1996 Paris Saint-Germain season

1996 #005599 #ffffff Super League Super League I 11th 3 1 18 398 795 DNP Jacques Fouroux Michel Mazaré Pierre Chamorin Stade Sébastien Charléty 8,010 88,109 17,873 4,050 Pascal Bomati (10) Patrick Torreilles (25) Patrick Torreilles (54) 1997 The 1996 Paris Saint-Germain Rugby League season was the first season of Paris Saint-Germain's rugby league football department. Playing in a newly launched European circuit, the Super League, Paris finished the season in 11th place out of 12 teams, narrowly avoiding relegation. Pre-season The Paris team was built on the same model as the regional teams of Fouroux's France Rugby League, albeit on a national scale, with Fouroux billing the capital team as representing the whole country. It was a selects team rather than a full-time operation, with players on loan from the various clubs of the regular French club championship. There was however a caveat. While France Rugby League was a short tour played across the months of August and September, causing no major disruption to the existing French championship, the Super League played a full season from March to September, which meant that the climax of the French championship overlapped with the first months of its schedule. The French clubs were not disposed to grant their players a complete release to PSG, so they had to perform double duty.Irvine Christopher 22 June 1996 https://archive.org/details/NewsUK1996UKEnglish/Jun%2022%201996%252C%20The%20Times%252C%20%252365613%252C%20UK%20(en)/mode/2up Baitieri prepares to unhitch the French connection The Times London 52 Due to the southern location of most teams in the French championship, PSG players trained at a Toulouse sports institute,https://www.liberation.fr/sports/1996/03/25/le-psg-xiii-en-premiere-leagueles-debuts-d-une-equipe-fille-du-mariage-de-la-tele-et-du-rugby_164891/ Le PSG XIII en première league : Les débuts d'une équipe fille du mariage de la télé et du rugby. Rochette Philippe 25 March 1996 Libération fr May 29, 2023 and would be shuttled back and forth between Toulouse, their French championship club and wherever PSG was playing that week. Most of their time with PSG would actually be spent at a hotel as they had no permanent residence in the French capital.https://www.totalrl.com/24-years-on-the-rise-and-fall-of-paris-saint-germain-told-by-the-people-involved/ 24 years on – The rise and fall of Paris Saint-Germain, told by the people involved Hope Ash 29 March 2020 totalrl.com May 29, 2023Wilson Andy 26 May 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/258137325/ Plastering of Paris in the Spring The Observer London Sport 3 Some of the French championship's import players, while interested by the Super League exposure, were unimpressed by the makeshift nature of the team and the fact that it promised no full-time contracts, only showing up to avoid the four-game suspension that had been promised to them if they did not. The team was built on short order. Veteran French head coach Michel Mazaré and his assistant Englishman David Ellis were both hired within two weeks of one another in December 1995.Slot Owen 21 January 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752017286/ French face threatens to spoil Super League's opening night The Daily Telegraph London Sport 5 Mazaré formed a list of 65 players, including 23 imports, he was interested in.https://www.liberation.fr/sports/1995/12/25/le-rugby-a-xiii-aura-ses-pros-au-paris-saint-germainl-equipe-de-fouroux-participera-a-la-super-ligue_151411/ Le rugby à XIII aura ses pros au Paris-Saint-Germain; L'équipe de Fouroux participera à la super-ligue européenne. Rochette Philippe 25 December 1995 Libération fr May 29, 2023 The team's first scouting camp took place on 11 January 1996, less than three months before opening night. The final number present at the camp was 71. Three try-out games were played.Dowson George 3 February 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/920687511 French will be no pushovers Manchester Evening News 25 40 players remained for the final of these on January 