# Lord Derby Cup 2023–2024

The 2023–24 Coupe de France Lord Derby was the 83rd edition of the Coupe de France Lord Derby, the premier rugby league knockout competition in France. It began over the weekend of 16–17 December 2023 and ended with the final at the Stade Gilbert Brutus on 27 April 2024.
The defending champions were AS Carcassonne who defeated Albi RL XIII in the 2022–23 final to win the cup for the 16th time. In the 2023–24 competition, they retained the title by winning 22–6 against FC Lézignan XIII in the final.

## Background

The 83rd edition of the Coupe de France Lord Derby, started on 16 December 2023 and concluded with the final on 27 April 2024. Entry was limited to teams in the top two divisions, Elite 1 (10 teams) and Elite 2 (9 teams). Six teams from Elite 2 took part in a play-off round and the three winners advanced to the round of 16 where they were joined by the 13 teams who entered the competition at this stage.

### 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 |
| Play-off round | 16–17 December | 6 | None | 6 | 6 teams from Elite 2 |
| Round of 16 | 6–7 January | 16 | 3 | 13 | 3 teams from Elite 2 and all 10 teams from Elite 1 |
| Quarter-finals | 9–10 March | 8 | 8 | None | None |
| Semi-finals | 7 April | 4 | 4 |
| Final | 27 April | 2 | 2 |

## Play-off round

On 29 October 2023, the draws for the play-off round and the round of 16 were made in Carcassonne. Ties were played over the weekend of 16–17 December.
Round 1 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| Villefranche XIII Aveyron | 52–40 | RC Carpentras XIII | 16 December, 15:00 | Stade Henri Lagarde | M. Vincent | Report |
| Palau XIII Broncos | 12–32 | Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII | 17 December, 15:00 | Stade Georges Vaills | M. Crespo | Report |
| Ille-sur-Têt XIII | 64–10 | Tonneins XIII | 17 December, 15:00 | Stade Jean Galia | Mickaël Lannes | Report |
| Source: |||||||

## Round of 16

Ties were played over the weekend of 6–7 January.
Round 2 fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| US Entraigues XIII | 06–54 | XIII Limouxin | 6 January, 15:00 | Stade Georges Mauro | | Report |
| Villegailhenc-Aragon XIII | 18–34 | Albi RL XIII | 6 January, 15:00 | Stade Jerome Rieux | M. Lannes | Report |
| RC Salon XIII | 00–82 | SO Avignon | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade Marcel Roustan | | Report |
| Lescure-Arthes | 14–16 | Villeneuve XIII RLLG | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade Jean Vidal | | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 52–00 | Baroudeurs de Pia XIII | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade Albert Domec | | Report |
| Toulouse Olympique Broncos | 30–34 | Saint-Estève XIII Catalan | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade des Minimes | | Report |
| Villefranche XIII Aveyron | 30–34 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade Henri Lagarde | Fabien Nicaud | Report |
| Ille-sur-Têt XIII | 00–24 | FC Lézignan XIII | 7 January, 15:00 | Stade Jean Galia | | Report |
| Source: |||||||

## Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 8 January. Ties were played on the weekend of 9–10 March.
Quarter-final fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| FC Lézignan XIII | 9–8 | Albi RL XIII | 9 March, 15:00 | Stade du Moulin | M. Nicaud | Report |
| SO Avignon | 16–80 | Villeneuve XIII RLLG | 9 March, 16:00 | Parc des Sports Avignon | M. Drizza | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 48–00 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | 9 March, 18:00 | Stade Albert Domec | M. Vincent | Report |
| Saint-Estève XIII Catalan | 26–20 | XIII Limouxin | 10 March, 16:00 | Stade Municipal Saint Esteve | Stéphane Vincent | Report |

## Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals took place on 15 March. In September 2023, it was revealed that both semi-finals would be played in Marseille on the weekend of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the French Rugby League Federation.
Semi-final fixtures :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 32–20 | Saint-Estève XIII Catalan | 7 April, 14:00 | Stade Delort, Marseille | | Report |
| SO Avignon | 48–00 | FC Lézignan XIII | 7 April, 16:30 | Stade Delort, Marseille | | Report |

## Final

The final of the 2023–24 Coupe de France Lord Derby took place on 27 April at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan. The match, which was the middle game of a triple header, was preceded by the women's final and followed by the Luc Nitard final (under-19s). The finals of the U15 and U17 categories were played at the Stade Daniel Ambert, Pia, earlier in the day. Defending champions, AS Carcassonne, had won the cup 16 times and were seeking a third consecutive title having won the cup in 2018–19 and 2022–23 (for three seasons no finals were held due to COVID). There opponents, FC Lézignan, had previously won the cup in the 2014–5 season.
Final :
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Report |
| AS Carcassonne | 22–60 | FC Lézignan XIII | 27 April, 15:00 | Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan | M. Drizza | Report |

### Teams

AS Carcassonne: Escaré, A. Escamilla (c), V. Albert, Franck, Gambaro, Herrero, L. Albert, Boyer, Artiga, Proctor, Serulevu, Bouregba, Canet Interchanges: Dauliac, Malfaz, B. Escamilla, Drodrolagi Head coach: Frédéric Camel
FC Lézignan: F. Flove, J. Flovie, Marty, Martin, Gouzy, Monteil, O'Beirne, Mason, Hack, Perramond, Brocas, Vasuturaga, Ors (c) Interchanges: Cuellar, Albert, Mapapalangi, Reverdy Head coach: Alan Walsh
Source:

## Broadcast matches

Broadcast matches :
| Round | Match | Date | Broadcast method |
| Semi-finals | Carcassonne vs Saint-Estève XIII Catalan | 7 April 2024 | Broadcast live on viàOccitanie and NA TV |
| Semi-finals | Avignon vs Lézignan | 7 April 2024 | Broadcast live on viàOccitanie and NA TV |
| Final | Carcassonne vs Lézignan | 27 April 2024 | Broadcast live on Sport en France, NA TV and viàOccitanie |