# Lord Derby Cup 2022–2023

The 2022–23 Coupe de France Lord Derby was the 82nd edition of the Coupe de France Lord Derby, the premier rugby league knockout competition in France. It began on 6 November 2022 and ended with the final at the Stade Gilbert Brutus on 22 April 2023.
As no finals were played in the previous three seasons, the defending champions were AS Carcassonne who defeated Saint-Estève XIII Catalan in the 2018–19 final to win the cup for the 15th time. In the 2022–23 competition, they retained the title by winning 36–12 against Albi RL XIII in the final.

## Background

The 82nd edition of the Coupe de France Lord Derby, started on 6 November 2022 and concluded with the final on 22 April 2023. The 30 teams taking part were from Elite 1 (10 teams), Elite 2 (9 teams), the National Division (7 teams) and the Federal Division (4 teams). Teams entered at different stages the competition based on their division with Elite 2 teams joining in Round 4 and Elite 1 teams joining in the Round of 16. In matches between teams from different divisions, the venue was the stadium of the team from the lower division.

### Format and dates

Lord Derby French Cup competition format :
| Round | Date | Clubs involved this round | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues entering at this round |
| Round 1 | 6 November | 4 | None | 4 | 4 Federal Division teams |
| Round 2 | 20 November | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 National Division teams |
| Round 3 | 18 December | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 National Division teams |
| Round 4 | 22–23 January | 12 | 3 | 9 | All 9 teams from Elite 2 |
| Round of 16 | 18–19 February | 16 | 6 | 10 | All 10 teams from Elite 1 |
| Quarter-finals | 4–5 March | 8 | 8 | None | None |
| Semi-finals | 9 April | 4 | 4 |
| Final | 22 April | 2 | 2 |

## Round 1

The draw for the first three rounds was announced on 26 October 2022. Round 1 ties were played on 6 November.
Round 1 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| US Trentels XIII | 37–22 | AS Clairac XIII | 6 November, 15:00 | | | |
| Toulouges XIII Panthers | – | Val XIII | 6 November, 15:00 | | | |
| Source: |||||||

## Round 2

Ties were played on 20 November.
Round 2 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| Pamiers XIII | 48–00 | Villefranche d'Albigeois | 20 November, 15:00 | | | |
| Salses XIII | 14–22 | US Ferrals XIII | 20 November, 15:00 | | M. Sabri | |
| Val XIII | 38–60 | US Trentels XIII | 20 November, 15:00 | Stade Municipal, Serviès-en-Val | M. Grandjean | |
| Source: |||||||

## Round 3

Ties were played on 18 December.
Round 3 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| Pamiers XIII | 16–18 | Palau XIII Broncos | 18 December, 15:00 | | | |
| US Ferrals XIII | 38–30 | Saint-Martin XIII | 18 December, 15:00 | | | |
| Val XIII | 31–32 | Baroudeur XIII Laurentin | 18 December, 15:00 | | | |
| Source: |||||||

## Round 4

The draws for Round 4 and the Round of 16 were made on 10 December 2022. Round 4 ties were played on 22 January with one match postponed until 5 February.
Round 4 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| US Entraigues XIII | 44–22 | Ille-sur-Têt XIII | 22 January, 15:00 | Stade Georges Mauro | | Report |
| US Ferrals XIII | 26–14 | RC Salon XIII | 22 January, 15:00 | Stade de la Fontaine | M. De La Rose | Report |
| RC Baho XIII | 18–26 | RC Carpentras XIII | 22 January, 15:00 | Stade Michel Bardes | | Report |
| Palau XIII Broncos | 11–16 | Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII | 22 January, 15:00 | Stade Georges-Vaills | Salim Sabri | Report |
| RC Lescure-Arthes XIII | 34–22 | Tonneins XIII | 5 February | Stade Jean Vidal | | Report |
| Baroudeur XIII Laurentin | 00–30 | Villefranche XIII Aveyron | Match forfeited by Baroudeur XIII Laurentin | Match forfeited by Baroudeur XIII Laurentin | Match forfeited by Baroudeur XIII Laurentin | Match forfeited by Baroudeur XIII Laurentin |
| Source: |||||||