23, an intrasquad game between domestic players and imports that would decide the core group of 25 players.https://www.liberation.fr/sports/1996/01/17/rugby-a-xiii-revue-d-effectif-au-psg_159961/ Rugby à XIII : revue d'effectif au PSG 17 January 1996 Libération fr May 29, 2023 During scrimmages, Australian manager Tas Baitieri and the rest of his staff quickly came to the realization that the team would need to be upgraded with external players, at least one or two for a start. However, due to the late preparation, solid league players were scarce and management had to turn to rugby union in the short term. Abdelatif Benazzi, who had played under Fouroux with Team France and the French Barbarians, was briefly mentioned, but was a long shot. The more pragmatic choice was New Zealand forward Darren Adams. Previously with Paris' historic union team, Racing Club de France, he was the only player from the opening night roster who was not drafted from a French league club, and the only true resident of the capital. At the end of January, the team announced a first batch of 25 signings, consisting of 17 French players (including 12 internationals), plus 9 foreigners (6 Australians, a New Zealander, but also a Moldavian and a Pole). 30 January 1996 Entat heads Paris squad https://www.newspapers.com/image/920684452/ Manchester Evening News 48 The list was not final, however, and there was a fluctuating contingent of about 10 players on standby outside of the core group.https://rugbyxiii.blogspot.com/2009/03/psg-xiii.html Quand le PSG jouait au rugby March 2009 Blog Rugby à XIII fr April 2, 2023 Former RFLer Daniel Divet of Limoux was included, but Baitieri soon clarified that the player was still on the fence about playing, and that the club was trying to convince him to sign at least for the first part of the season. In the end, Divet did not play for PSG. 3 February 1994 Around Clubs https://www.newspapers.com/image/899723568/ Hull Daily Mail 14 Baitieri also named dual-code player Bernard Lacombe, then with Villeneuve in the French RL Championship, as another likely recruit, but he never dressed for Paris either.Bates Rupert 29 March 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752008213/ From pasties in Sheffield to partis in Paris The Daily Telegraph London 42 The RFL's Maurice Lindsay was bullish in his support of Paris, announcing that the RFL was ready to step in and allocate additional import players to the team if need be. In March, contacts were made with a pair of Tongans, nines international Kava Utoikamanu and union international Isi Tapueluelu. 24 March 1996 Super League Fact-File https://www.newspapers.com/image/752014454/ Sunday Telegraph London Sport 9Whalley John 4 April 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752012743/ Paris success leaves no room for complacency The Daily Telegraph London 45 The hulking Utoikamanu, back in the game after two years in the U.S. to try a boxing career, ended up joining the team shortly after opening night. 4 April 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/894561636/ Tongan heavyweight makes Super bow Cambridge Evening News 47 Players on loan from French league clubs were offered a stipend by the Parisian team for each selection: £600 for a win, and £300 for a loss. A few foreign players had the privilege of a salaried contract signed directly with PSG. The squad was introduced to PSG fans during the return leg of the association football team's Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal against Parma at Parc des Princes on 26 March 1996, where they entertained the crowd by performing some skills and kicking some balls into the stands. The team's admitted objective was to finish in 11th place, or just above the final spot synonymous with relegation. Season highlights Team and Super League debut On 29 March 1996, PSG Rugby League made its Super League debut with a 30–24 victory over Sheffield Eagles at the team's regular venue, Stade Sébastien Charléty. Former Eagle Frédéric Banquet scored the first try in both PSG and Super League history. 