Elite One Championship 2007–2008

The 2007/08 season was the fifth year of the Elite One Championship, the top level rugby league competition in France. The season commenced on 6 October 2007 and like the previous season, there were 11 teams with one team missing a round each week. A total of 22 rounds were played, with the last finishing on 12 April 2008 before the play-offs, that determined who played in the Grand Final. RC Albi were the league's new club having been promoted from the Elite Two Championship. Pia XIII were the defending champions having beaten Lézignan Sangliers in the 2006/2007 season Grand Final. The top 8 clubs qualified for the end of season play-offs. In the first week of the play-offs, Saint-Gaudens Bears and UTC both easily beat Toulouse Olympique and RC Albi respectively. However both teams were then beaten, Saint-Gaudens Bears by third placed AS Carcassonne, and UTC by Limoux Grizzlies in Week 2. Pia XIII beat AS Carcassonne in the first semi-final and a day later Lézignan Sangliers, the league leaders, squeezed past Limoux Grizzlies. In the Grand Final held at the Stade de la Mediterranee in Béziers, Lézignan Sangliers did what they had failed to do the previous season and beat Pia XIII 26-16, and thus winning the title for the first time. Despite finishing 8th and reaching the Lord Derby cup final RC Albi were relegated and Toulouse Olympique left the league and joined the English Rugby League system. SO Avignon were promoted from the 2nd tier. The Lord Derby Cup was won by Limoux Grizzlies.

Table
Points win=3: draw=2: loss=1:

Round 1

 * Albi Tigers 24-36 Toulouse Olympique
 * Pia Donkeys 22-18 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Carcassonne 30-20 UTC
 * Villeneuve Leopards 52-12 Carpentras
 * Lézignan Sangliers 30-14 Saint-Gaudens Bears

Round 2

 * Toulouse Olympique 19-14 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Carcassonne 17-24 Pia Donkeys
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 44-0 Albi Tigers
 * Carpentras 48-20 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Limoux Grizzlies 31-18 Lézignan Sangliers

Round 3

 * Albi Tigers 30-18 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 10-24 Toulouse Olympique
 * Villeneuve Leopards 16-36 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Carpentras 4-44 Carcassonne
 * UTC 44-28 Pia Donkeys

Round 4

 * Carcassonne 37-12 Toulouse Olympique
 * Lézignan Sangliers 46-18 Albi Tigers
 * UTC 32-16 Carpentras
 * Limoux Grizzlies 40-10 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 12-16 Saint-Gaudens Bears

Round 5

 * Villeneuve Leopards 24-50 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Pia Donkeys 86-4 Carpentras
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 24-20 Carcassonne
 * Limoux Grizzlies 38-4 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Toulouse Olympique 32-40 UTC

Round 6

 * Albi Tigers 36-12 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Carcassonne 35-0 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 24-34 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 48-14 UTC
 * Toulouse Olympique 12-38 Pia Donkeys

Round 7

 * Pia Donkeys 58-8 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 22-16 Albi Tigers
 * Carpentras 28-16 Toulouse Olympique
 * Lézignan Sangliers 38-11 Carcassonne
 * UTC 30-22 Limoux Grizzlies

Round 8

 * Carcassonne 50-30 Albi Tigers
 * Villeneuve Leopards 30-14 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 54-18 Carpentras
 * UTC 24-40 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Limoux Grizzlies 30-32 Pia Donkeys

Round 9

 * Toulouse Olympique 14-10 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Albi Tigers 8-12 UTC
 * Villeneuve Leopards 3-22 Carcassonne
 * Lézignan Sangliers 22-4 Pia Donkeys
 * Limoux Grizzlies 28-14 Carpentras

Round 10

 * Toulouse Olympique 8-26 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Pia Donkeys 27-4 Albi Tigers
 * Carcassonne 37-12 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * UTC 66-6 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Lézignan Sangliers 68-16 Carpentras

