1997 Paris Saint-Germain season

1997 Paris Saint-Germain season
Super League II Rank11th
Play-off resultPremiership Trophy preliminary
Challenge CupFifth Round
1997 recordWins: 6; draws: 0; losses: 16
Points scoredFor: 362; against: 572
Team information
CoachPeter Mulholland (until May)
Andy Goodway (May – September)
Captain
StadiumStade Sébastien Charléty
Avg. attendance5,510 (Super League)
Agg. attendance60,608
High attendance10,513
Low attendance500
Top scorers
TriesPhil Bergman (14)
GoalsMatt O'Connor (26)
PointsMatt O'Connor (58)
← 1996

The 1997 Paris Saint-Germain rugby league season was the club's second and final season in the Super League. Although the overhauled squad produced a marginally improved record, the RFL remained dissatisfied with the organization's performance on and off the field, and opted to end its Paris presence at the end of the campaign.

Off-season

For the 1997 season, the club had originally envisioned a 13 million francs budget, but fell short by some 5 million francs.[1] In early January 1997, the team's chances of participating in the Challenge Cup and Super League were pegged by insiders at 5 and 50 percent, respectively, although the club maintained that it would be ready for both.[2]

Super League backer News Ltd. increased its support, securing the team's participation and announcing that it would pay for the players to stay full time in Paris, which was not the case the previous season. However, they still roomed at a sports resort just west of Paris.[3][4] While coach Mulholland praised the accommodations offered by the Forest Hill leisure group as first rate,[4] many players still resented not being given a proper residence.[5]

To assuage logistical challenges, two RFL executives were embedded at the club for a provisional period of three months. Rob Elstone returned from the previous year, and was joined by another envoy from the league's headquarters, Rebecca Cove.[3][6] Two of the RFL's top administrators, Maurice Lindsay and Harry Jepson, joined PSG RL's six-man board of directors.[7] In order to strengthen the struggling organization's finances, it was announced that two thirds of its shares would be put on sale, so that undisclosed foreign interests could take a participation.[8] An overhaul of the team's business model was touted, with the need to increase sponsorships and a possible shift to a paid attendance model at the forefront of discussions.[2] In the end, Lindsay claimed to have obtained a commitment from PSG to assist with the rugby league section's marketing and to better showcase it on sister TV channel Canal+. The free ticket policy was kept unchanged,[9][10] which particularly enraged smaller clubs dependent on Murdoch's payments such as Widnes and Featherstone.[11]

Keighley and Great Britain's Phil Larder had been named as an interested party in the coaching job at the end of the previous season,[12] but the eventual choice was Peter Mulholland of Australia. News Ltd. allocated to the team a number of player contracts it had stockpiled during its war against the ARL.[13] The result was an opening roster consisting of 22 foreign players (21 Australians, one New Zealander), only two of which were present the previous season: Deon Bird and Jason Sands.[1] Several had a connection with Mulholland from his former club the Western Reds.[14] The team had its main training camp in Australia and arrived in France at the end of January, slightly more than one week before its debut in the Challenge Cup.[9]

The club had few French players, with the only nationals holding significant roles being captain Pierre Chamorin, Fabien Devecchi and Pascal Bomati.[15] French international Daniel Divet blamed the club's safe recruiting, believing that it would both hurt homegrown players and alienate Paris' fledgling fan base.[16] According to coaching consultant John Kear, Mulholland did favor Australian players from the onset, which turned off some interested French talents.[15] However, it was also pointed that the French federation, in a stunning about face, had banned players under its jurisdiction from joining PSG until the end of the French club championship (whose winter season overlapped with the beginning of the Super League campaign), further complicating matters.[17] Mulholland vowed to increase the number of nationals to eight after the end of the domestic competition.[18] As a sign of goodwill, the Australasian imports were incited to learn French to better integrate, taking lessons twice a week.[19]

Super League

Season highlights

Like in the previous season, PSG RL started with a 18–4 win over Sheffield Eagles, this time on away soil. Again, the opening day triumph was short-lived and the team soon embarked on an eight-game losing streak.[20]