## Round of 16

Ties were played over the weekend of 18–19 February.
Round of 16 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| RC Carpentras XIII | 06–88 | AS Carcassonne | 18 February | Stade de la Roseraie | | Report |
| Saint-Estève XIII Catalan | 16–29 | SO Avignon | 18 February | Stade Municipal | | Report |
| Albi RL XIII | 52–18 | Villeneuve XIII RLLG | 18 February | Stade Mazicou | M. Vincent | Report |
| US Entraigues XIII | 12–68 | FC Lézignan XIII | 19 February | Stade Georges Mauro | | Report |
| Villefranche XIII Aveyron | 20–30 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | 19 February | Stade Henri Legarde | | Report |
| US Ferrals XIII | 22–78 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII | 19 February | Stade de la Fontaine | | Report |
| RC Lescure-Arthes XIII | 00–88 | XIII Limouxin | 19 February | Stade Jean Vidal | | Report |
| Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII | 44–28 | Toulouse Olympique Broncos | 19 February | Stade Jérôme-Rieux | M. Grandjean | Report |
| Source: |||||||

## Quarter-finals

Ties were played over the weekend of 4–5 March.
Quarterr-final fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| XIII Limouxin | 42–60 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | 4 March, 15:00 | Stade Jérome-Rieux | M. Caffin | Report |
| SO Avignon | 18–80 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII | 4 March, 17:00 | Parc des Sports | | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 28–14 | FC Lézignan XIII | 4 March, 18:00 | Stade Albert Domec | M. Crespo | Report |
| Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII | 20–42 | Albi RL XIII | 5 March, 16:00 | Stade Jérôme-Rieux | | Report |
| Source: |||||||

## Semi-finals

The semi-finals took place on 9 April. They were played as part of a triple header with a Coupe de France Luc Nitard (under-19s) semi-final match.
Semi-final fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| SO Avignon | 14–46 | AS Carcassonne | 9 April, 17:00 | Stadium d'Albi | M. Vincent | Report |
| XIII Limouxin | 28–34 | Albi RL XIII | 9 April, 19:00 | Stadium d'Albi | M. Delarose | Report |
| Source: |||||||

## Final

The final of the 2022–23 Coupe de France Lord Derby took place on 22 April at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan. The match, which was part of a triple header, was preceded by the finals of the U15 and U17 competitions. AS Carcassonne, had won the cup 15 times and were defending champions having won the cup in 2018–19 (for three seasons no competition was held due to COVID). There opponents, Albi, had previously won the cup once, in the 1973–74 season, and last reached the final in the 2007–08 season.
Final :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 36–12 | Albi RL XIII | 22 April, 17:15 | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | M. Delarose | Report |
| Source: |||||||

### Teams

AS Carcassonne: Escaré, A. Escamilla, Bouregba, V. Albert, Gambaro, Herrero, O'Beirne, Boyer, Artiga, Canet, Surulevu, Mulhall, Khedimi Interchanges: Drodrolagi, B. Escamilla, Dauliac, Alberola Head coach: Frédéric Camel
Albi RL: Miloudi, Pedrero, Thilhades, Guiguet, Cancé, Wall, Gigot, Rodrigues, S. Cook, Diakhaté, Dupuy, Goffin, Bernard Interchanges: J. Cook, Liauzun, Puech, Mazars Head coach: Joris Canton
Source:

## Broadcast matches

Broadcast matches :
| Round | Match | Date | Broadcast method |
| Semi-finals | Avignon v Carcassonne | 9 April 2023 | Broadcast live on Albi TV |
| Semi-finals | Limouxin vs Albi | 9 April 2023 | Broadcast live on Albi TV |
| Final | Carcassonne vs Albi | 22 April 2023 | Broadcast live on Sport en France and viàOccitanie |