First of all I never knew that Rugby League was ever played in Romania and I’m sure many can say the same. Not much has been publicised about Rugby League in Italy either. Whereas France has had much more publicity than those two put together.

Hopefully more information will come to light in regards to Italy and Romania!

Didnt something go through court a few years ago about this? Im sure they got something to say they could challenge for the assets back but chose not to follow it through. Could have dreamt it but im sure i came across some sort of article a while back

I think you need to stop eating cheese at bedtime

For many years, the rugby union authorities had suspected that the French rugby union was abusing the idea of amateurism, and in the early 1930s the French Rugby Union was suspended from playing against the other nations. Looking round for an alternative, many French players turned to rugby league, which soon became the dominant game in France, particularly in the south west of the country. The arrival of a French team on the international scene allowed more variety in the touring pattern, and also for the introduction of a European Championship. The defeat of France had serious implications for rugby league in France. The Vichy regime saw that rugby league was banned (at the request of Berlin) and numerous players, clubs and officials switched codes to union. A part of the assets of the rugby league and its clubs were handed over to the Union. Source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rugby_league It’s a right rabbit hole isn’t it?

For many years, the rugby union authorities had suspected that the French rugby union was abusing the idea of amateurism, and in the early 1930s the French Rugby Union was suspended from playing against the other nations. Looking round for an alternative, many French players turned to rugby league, which soon became the dominant game in France, particularly in the south west of the country. The arrival of a French team on the international scene allowed more variety in the touring pattern, and also for the introduction of a European Championship. The defeat of France had serious implications for rugby league in France. The Vichy regime saw that rugby league was banned (at the request of Berlin) and numerous players, clubs and officials switched codes to union. A part of the assets of the rugby league and its clubs were handed over to the Union. Source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rugby_league It’s a right rabbit hole isn’t it?

Taken from CRL

Wales and Italy will make history on Sunday in Wrexham when they face each other for the first time in a full Rugby League international (kick-off 2pm).

This is followed up on Wednesday 6th October at Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay when the two sides meet at under 23 level (kick-off 7pm).

However it's not the first time that Italian Rugby League sides have visited our shores.

The full international side were here 12 months ago when they took on and beat Serbia 42-12 in the European Cup fifth-sixth play-off match in Maesteg in South Wales.

And ten years ago, the Italians played in the 2000 Emerging Nations World Cup in England, where they beat Canada 66-6 in Keighley and USA 40-16 in Halifax, before falling to the Great Britain Amateur side 20-14 in Dewsbury.

But it has been a full 60-year gap since an Italian and Welsh side last faced each other, seemingly at any level.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, Italian Rugby League sides were frequent and welcome visitors to the United Kingdom.

Club outfits like Padua, Treviso, Venice and Turin became well-known to fans in the UK, and Italian players signed pro contracts with English clubs, often under pseudonyms, as in the years when rugby union was a so-called amateur sport there would be no way back to rugby union in their home country should they wish to return.

For example, Padua's "Tony Rossi" signed for Wigan and "Ferdi Corsi" for Rochdale when in reality they were Antonio Danielli and Fredy Saterato.

Jean Gallia's efforts in the mid-1930s to persuade his fellow countrymen in France to adopt rugby league soon attracted the attention of a trainee commercial lawyer and rugby player in Turin, Vincenzo Bertolotto. But an exhibition game suggested for Rome didn't materialise.

But after the Second World War, discontent with the policies of the Italian rugby union in refusing to strengthen their game to put it on a level with France, led to thoughts of alternatives and the Italian Rugby League was launched in 1950 after several years of talks between then RFL secretary, Bill Fallowfield, and a group of Italian rugby dissidents.

The first game in Italy, an exhibition match in Turin by two French sides, was attending by over 4,000 fans. A local resident, Dennis Chappell, once of Wakefield helped to foster the "rebels", among them one Vincenzo Bertolotto, then an elder statesman of Italian rugby at 38 years old.

Together, they organised a six-game tour to England and Wales which included a game against a "South Wales 13" at the Brewery Field in Bridgend, future home of Celtic Crusaders. Around 2,500 attended to see South Wales win comfortably 29-11 with Ystradgynlais' Les Lewis notching a hat-trick of tries.

The Italians went on to lose all of their matches but on returning home, a Turin-based side joined the French league.

Further tours were made in 1954 and 1960 but despite heavy financial investment from the RFL, the Italian Rugby League struggled. They entertained Australian tourists in 1960, losing 15-37 in Padua and 22-67 in Treviso but by 1962 the game had died out due to pressure on players from the Italian Rugby Union threatening

Mini-revivals took place in the late 1960s and in the 1980s, but it has taken a decade of hard work to get to the position that they are in this year, where a new six-team Italian league, with teams in Padua, Florence and Rome, has been played.

Players from that league are included in this current squad and this weekend they return to Wales for the first time in 60 years.

And it also wasnt just the romanians at it.

In 1964, a number of Yugoslavian rugby clubs were playing rugby league rather than rugby union and the authorities requested that they all change to the union code.[1] It is not clear whether the objection was to professionalism in a Communist society, the style of play, or indeed to standardise rugby football in Yugoslavia,

I personally think that we should.

You only have to look at Australia on how rugby league can thrive if its left alone by interfering rugby Union fans. Mind you France did have a successful rugby league period after the war. Whatever happened to French rugby league after that is anyone’s guess - bed management or interfering forces?

Thanks for this information.

It looks like Italian Rugby League is getting back into the swing of things. Hopefully it wont be interfered with this time!

I think the problems that League had were:

1. The loss of it players and assets.
2. The continuing ban on the name 'rugby league'.

Not quite what occurred.

why not?

every other group that had assets stolen during WW2 had compenations.

we are no different.

RU in france today bears the legacy of the vichy banning of RL. they benefitted directly from the banning. underpinning RU in france is the links / benefits from the vichy regime

nah they couldnt sue because they arent the same sport that was banned

because RU denied RL the use of the term rugby and instead became the game of 13, we were denied a chance to sue because its not the same name as before

something along those lines

Not true.