Coupe de France Georges-Aillères explained

Coupe de France Georges-Aillères
Formerly:Challenge Georges-Aillères
Founded:2012 (Invitational)
2016 (National)
Gov Body:FFR XIII
Champion:RC Baho XIII
Season:2018-19
Website:Georges Aillères Cup on FFR13.fr
Related Comps:Elite 2

The Georges Aillères French Cup (French: Coupe de France Georges-Aillères) is a French rugby league tournament. It is the league cup competition for Elite 2 teams.[1]

History

Early years

Originally called Challenge Georges-Aillères, it started as an invitational preseason tournament hosted by Toulouse XIII Broncos at their home venue Stade Philippe-Struxiano.[2] It was named after retired player Georges Aillères, who played most of his career for Toulouse area rugby league and rugby union clubs.[1] The original format was a single-day round robin consisting of abridged 30-minute games.[2] Toulouse's two main teams, the home side Broncos (Elite 2) and the Olympique (Elite 1), were mainstays while the two remaining spots were filled on a year-to-year basis.[2] The Broncos won the 2012 edition, the earliest on record, losing to fellow Elite 2 members Lescure d'Albigeois, but beating both Elite 1 participants Toulouse Olympique and Limoux.[3] The 2013 edition was won by Lézignan.[4]

Hiatus

In 2015, tournament hosts Toulouse Broncos were absorbed by the Toulouse Olympique organization and the event went dormant.[5] Instead, the preseason featured a "Friendship Trophy" game between Toulouse's newly merged team and Albi, with the proceeds going to Albi product and Toulouse Olympique player Yoann Didone, who had recently suffered grave injuries in a road accident.[6]

Relaunch

In 2016, the French Rugby League Federation took over the tournament's name and relaunched it under an entirely different format. The new version serves as a secondary cup competition open to all Elite 2 teams, using full-length games and a more spread-out schedule akin to other league cups.[7] In 2019, the tournament was renamed Coupe de France Georges-Aillères, as part of a general strategy by the federation to brand its various cup competitions "Coupe de France", regardless of their level.[1]

In the French rugby league pyramid

The Georges Aillères Cup is one of three minor French Cups offered for competition by the national federation, together with the Paul Dejean Cup (French: Coupe Paul-Dejean) for National Division clubs, and the Albert Falcou Cup (French: Coupe Albert-Falcou) for Federal Division clubs.[1] The country's major cup tournament is the Lord Derby Cup (French: Coupe Lord Derby), which is open to clubs from all divisions but typically dominated by Elite 1 teams.[1]

Finals

Year! scope="col"
Winning teamScoreLosing team
2017RC Baho XIII33–29Villefranche XIII Aveyron[8]
2018Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII20–17Villefranche XIII Aveyron[9]
2019RC Baho XIII40–12Baroudeurs de Pia XIII[10]
2020

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ne m'appelez plus jamais Challenge… . . 15 April 2019 . ffr13.fr . Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII . 22 April 2021.
  2. Web site: TO XIII : Rendez-vous avec le Challenge Georges Ailleres . . 14 September 2012 . toulouseblog.fr . Decanet . 18 May 2021.
  3. Web site: Les Broncos remportent le challenge Georges Ailleres . . 17 September 2016 . toulouse13broncos.overblog.com . Toulouse XIII Broncos . 18 May 2021.
  4. Web site: Retour sur les matchs amicaux . FFRXIII . fr . 18 September 2013 . 10 June 2024.
  5. Web site: Toulouse Olympique Broncos – Le calendrier de la saison 2015/2016 . . 1 September 2015 . to13.fr . Toulouse Olympique XIII . 27 April 2021.
  6. Web site: Trophée de l'Amitié – De belles promesses malgré la défaite . . 30 August 2015 . to13.fr . Toulouse Olympique XIII . 18 May 2021.
  7. Web site: Un Challenge Georges Aillères pour l'Élite 2 . . 19 June 2016 . ladepeche.fr . Groupe La Dépêche du Midi . 18 May 2021.
  8. Web site: Trois Coupes aux couleurs sang et or . FFRXIII . 24 April 2017 . 31 May 2024.
  9. Web site: Pelo et Anderson offrent à Villegailhenc le Challenge Georges Aillères . FFRXIII . 30 April 2018 . 31 May 2024.
  10. Web site: Baho dominates Pia and wins the Coupe de France Georges Aillères . Treize Mondial . 30 May 2019 . 31 May 2024.