13,827

|-

| 1973–74 || St Gaudens || 21–8 || Villeneuve || 5,696

|-

| 1974–75 || Toulouse || 10–9 || St Estève || 5,015

|-

| 1975–76 || Carcassonne || 14–6 || Lézignan || 14,000

|-

| 1976–77 || Albi || 19–10 || Carcassonne || Stadium Municipal d'Albi, Albi || 18,325

|-

| 1977–78 || Lézignan || 3–0 || Catalan || rowspan=3|Toulouse || 10,358

|-

| 1978–79 || Catalan || 17–2 || Carcassonne || 13,202

|-

| 1979–80 || Villeneuve || 12–7 || St Estève || 10,029

|-

| colspan=6| 1980–81 Villeneuve v Catalan abandoned after six minutes due to fighting; no championship awarded.

|-

| 1981–82 || Catalan || 21–8 || St Estève || rowspan="7" |Toulouse || 8,504

|-

| 1982–83 || Catalan || 10–8 || Villeneuve || 10,628

|-

| 1983–84 || Catalan || 30–6 || Villeneuve || 8,182

|-

| 1984–85 || Catalan || 26–6 || Le Pontet XIII || 8,797

|-

| 1985–86 || Le Pontet XIII || 19–6 || Catalan || 8,000

|-

| 1986–87 || Catalan || 11–3 || Le Pontet XIII || 4,350

|-

| 1987–88 || Le Pontet XIII || 14–2 || Catalan || 9,950

|-

| 1988–89 || St Estève || 23–4 || Le Pontet XIII || rowspan=2|Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitie, Narbonne || 9,936

|-

| 1989–90 || St Estève || 24–23 || Carcassonne || 8,000

|-

| 1990–91 || St Gaudens ||10–8 || Villeneuve || rowspan=3|Toulouse || 6,031

|-

| 1991–92 || Carcassonne || 11–10 || St Estève || 6,000

|-

| 1992–93 || St Estève || 9–8 || Catalan || 10,000

|-

| 1993–93 || Catalan || 6–4 || Pia || rowspan=5|Stade des Sports Et de l'Amitie, Narbonne || 12,000

|-

| 1994–95 || Pia || 12–10 || St Estève || 13,200

|-

| 1995–96 || Villeneuve || 27–26 || St Estève || 10,000

|-

| 1996–97 || St Estève || 28–24 || Villeneuve || 12,000

|-

| 1997–98 || St Estève || 15–8 || Villeneuve || 12,000

|-

| 1998–99 || Villeneuve || 33–20 || St Gaudens || rowspan=2|Paris || 7,592

|-

| 1999–00 || Toulouse || 20–18 || St Estève || 6,500

|-

| 2000–01 || Villeneuve || 32–20 || Toulouse || Stade des Sept-Deniers, Toulouse || 8,000

|-

| 2001–02 || Villeneuve || 17–0 || Union Treiziste Catalane || Stade de la Mediterranee, Béziers || 8,000

|-

| colspan=6| From the 2002–03 season, the French Rugby League Championship split into two divisions: Elite One Championship and Elite Two Championship.

|}

Champions by club

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;"

!

!Club

!Wins

!Runners<br />up

!Winning years

|-

|1 || XIII Catalan || 11 || 7 || 1935–36, 1939–40, 1956–57, 1968–69, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1993–94

|-

|2 || AS Carcassonne|| 10 || 10 || 1944–45, 1945–46, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1991–92

|-

|3 || Villeneuve Leopards|| 8 || 10 || 1934–35, 1958–59, 1963–64, 1979–80, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02

|-

|4 || AS Saint Estève || 6 || 7 || 1970–71, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98

|-

|5 || RC Albi|| 5 || 1 || 1937–38, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1976–77

|-

|6 || Toulouse Olympique || 4 || 4 || 1964–65, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1999–2000

|-

|7 || RC Roanne XIII|| 4 || 1 || 1938–39, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1959–60

|-

|8 || St Gaudens|| 3 || 7 || 1969–70, 1973–74, 1990–91

|-

|9 || Lézignan Sangliers || 3 || 2 || 1960–61, 1962–63, 1977–78

|-

|10 || Le Pontet XIII || 2 || 3 || 1985–86, 1987–88

|-

|11= || Bordeaux XIII || 2 || 1 || 1936–37, 1953–54

|-

|11= || Lyon Villeurbanne XIII || 2 || 1 || 1950–51, 1954–55

|-

|13 || Marseille XIII || 1 || 4 || 1948–49

|-

|14 || Pia XIII|| 1 || 1 || 1994–95

|-

|15 || Limoux Grizzlies|| 1 || 0 || 1967–68

|-

|16= || SO Avignon || 0 || 1 ||

|-

|16= || Union Treiziste Catalane || 0 || 1 ||

|}

Footnotes

  1. Won title on points: no play-off was used
  2. Match abandoned after six minutes after the beginning due to fighting; no championship awarded.

Books

  • Le Rugby à XIII le plus français du monde −1934 to 1996– by Louis Bonnery,
  • The Forbidden game by Mike Rylance.

See also

  • Rugby league in France
  • National Division 1
  • National Division 2
  • Lord Derby Cup
  • Coupe Falcou

References

  • Infostreize
  • Le monde du rugby à XIII