French players (Pierre Chamorin and Fabien Devecchi) only made their first playing appearance in Round 5 against St Helens.[21] Even after the end of the French championship, PSG struggled to sign more of them. The club even lost Pascal Bomati to rugby union's CA Brive, which Mulholland—joined by a growing number of pundits—again blamed on a lack of proactivity and support from the French game's establishment.[17][20] To the frustration of the RFL, several French players also preferred to sign with other Super League clubs than PSG, as they were in a better financial situation.[11][22][23] Lindsay encouraged English clubs to at least spare some French prospects,[11] although Salford signee Gilles Gironella mentioned that he had chosen Salford because "Paris Saint-Germain only want[ed] experienced players".[24] PSG did find itself in a dispute with Halifax over one of the Blue Sox' multiple French hopefuls, Jérôme Guisset, but he ended up playing for neither team that season.[25]

Although the team was not helped by a rash of injuries, coach Mulholland was dismissed in early May.[20][26][27] Fellow Australian John Monie was approached but proved less than enthusiastic about tackling Paris' challenge.[28] The eventual replacement was Englishman Andy Goodway, who had been approached by the club prior to its inaugural campaign but had ultimately opted to remain at Oldham, from where he had just been let go.[29] Goodway had a francophone wife, which may have helped his decision.[11]

Rampant conflicts at the head of the club boiled over in July 1997 (see § Administrative controversy), leading to a disruption in the distribution of tickets and causing attendance to fall to alarming levels for the home stand that followed.[30] Embarrassed by off-the-field issues and dead last in the standings at that point,[31] the team against all odds produced its best result yet, overcoming a 14 point deficit in the last thirteen minutes to cap a stunning 30–28 upset of powerhouse Wigan, its first Super League home win of the season.[32][33][34]

On 9 and 16 August, the team played two home games in southern cities, one in Narbonne against Halifax,[35] and another in Bayonne against Warrington, which coincided with the Fêtes de Bayonne, a popular tourist attraction.[36] It had been decided in the off-season that the team would relocate two or three games to other markets, as August tends to be a slow business month in the French capital due to many residents spending their holidays in the provinces.[6][11][37] Using the team as a touring attraction following the France Rugby League model was actually a goal of founder Jacques Fouroux from its inception.[38]

PSG eventually managed to avoid relegation in its last home game of the season against Oldham, Goodway's former employer. With three wins in its final six games, the team belatedly grew into a respectable force, with the Hull Daily Mail calling it "not too bad given all the difficulties".[39] Nonetheless, it once again finished 11th (out of 12) in the standings, with a weak record of 6 wins in 22 games.[1]

Results

Date Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
16 March 1997 Sheffield Eagles Away 4–18 Bergman, Sing, Wall Robinson (3) 4,213
21 March 1997 Leeds Home 18–28 Keough, Olejnik, Sing Robinson (3) 10,513
28 March 1997 London Broncos Away 10–28 Hyde, Olejnik Wall 5,293
31 March 1997 Salford Away 26–28 Bergman (3), Bird (2) Robinson (3) 3,195
5 April 1997 St. Helens Home 6–44 Chamorin Wall 8,542
13 April 1997 Oldham Away 18–19 Lomax, Olejnik, Wall Robinson (3) 3,396
18 April 1997 Bradford Home 18–30 Olejnik (2), Robinson, Wall Wall 9,745
27 April 1997 Warrington Away 34–37 Martin (2), Olejnik (2), Chamorin, Robinson (3) 4,576
5 May 1997 Leeds Away 2–30 n/a O'Connor 11,023
11 May 1997 Castleford Away 11–8 Bergman, O'Donnell Robinson (2), O'Connor 3,098
17 May 1997 Sheffield Home 16–32 Garcia (2), Carr, McAllister, Pinkey Aston (6) 6,788
26 May 1997 London Broncos Home 16–20 Bergman (2), Olejnik Bird (2) 4,934
30 May 1997 Wigan Away 30–58 Bird, Eade, Martin O'Connor (4) 7,541
29 June 1997 Halifax Away 14–12 Evans, O'Connor O'Connor (3) 3,903
2 July 1997 Salford Home 16–24 Bird (2), Evans O'Connor, Robinson 500
5 July 1997 Castleford Home 8–20 Evans O'Connor, Robinson 1,020
12 July 1997 Wigan Home 30–28 Bergman (2), Eade, Evans, Taylor O'Connor (3), Robinson (2) 2,560
9 August 1997 Halifax Home 32–0 Bergman (3), Eade, Evans, Hancock O'Connor (4) 7,743
16 August 1997 Warrington Home 10–17 Bird O'Connor (3) 1,549
22 August 1997 Bradford Away 0–68 n/a n/a 17,128
26 August 1997 Oldham Home 23–12 Evans (2), Eade, O'Donnell O'Connor (4) 6,714
31 August 1997 St. Helens Away 14–26 Evans, Taylor O'Connor (3) 5,652

