Elite One Championship V Grand Final
Encyclopedia
The Elite One Championship V Grand Final was the last match to complete the Elite One Championship V
season and to crown the 2008 champions. The final was contested by Lezignan Sangliers
, who had finished first in the league table and had beaten Limoux Grizzlies
to reach the final, and Pia Donkeys who had finished second in the league table and had beaten Carcassonne
to reach the final. The final was held at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers
on 17 May 2008.
kicking a penalty after 5 minutes for Pia to lead by two points. They further extended this lead with a try from Nicolas Piquemal, although the conversion was unsuccessful. In the 15th minute Australian halfback James Wynne kicked a penalty and also successfully kicked the conversion to Jared Taylor's try seven minutes later. Jared Taylor, who was top try scorer in the league, then scored another try to propel Lezignan to a 12-6 lead going into half time, despite Pia having been ahead 0-6.
style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>
PIA DONKEYS
West
Piquemal
Franze
Djalout
Muniesa
Greseque
Sant
Bosnich
Knecht
Pradal
Kennedy
Traversa
Martins
Cala
Leger
Garrabe
Carrere
Elite One Championship V
Elite One Championship V is the official name for the 2007/2008 Elite One Championship season in the sport of rugby league.The season commenced on 6 October 2007. Like last season, there are 11 teams with one team missing a round each week...
season and to crown the 2008 champions. The final was contested by Lezignan Sangliers
Lézignan Sangliers
Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France...
, who had finished first in the league table and had beaten Limoux Grizzlies
Limoux Grizzlies
Limoux Grizzlies are a French rugby league club from the town of Limoux in the département of Aude. They play in the Elite One Championship.-History:The Limoux club was founded in 1951. The club won its first and thus far only French Championship in 1968...
to reach the final, and Pia Donkeys who had finished second in the league table and had beaten Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
to reach the final. The final was held at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
on 17 May 2008.
Scorecard
First Half
Lezignan Sangliers won the match 26-16 after being 12-6 up at half-time, to win the championship for the first time in their history. However it was Pia who scored first with Maxime GrésèqueMaxime Grésèque
Maxime Grésèque is a French professional rugby league footballer for Pia XIII of the Elite One Championship A France international representative goal-kicking scrum half or stand-off half, he played previously for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats of Super League.Greseque played from the bench for...
kicking a penalty after 5 minutes for Pia to lead by two points. They further extended this lead with a try from Nicolas Piquemal, although the conversion was unsuccessful. In the 15th minute Australian halfback James Wynne kicked a penalty and also successfully kicked the conversion to Jared Taylor's try seven minutes later. Jared Taylor, who was top try scorer in the league, then scored another try to propel Lezignan to a 12-6 lead going into half time, despite Pia having been ahead 0-6.
Second Half
Just after half time saw Lezignan's Manu Bansept pick up the only yellow card of the match, and the third for him that season. Within a minute Pia had levelled the score with Sebastien Martins, playing just his sixth match in 2008. Maxime Grésèque kicked the two points but was unable to do so in the 56th minute which saw Dean Bosnich score his eighth try of the season. This meant that Pia held a narrow four-point lead. However Lezignan proved once again why they finished top of the league, scoring two tries in the 64th and 69th minute from Frenchmen Franck Rovira and Gregory Mazard respectively. Nicolas Munoz, who finished top conversion scorer for the season, kicked both conversions successfully. With one minute to go he then kicked a penalty for Lezignan to seal the victory.Teams
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | LEZIGNAN SANGLIERS |
| Taylor |
| Mazzard |
| Mullane |
| Bringuier |
| Janzac |
| Cologni |
| Wynne |
| Brown |
| Bansept |
| Roméro |
| Beattie |
| Lacans |
| Rovira |
| Tribillac |
| Aussaguel |
| Munoz |
| Laurent |
Facts
- This had been the third time that Lezignan had beaten Pia in the season, winning 22-4 in Round 9 and narrowly winning 26-30 in Pia in Round 20.
- The 2007 Grand Final featured the same two teams however it was Pia who beat Lezignan 20-16.
- Despite winning three French Championships in 1960, 1962 and 1977, this was the first time that Lezignan won the Elite Championship, the competition having replaced the French Championship in 2003.
- The teams were made up of 24 Frenchmen, 9 Australians and 1 New Zealander.
- Lezignan's Chris BeattieChris Beattie (rugby league)Chris Beattie is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Lezignan Sangliers in the Elite One Championship rugby league competition in France.-Playing career:...
was the eldest on the field at 32 years old. - Two players, Lezignan's Chris Beattie and Pia's Paul FranzePaul FranzePaul Franze is an Australian rugby league player for the Gateshead Thunder. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the Australian National Rugby League and for the Castleford Tigers in the European Super League, as well as a rugby union player for the...
have had experience with Australian National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
clubs, Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and Newcastle KnightsNewcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
respectively. Beattie had also played in the State of OriginRugby League State of OriginState of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
. Pia's Maxime Grésèque has had experience with Super League team Wakefield Trinity WildcatsWakefield Trinity WildcatsWakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
.