Coupe de France Georges-Aillères

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Coupe de France Georges-Aillères
SportRugby league
Formerly known asChallenge Georges-Aillères
Instituted2012 (Invitational)
2016 (National)
Country France (FFR XIII)
HoldersRC Baho XIII (2018-19)
WebsiteGeorges Aillères Cup on FFR13.fr
Related competitionElite 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]

Poster for the 2012 edition, showing host team Toulouse Broncos in their original colors.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

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]

Hiatus[edit]

In 2015, tournament hosts Toulouse Broncos were absorbed by the Toulouse Olympique organization and the event went dormant.[4] 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.[5]

Relaunch[edit]

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.[6] 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[edit]

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]

Past winners[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ne m'appelez plus jamais Challenge…". ffr13.fr. Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "TO XIII : Rendez-vous avec le Challenge Georges Ailleres". toulouseblog.fr. Decanet. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Les Broncos remportent le challenge Georges Ailleres". toulouse13broncos.overblog.com. Toulouse XIII Broncos. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Toulouse Olympique Broncos – Le calendrier de la saison 2015/2016". to13.fr. Toulouse Olympique XIII. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Trophée de l'Amitié – De belles promesses malgré la défaite". to13.fr. Toulouse Olympique XIII. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Un Challenge Georges Aillères pour l'Élite 2". ladepeche.fr. Groupe La Dépêche du Midi. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

External links[edit]


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