Round 11

 * Albi Tigers 35-8 Carpentras
 * Pia Donkeys 10-6 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 12-31 UTC
 * Lézignan Sangliers 38-12 Toulouse Olympique
 * Limoux Grizzlies 34-22 Saint-Gaudens Bears

Round 12

 * Toulouse Olympique 24-6 Albi Tigers
 * Carpentras 28-10 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 22-28 Pia Donkeys
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 18-36 Lézignan Sangliers
 * UTC 10-28 Carcassonne

Round 13

 * Albi Tigers 18-38 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Villeneuve Leopards 4-14 Toulouse Olympique
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 50-14 Carpentras
 * Pia Donkeys 32-6 Carcassonne
 * Lézignan Sangliers 52-12 Limoux Grizzlies

Round 14

 * Limoux Grizzlies 52-8 Albi Tigers
 * Toulouse 28-10 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 16-21 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Carcassonne 74-14 Carpentras
 * Pia Donkeys 30-20 UTC

Round 15

 * Albi Tigers 24-21 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 12-14 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Toulouse 10-19 Carcassonne
 * Villeneuve Leopards 16-10 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Carpentras 30-26 UTC

Round 16

 * Carcassonne 28-18 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 18-16 Limoux Grizzlies
 * UTC 28-4 Toulouse
 * Lézignan Sangliers 66-6 Villeneuve Leopards
 * Pia Donkeys 66-16 Carpentras

Round 17

 * Villeneuve Leopards 23-19 Albi Tigers
 * Limoux Grizzlies 14-28 Carcassonne
 * UTC 24-16 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Lézignan Sangliers 50-26 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Pia Donkeys 40-20 Toulouse

Round 18

 * Albi Tigers - Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Limoux Grizzlies 44-20 UTC
 * Carcassonne 14-28 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 22-20 Pia Donkeys
 * Toulouse 36-20 Carpentras

Round 19

 * Albi Tigers 12-36 Carcassonne
 * Lézignan Sangliers 42-34 UTC
 * Pia Donkeys 48-16 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Carpentras 6-42 Saint-Gaudens Bears
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne - Villeneuve Leopards

Round 20

 * UTC 14-12 Albi Tigers
 * Pia Donkeys 26-30 Lézignan Sangliers
 * Carpentras 9-54 Limoux Grizzlies
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 18-6 Toulouse
 * Carcassonne 22-14 Villeneuve Leopards

Round 21

 * Albi Tigers 12-22 Pia Donkeys
 * Lézignan Sangliers 56-10 Carpentras
 * Villeneuve Leopards 26-36 UTC
 * Limoux Grizzlies 42-8 Toulouse
 * Lyon-Villeurbanne 24-20 Carcassonne

Round 22

 * Carpentras 22-14 Albi Tigers
 * Villeneuve Leopards 16-22 Pia Donkeys
 * Toulouse 18-66 Toulouse
 * UTC 70-12 Lyon-Villeurbanne
 * Saint-Gaudens Bears 0-34 Limoux Grizzlies

Club

 * Most Victories: Lézignan Sangliers; 18
 * Least Victories: Albi Tigers, Lyon-Villeurbanne, Carpentras, Villeneuve Leopards; 5
 * Best Offense: Lézignan Sangliers; 829
 * Worst Offense: Villeneuve Leopards; 309
 * Best Defense: Carcassonne; 343
 * Worst Defense: Carpentras; 861
 * Biggest Margin: R5 Pia Donkeys 86-4 Carpentras; 82pts
 * Most Points: R5 Pia Donkeys 86-4 Carpentras; 90pts
 * Least Points: R11 Pia Donkeys 10-6 Villeneuve Leopards; 16pts

Player

 * Top Points Scorer: Philip Ramage (Limoux Grizzlies); 238
 * Top Try Scorer: Jared Taylor (Lézignan Sangliers); 34
 * Top Conversion Scorer: Nicolas Munoz (Lézignan Sangliers); 98
 * Top Drop-Kick Scorer: Frederic Banquet (Carcassonne); 4