30 March 1996 Ooh la la Paris https://www.newspapers.com/image/899727454/ Hull Daily Mail 35 Patrick Entat, who was widely envisioned as the team's captain, missed a large chunk of training camp, so the title was bestowed upon up-and-comer Pierre Chamorin for opening night.Tingle Richard 23 March 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/899725480/ Around the Clubs Hull Daily Mail 15 The game, which featured musical performances by rap duo Mellowman and afropop band Toure Kunda, drew 17,873 spectators. Fouroux basked in the early success of its casual fan-oriented approach, relaying the story of the Canal+ hotline being overloaded by thousands of channel subscribers calling in to snag the tickets offered to them for the game.Borthwick Ian 29 March 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/260895962/ Fouroux at the forefront of the French revolution The Guardian London 27 About 3,000 fans traveled from the league hotbeds of southern France to witness the event. Uncharacteristically, some rugby union personalities expressed their support, such as Roger Blachon, chairman of Charléty's usual residents Paris UC, and France international Jean-Baptiste Lafond, who commented: "They dared to do what had to be done, what we should all do. They proved that their sport is a beautiful sport."https://www.liberation.fr/sports/1996/04/01/a-charlety-du-xiii-et-du-spectacle-avec-un-stade-presque-plein-la-super-league-a-gagne-son-premier-p_169911/ A Charléty, du XIII et du spectacle. Avec un stade presque plein, la Super League a gagné son premier pari en France. Rochette Philippe 1 April 1996 Libération fr May 29, 2023 The Guardian called the game "an unforgettable victory",Fitzpatrick Patrick 30 March 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/260896272/ French earn opening night glory The Guardian London 18 while The Daily Telegraph deemed it "a highly encouraging start" for the new loop, and "a victory which, on this evidence, will be the first of many" for PSG.Whalley John 30 March 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752008792 Banquet starts the feast for hungry Paris The Daily Telegraph London 26 French daily Libération, still circumspect a few days before, summed up: "With an almost full stadium, the Super League has won its first bet in France." RFL honcho Maurice Lindsay rejoiced, saying: "Some reporters came for a funeral and had to write about a party". Season continued However, the rest of the season would not be quite as successful. PSG RL was given a reality check by Wigan Warriors (8–76), the second in a series of 11 consecutive defeats. PSG Rugby League : saison 1996 http://www.paris-canalhistorique.com/saison-19951996/ paris-canalhistorique.com 5 February 2014 12 September 2017 The club was not helped by scheduling conflicts with the French domestic competitions, which occasionally forced players to miss games outright.Irvine Christopher 20 April 1996 https://archive.org/details/NewsUK1996UKEnglish/Apr%2020%201996%2C%20The%20Times%2C%20%2365559%2C%20UK%20%28en%29/page/n71/mode/2up?q=%22jason+sands%22 Deakins banned after video verdict The Times London 47 Attendance figures decreased as well, although not to the same extent as they would have in a traditional, box office-driven club.Wilson Andy 7 July 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/258173443/ Super League is a super flop The Observer London 8 Sport In May, the RFL assigned its academy coach John Kear to PSG as a special defense consultant for the rest of the season in hopes of shoring up the team's weaknesses. 