The dates of the Salford home and away match were switched as Stade Charléty was unavailable on Eastern Monday.[40]

Table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Relegation
1 Bradford Bulls (C) 22 20 0 2 769 397 +372 40
2 London Broncos 22 15 3 4 616 418 +198 33
3 St Helens 22 14 1 7 592 506 +86 29
4 Wigan 22 14 0 8 683 398 +285 28
5 Leeds Rhinos 22 13 1 8 544 463 +81 27
6 Salford Reds 22 11 0 11 428 495 −67 22
7 Halifax Blue Sox 22 8 2 12 524 549 −25 18
8 Sheffield Eagles 22 9 0 13 415 574 −159 18
9 Warrington Wolves 22 8 0 14 437 647 −210 16
10 Castleford Tigers 22 5 2 15 334 515 −181 12
11 Paris Saint-Germain 22 6 0 16 362 572 −210 12
12 Oldham Bears (R) 22 4 1 17 461 631 −170 9 Relegated to Division One
Source: Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Challenge Cup

In February, the team made its debut in the Challenge Cup knockout competition (which it had bypassed the previous year), winning against second-tier Batley before bowing out to fellow SL members Salford in the next round. It played both cup games on U.K. ground as Stade Charléty was not yet available (a permanent move out of the venue was considered before it could be secured for the remainder of the season).[9][37] In both Challenge Cup games, PSG did not field a single French player.[41]

Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
9 February 1997 4th Batley Away 38–4 O'Donnell (2), Bird, Evans, Keough, Olejnik, Peters Robinson (5) 1,252
23 February 1997 5th Salford Away 4–8 n/a Robinson (2) 5,275

World Club Championship

Round robin

PSG also took part in the 1997 World Club Championship. It started its campaign on a relative high, leading against Australian side Hunter Mariners before succumbing,[42] then thrashing the team several Paris players used to represent, the Western Reds (24–0).[43] The away part of the schedule proved less flattering, yet the team's lone win was enough to advance to the playoffs, amidst the European clubs' abysmal showing in the event.

Date Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
8 June 1997 Hunter Home 12–28 Bird, Devecchi O'Connor (2) 3,500
21 June 1997 Western Reds Home 24–0 Eade (2), Bergman, Bird, Lomax O'Connor (2) 2,500
27 July 1997 Hunter Away 0–32 n/a n/a 2,110
1 August 1997 Western Reds Away 12–30 Bergman, Martin O'Connor (2) 5,690

Playoffs

For its WCC playoff appearance, coach Goodway opted to rest key players to focus on the primary objective of avoiding relegation in the Super League.[44]

Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
13 August 1997 Prelim. St. Helens Away 4–44 Mahony n/a 3,641

Premiership Trophy

PSG's Premiership Trophy appearance on 7 September 1997 was the team's final fixture. The team's last ever try was scored by Frenchman Fabien Devecchi.[45]

Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance
7 September 1997 Prelim. Salford Away 6–48 Devecchi Hyde 2,045

Administrative controversy

The club's ill-conceived operational plan, which had already seen the hasty departure of founder Jacques Fouroux in season one, devolved into another leadership struggle around May 1997. Increasingly disenchanted with the French federation's perceived lack of commitment to the Super League project, the RFL opted to withdraw several staff members it had dispatched to Paris.[26] Fearing the tarnishing of its brand, umbrella organization PSG Omnisports banned the team from using its name, forcing it to operate as just "Paris Rugby League". The ban was rescinded in late June.[46][47]

