Magic Weekend to kick-off season in France

A repeat of last season’s Grand Final will kick-off the new French rugby league season in November.

Champions Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan will take on Carcassonne XIII in the opening game of the Magic Weekend on Saturday November 16.

The Catalans Dragons feeder club defeated Carcassonne 32-24 at the Stade Municpal d’Albi last month.

Another mouth-watering tie, between Lezignan and Limoux, follows, while Albi will take on Villeneuve.

There are no changes to the Elite One make-up for the 2019/20 season, with bottom club Toulouse Broncos retaining their place in the division.

They will take on St Gaudens, with the other game seeing Palau Broncos taking on Avignon.

The French season includes 19 rounds, with the 10 teams playing each other home and away as well as the Magic Weekend.

The top six then qualify for the end of season play-offs, with the top two advancing straight to the semi-finals.

First place will play the winners of 3rd v 6th, while second place will play the winners of 4th v 5th.

The two winning semi-finalists then play in the Championship Final on the weekend of June 13/14.

You can view the full season’s fixtures here.