3 June 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/899515471/ RFL send coach to help Paris Hull Daily Mail 18 Kear himself considered that the end of the French league schedule, rather than his intervention, was the biggest contributing factor in the team managing to avoid relegation. As predicted in camp, fatigue had taken its toll on the squad, some of whom ended up playing in the neighborhood of 50 games over the season. Despite the show of sportsmanship by select union representatives on the team's debut, PSG quickly saw some of its best players courted by the older code, which manager Baitieri decried as an attempt to thwart PSG's takeover of the capital market. Grzegorz "Gregory" Kacała, a Pole who played for Paris by way of Lyon Villeurbanne of the French championship, returned to rugby union in May, soon followed by fellow union renegade Darren Adams.Irvine Christopher 25 May 1996 https://archive.org/details/NewsUK1996UKEnglish/May%2025%201996%2C%20The%20Times%2C%20%2365589%2C%20UK%20%28en%29/page/n27/mode/2up?q=kacala Buoyant Broncos leave Paris trailing in their wake The Times London 39 Rising star Pierre Chamorin, a league lifer, also declined several offers to switch allegiance in order to stay with PSG. The club was not sparred by instability at the administrative level either. In May, it was announced that Baitieri was due to leave, having been called back to Australia to work for the ARL. Jacques Fouroux resigned from PSG RL's presidency on 8 June 1996, quickly rejoining his hometown union club Auch.https://www.humanite.fr/-/-/fouroux https://web.archive.org/web/20231212021348/https://www.humanite.fr/-/-/fouroux dead December 12, 2023 Fouroux 2 September 1996 L'Humanité fr He was succeeded by France Rugby League president Jacques Larrose.Perrin Frank 7 December 2021 Rugby League, Rugby of The Future 6 – Pioneering Rugby League Carcassonne Books on Demand Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII 129 9782322400539 The team's instability and questionable business model spurred rumors that it would be relocated to Toulouse the following season. In one of his last moves before his effective departure in late June, Baitieri obtained a package of five players under contract with Murdoch's Australasian Super League (which was then blocked from operating by a court order), including Ian Russell.Jeffreys Mark 9 June 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752032598/ ARL clairs Wigan pair to face France The Daily Telegraph London 6S July saw further bold moves, as PSG entered talks with two recent Leeds players, Neil Harmon and Phil Hassan, controversially contemplating to sign them without paying any transfer fee, based on an interpretation of the new Bosman ruling. Leeds threatened to sue, and neither suited up for Paris. 6 July 1996 Around the Clubs https://www.newspapers.com/image/899477236/ Hull Daily Mail 27Huxley John 16 July 1996 Leeds crisis deepens as top props eye no-fee moves https://www.newspapers.com/image/260880613/ The Guardian London 23 Later that month, the team signed former London Bronco Justin Bryant and former under-21 union international Jonathan Griffiths, leaving his former club Wakefield blindsided by the news.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-union-wakefield-deny-griffiths-switch-1330403.html Rugby Union: Wakefield deny Griffiths switch 24 July 1996 The Independent April 2, 2023 The changes produced an improvement in the results, with Wigan's Terry O'Connor calling Paris "a force to be reckoned with" after their narrow late season win on French soil.Whalley John 22 July 1996 https://www.newspapers.com/image/752029931 Wigan given big scare The Daily Telegraph London S11 French rugby league historian Robert Fassolette, however, lamented the fact that it came at the expense of domestic player experience, which was one of the stated goals of the Parisian venture. 15 July 1996 At last, a tango from Paris as Broncos underestimate their rivals https://www.newspapers.com/image/719386970/ The Independent London S15 PSG finished its inaugural campaign in 11th place out of 12, barely escaping relegation with a meager record of 3 wins and a draw in 22 games. Kear was offered the full time coaching gig at the end of the season, but declined as he did not feel the organization's logistics lent themselves to performance. The club only finished the season thanks to additional contributions from Super League backer News Ltd.,Burke David 4 January 1997 https://www.newspapers.com/image/919918939/ Boxing day must be a rugby day Manchester Evening News 23 and the relationship with parent organization