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Catalans Dragons Wheelchair

The Catalans Dragons Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are a French wheelchair rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. The club competes in the Elite 1 Championship, the top tier of the French rugby league system.

History

Catalans Dragons wheelchair teams is though to be one of the world's oldest wheelchair rugby league football clubs. Like the French Elite 1 Championship itself, it its unclear at exactly what point the club was formed, though are known to have been in existence during 2011–12 season[1] in which they finished runners-up.[2] Following this, Catalans established themselves as the dominant force in French wheelchair rugby league, winning every national championship with the exception of their 2016–17 Grand Final defeat to Toulouse Olympique.[3] In 2022, Catalans player Sebastien Bechara won the IRL Golden Boot.[4] Along with, the French league and cup, the teams also has started to compete in the British Wheelchair Challenge Cup, which they won their inaugural title in 2023[5] after finishing runners-up the year before.[6] 2023 saw another Catalans player win the IRL Golden Boot, this time Jérémy Bourson.[7] Also in 2023, as winners of the previous season's national championship, Catalans qualified for a new competition, the European Club Challenge, in which the French league champions would compete against the British league champions for the de facto European title. The Dragons shared the 2023 title with Halifax Panthers after a 32–32 draw,[8] before qualifying again the following year and taking the title outright after a 68–28 defeat of Wigan Warriors.[9] In 2025, their invitation to participate in the Challenge Cup was withdrawn by the Rugby Football League due to a fallout with the French Rugby League Federation over them refusing to play international fixtures between England and France until after the 2026 World Cup.[10]

Seasons

Season League Coupe de France Year Challenge
Cup 		European Club Challenge
Division P W D L F A Pts Pos Play-offs
2011–12 Elite 1 Unknown ? Runners-up Champions[11] 2012 No Competition No Competition
2012–13 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Champions[12] 2013
2013–14 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Champions[13] 2014
2014–15 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Champions[14] 2015 Did not participate
2015–16 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Semi-finals[15] 2016
2016–17 Elite 1 Unknown ? Runners-up Runners-up[16] 2017
2017–18 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Champions[17] 2018
2018–19 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Runners-up[18] 2019
2019–20 Elite 1 Competitions cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020
2020–21 Elite 1 2021
2021–22 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Cancelled 2022 Runners-up
2022–23 Elite 1 Unknown ? Champions Champions[19] 2023 Champions Champions
2023–24 Elite 1 Unknown 44 2nd[20] Champions[21] Champions[22] 2024 Champions Champions

Honours

Leagues

Winners (At least 9): 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24

Cups

  • France Coupe de France
Winners (9): ? x2,[a] 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2022–23, 2023–24
Winners (2): 2023, 2024

International

Winners (2): 2023, 2024

Notes

  1. ^ 2017–18 is recorded as the seventh title[17]

References

  1. ^ "Les chiffres de la saison 2011-2013". FFRXIII (in French). 3 July 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ "XIII fauteuil : Cahors champion". FFRXIII (in French). 12 June 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Le TO XIII/St Jory Champion de France". FFRXIII (in French). 3 May 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  4. ^ "International Rugby League Golden Boot Awards". Rugby League International Federation. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  5. ^ "Catalans Dragons 66-20 Leeds Rhinos: French side clinch Wheelchair Challenge Cup final victory". Sky Sports.
  6. ^ Hall, Ben (June 26, 2022). "Rhinos slay Dragons to win third Wheelchair Challenge Cup in a row".
  7. ^ "Fisher-Harris, Hale and Bourson named 2023 Golden Boot winners". National Rugby League. 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62078/wheelchair-rugby-league-european-club-challenge
  9. ^ https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2024/04/06/warriors-beaten-in-wheelchair-european-championship/
  10. ^ "Dragons removed from Wheelchair Challenge Cup by RFL". BBC Sport. 26 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  11. ^ "A new title for the Catalans Handi Rugby Dragons". Catalans Dragons (in French). 17 October 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  12. ^ "Handi : la Coupe aux Dragons" (in French). FFRXIII. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  13. ^ "New trophy for the Handi Dragons". Catalans Dragons (in French). 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Rugby XIII Fauteuil : Une Coupe de France très disputée!" (in French). FFRXIII. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  15. ^ "XIII Fauteuil – Les Cadurciens remportent la Coupe de France" (in French). FFRXIII. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  16. ^ "Les Handi s'inclinent en Finale de la Coupe". Catalans Dragons (in French). 21 May 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  17. ^ a b "La stratégie des Handi Dragons a payé" (in French). FFRXIII. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Le SO Avignon vainqueur de la Coupe de France de rugby Fauteuil !" (in French). FFRXIII. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  19. ^ "La Coupe de France XIII Fauteuil pour les Dragons" (in French). FFRXIII. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  20. ^ "Para Rugby XIII : place aux phases finales" (in French). FFRXIII. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  21. ^ "Para Rugby XIII : double sacre pour les Dragons Handi" (in French). FFRXIII. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  22. ^ "Coupe de France Para Rugby XIII : les Dragons Handi remportent la finale face à Avignon !" (in French). FFRXIII. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.