In July, the press became aware of the conflict between PSG RL and brothers Laurent and Nicolas Dabe of promotional agency Évènemenent 1, who had been brought in by Fouroux in the early days of France Rugby League.[32][48] Claiming unpaid monies and threatening a lawsuit if the team closed up shop, they leaked documents to the French authorities, which showed that a large contingent of its Oceanian players had been contracted in the U.K. to dodge French employer taxes, and stayed in Paris on tourist visas instead.[5][47][49] The brothers also asserted that two thirds of PSG RL's shares were in fact owned by the RFL, potentially making it liable in the matter. The RFL strenuously denied that claim, arguing that its two executives sat on the club's board purely as goodwill advisors, and assured the press that it would work with the French federation to clarify any contractual issues.[32][50] In all, the RFL had to cover £200,000 worth of PSG RL's expenses that season.[7] Maurice Lindsay also accused the Dabes of having acted out of spite, due to mounting criticism of their work on behalf of the team.[51][52]

Disbanding

In early September 1997, coach Andy Goodway met with French federation officials to discuss a potential return to the team in 1998. His demands focused on better availability of French players and more games played in the rugby heartlands of the south.[53] However, during the Super League's end-of-season meeting, spokesman Peter Rowe acknowledged that "the future of Paris is causing some concern".[7] Maurice Lindsay said that a demotion to the second tier, which he felt would be more in line with the Paris market's short-term prospects, would be considered.[54] A rumor had circulated during the season that the RFL, which had long desired a club in Newcastle, would solve both problems by moving PSG there in 1998.[55] That did not prove to be the case and in early November 1997, it was announced that second tier runners-up Huddersfield had been promoted to Super League, while PSG would be disbanded due to the financial burden it represented for the British clubs and poor interactions with French rugby league authorities.[56][57] At its worst, the club had been hemorrhaging £50,000 a week.[55] According Lindsay, had it not been for the British clubs' decision, the French federation would have eagerly entered Paris for a third Super League campaign.[56]

Squad

Statistics include appearances and points in the Super League.

No[58] Player Apps Tries Goals DGs Points
1 Dion Bird 21 6 2 0 28
2 Shaun Mahony 5 0 0 0 0
3 Jamie Olejnik 11 8 0 0 32
5 Fabien Devecchi 9 0 0 0 0
6 Jeremy Robinson 13 1 21 0 46
7 Jason Martin 17 3 0 0 12
8 Joe Taylor 14 2 0 0 8
9 David O'Donnell 21 3 0 0 12
10 Tony Priddle 18 3 0 0 12
11 Wayne Sing 19 2 0 0 8
12 Pierre Chamorin 15 2 0 0 8
13 David Lomax 21 1 0 0 4
14 Troy Bellamy 15 0 0 0 0
15 James Durkin 5 0 0 0 0
16 Craig Menkins 9 0 0 0 0
17 Michael Hogue 12 0 0 0 0
18 Anthony Hancock 14 1 0 0 4
19 Phillipe Ricard 1 0 0 0 0
20 Jason Eade 9 4 0 0 12
21 Jason Sands 11 0 0 0 0
22 Paul Evans 18 8 0 0 32
23 Phil Bergman 21 14 0 0 56
24 Alex Couttet 1 0 0 0 0
25 Matt O'Connor 15 1 26 2 58
26 Nicholas Hyde 10 1 0 0 4
27 Adam Peters 19 0 0 0 0
28 Anthony Wall 9 3 3 0 18
29 Didier Cabestany 6 0 0 0 0
30 Abderazak El Halouki 1 0 0 0 0
32 Romain Sort 1 0 0 0 0
33 Jerome Azema 1 0 0 0 0
34 Nicolas Couttet 1 0 0 0 0
Pascal Jampy 1 0 0 0 0
Jason Keough 2 1 0 0 4
Frédéric Teixido 1 0 0 0 0

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