PSG was left strained.Mascord Steve 21 January 1997 https://www.newspapers.com/image/120626921 Change of accent for Super troopers The Sydney Morning Herald 41 Additionally, the promised TV coverage had quickly disappeared from French broadcaster Canal+'s schedule.Fitzpatrick Paul 14 January 1997 https://www.newspapers.com/image/260699936/ Paris rely on RFL rescue mission The Guardian London 21 The team would nonetheless return for a second season, at the cost of a reorganization that saw it stray even further from its developmental goals. Results #DDFFDD Win 1px solid #000000 #FFFFDD Draw 1px solid #000000 #FFDDDD Loss 1px solid #000000 +DateOpponentVenueScoreTriesGoalsAttendance29 March 1996Sheffield EaglesHome30–24Cervello (2), Adams, Chamorin, PiskunovTorreilles (3)17,8734 April 1996London BroncosAway22–38Bomati, Cervello, Ramandou, TurnerTorreilles (3)9,6388 April 1996OldhamHome24–24Bomati, Cabestany, Entat, Lucchese Torreilles (4)6,32713 April 1996Workington TownHome34–12Chamorin, Bomati, Kacala, Pastre-CourtineTorreilles (5)6,53421 April 1996WarringtonAway24–48Pastre-Courtine (3), VergniolTorreilles (3)4,1235 May 1996WiganAway8–76WulfTorreilles, Yaha10,67510 May 1996LeedsHome14–40Banquet (2), CabestanyTorreilles15,10719 May 1996BradfordAway32–60Bomati (2), Banquet, Teixedo, Vergniol, YahaChamorin (2), Torreilles (2)8,19427 May 1996HalifaxHome10–38Toreilles, VergniolTorreilles5,8322 June 1996St. HelensAway10–52Bomati, CervelloTorreilles8,5487 June 1996CastelfordHome22–54Banquet (2), Brown (2)Yaha (3)6,61815 June 1996SheffieldAway18–52Entat, Wulf, YahaSmith (3)5,35022 June 1996WarringtonHome24–26Banquet, Bloomfield, Bomati, Lucchese, SmithSmith (2)5,25428 June 1996OldhamAway6–24WulfBanquet2,5487 July 1996Workington TownAway10–14Bird, VergniolBanquet2,17313 July 1996London BroncosHome24–18Wilson (2), Bloomfield, Devecchi, WulfSmith (2)9,11420 July 1996WiganHome20–24Chamorin (2), Bird, BomatiBomati, Smith5,42828 July 1996LeedsAway12–34Bord, BloomfieldSmith (2)6,4794 August 1996HalifaxAway10–56Griffiths, VergniolChamorin4,81910 August 1996St. HelensHome12–32Bird, BomatiSmith (2)4,05017 August 1996CastlefordAway18–22Bird, Bomati, Devecchi, VergniolBanquet4,47324 August 1996BradfordHome14–27Bird, WilsonSmith (3)6,152 Before the season, it was pondered to play the 20 July clash against Wigan in Toulouse to avoid a conflict with the arrival of the Tour de France. That did not happen. Table PSG Squad Statistics include appearances and points in the Super League. Fletcher, Raymond 1997 Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1997 Headline Book Publishing 99 978-0-7472-7764-4 PlayerAppsTriesGoalsDGsPointsDarren Adams Darren Adams (rugby) 10 1 0 0 4Frédéric Banquet 18 7 4 0 36Deon Bird 9 6 0 0 24Vea Bloomfield 18 3 0 0 12Pascal Bomati 19 10 0 0 40John Boslem 5 0 0 0 0Hadj Boudebza 2 0 0 0 0Todd Brown 9 2 0 0 8Justin Bryant Justin Bryant (rugby league) 5 0 0 0 0Didier Cabestany 20 2 0 0 8Arnaud Cervello 4 4 0 0 16Laurent Cambres 1 0 0 0 0Pierre Chamorin 15 6 3 0 30David Despin 1 0 0 0 0Fabien Devecchi 18 2 0 0 8Patrick Entat 22 2 0 0 8Jonathan Griffiths 4 1 0 0 4Pascal Jampy 4 0 0 0 0Gregory Kacala 7 1 0 0 4Mark Lane Mark Lane (rugby league) 2 0 0 0 0Laurent Lucchese 18 2 0 0 8Wilfried Moulinec 1 0 0 0 0Jules Parry 12 0 0 0 0Regis Pastre-Courtine 7 4 0 0 16Jacques Pech 16 0 0 0 0Mikhail Piskunov 2 1 0 0 4Jean-Luc Ramondou 2 1 0 0 4Philippe Ricard 1 0 0 0 0Ian Russell Ian Russell (rugby league) 3 0 0 0 0Jason Sands 17 0 0 0 0Phil Shead 5 0 0 0 0Danny Smith Danny Smith (rugby league) 12 1 15 0 34Frédéric Teixido 4 1 0 0 4Patrick Torreilles 10 1 25 0 54Ian Turner Ian Turner (rugby league) 2 1 0 0 4Gregory Tutard 2 0 0 0 0Kava Utoikamanu 9 0 0 0 0Eric Van Brussell 2 0 0 0 0Eric Vergniol 15 6 0 0 24George Wilson George Wilson (rugby league, born 1975) 9 3 0 0 12Vincent Wulf 18 4 0 0 16Bagdad Yaha 8 2 4 0 16Ronel Zinon 4 0 0 0 0 References External links Paris St Germain - Rugby League Project Category:Paris Saint-Germain Rugby League Category:French rugby league club seasons Paris Saint-Germain Rugby League Paris Saint-Germain Rugby League