Toulouse Olympique finished eighth in Super League on half funding, above Catalans Dragons for the first time in 25 years, but French fans saw no Super League matches on TV all season.
Sylvain Houles' newly promoted team ended the campaign level on points with Catalans, ahead only on points difference, yet their performances drew contrasting reviews. Toulouse won more matches than established clubs such as Hull FC, Castleford and Huddersfield, while Catalans endured a chaotic season with NRL imports lacking consistency.
TV blackout frustrates French fans
“There has been no Super League on French TV all season,” said journalist Esteban Raña. Matches were live streamed by Rugbyrama, but only for French teams, meaning no Good Friday derbies, playoffs, Grand Final or World Cup coverage. “French fans deserve to see everything,” Raña added.
The French sporting public missed Warrington's win over Hull KR and Wakefield's run to a historic semi-final. Raña hopes Dazn, which shows Serie A and La Liga in France, will bring Super League back to French screens in February.
Houles' bargain recruits shine
Houles added only a handful of recruits to his Championship-winning team, none with extensive top-flight experience and all cheap. Italy international Luke Polselli played across the back line, Joe Cator added grit up front, and Louis Grossemy, rejected by Sydney Roosters, Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs, earned a place in France's 40-man World Cup squad.
Olly Ashall-Bott emerged as one of the league's best English full-backs, while domestic halves César Rougé and Thomas Lacans clicked delightfully. Mathieu Jussaume was voted into the Super League dream team, only the second Frenchman after Rémi Casty. With 80% of players under contract, continuity is expected under Houles next year, his 20th at the club.
Catalans face overhaul
Catalans ended the season with a different chief executive, manager, head coach and assistant than they started with. Ben Garcia is retiring to become sporting director, and Laurent Frayssinous will return as assistant after the World Cup. New arrivals include Joe Burgess, Nick Cotric, Edenn Rogers-Smith, Cole Geyer, Jesse Arthars, Luciano Leilua, Tyson Gamble and Amir Bourouh.
At Toulouse, home form and attendances were disappointing. A crowd of 7,360 for the final home game against Hull was promising despite a 40C heatwave, but just 3,743 attended the previous week against Bradford. The club received £650,000 in central funding, while Stade Toulousain, sharing the Stade Ernest-Wallon, have a budget of €63m.
In Perpignan, Dragons' crowds held up well, with more than 9,000 attending their final home game against York. Raña noted that when Catalans reached the 2023 Grand Final, 85,000 watched on L'Équipe TV. “We know there is an audience for it but, if you cannot watch it on TV, we cannot grow,” he said. “I'm sure the NRL, IMG and Super League will fix that.”
