It’s an old trivia question for the ages: who scored the first try in Super League history?
There are some legendary players who emerged from the first season of summer rugby league, including Great Britain center Paul Newlove who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 28 tries as St Helens became champions.
Wigan Warriors captain Andy Farrell was named the Man of Steel, team-mate Jason Robinson tore through defenses while young gun Iestyn Harris stepped forward and scored a stunning solo effort for Warrington Wolves.
But anyone who knows their onions will remember that it was a very rare name who got their first Super League test when the bright new era began in 1996 – Frederic’s party.
The French club, of course, crossed over as newbies Paris St Germain kicked off with all the hype and razzmatazz at their Charlety Stadium, winning a famous 30-24 win on the opening night against the Sheffield Eagles.
As the Super League prepares to celebrate its 30th birthday on March 29 – the anniversary of that landmark game – Banquet admitted, from home in France, that his thoughts remain clear.
He said: “My main thoughts are the Charlety stadium which was full of French and English supporters – there were about 18,000 people there – and the opening of the Super League in Europe.
“Even though it was 30 years ago, I still remember that attempt by the Sheffield player [Johnny Lawless] lost control of the ball about 30m from his line.
“I recovered and managed to win the first try of the game – and the first try in the Super League.
“Actually, I didn’t have time to feel the emotions at that time because I was very busy with the game.
But, today, it is still one of the best memories of my life. And we keep seeing that experiment repeated every year when the Super League starts again.
It was also a birthday present for Banquet who had turned 20 five days earlier.
Among the PSG side that day was France’s excellent scrum-half Patrick Entat who remains one of the greatest players in the history of Les Tricolores.
Banquet, now 50, added: “I was very lucky to play with Patrick Entat at Leeds and I was at Featherstone Rovers for two years before Super League started.
“We had already played together for the French national team, and again in 1996 with PSG. He was an exemplary player on the pitch: an outstanding leader, and a man who likes to win.”
PSG, of course, managed just three wins all season in 1996, the others coming against Workington Town and London.
Banquet played in all of them – he won seven tries in 18 games before joining Wakefield Trinity the following campaign – but the French side lasted just two seasons in the Super League before disbanding, beset by a series of problems that hampered their chances of success.
Banquet, who scored 15 tries in 20 games mainly as a player for Featherstone in the 1994-95 season, admitted: “Personally, having only played one season with PSG, I think they lacked the resources to build a truly professional team.
“Training sessions were held in Toulouse, and matches were held in Paris or England.
“In the second season, the players were in Paris, and it must have been a financial burden for the team.”
However, the party was happy to see the Catalans Dragons They are finally proving themselves in the Super League as a true force for French rugby league.
They won the Challenge Cup in 2018, finished three years later and have reached two Grand Finals, bringing a lot of competition. And now Toulouse Olympique are also back in the Super League for their second season in the top flight, giving a lot of faith that the game can start at the top level.
Banquet, who had a brief spell with Sheffield in 1995-96, added: “Since his formation in 2000, Bernard Guasch has succeeded in his efforts to create a Super League club in Perpignan, creating and stabilizing a professional team.
“They have now been in the competition for 20 years. We can only hope for the same success in Toulouse.
“Because with these two professional teams, rugby league is back at the top in France – and this gives great hope to our young players who have great talent and ambition.”
The Catalans will host Wigan in Paris on June 6 to mark the Catalans’ 20th anniversary in the Super League and – where it all began – 30 years since the Super League began.
Banquet, who is still involved in the game through his position on the French Rugby League’s disciplinary committee, said: “I hope to be there for a very exciting event.
“It’s a good idea to host another match in Paris for the 30th anniversary of the Super League.
“Furthermore, the Super XIII Championship match will be played before the Catalans v Wigan game; this provides a great opportunity for fans to come together in the capital.
“Now that I look back at the Super League for forty years, it is difficult to find out who the best player was.
But from my generation, the one who remembers is someone from that Wigan team – Andy Farrell.
Meanwhile, Banquet, wishes he could have played more in the Super League; he returned to France in July 1997 after spending his second season with Wakefield’s second team, aged just 21.
He explained: “The year before the Super League, I signed with Sheffield Eagles, where I played for half a year.
But as the summer schedule featured the first Super League match between Paris and Sheffield, I couldn’t stay with them. [Eagles].
“I contacted Wakefield for that end [95-96] on the contrary, where I had a great time playing with talented players.
“I had to go back to England later.” But having to go to the army in France prevented me from pursuing my childhood dream.
After that, I played for Villeneuve-sur-Lot, where we won three French league titles and three French Cups, as well as the European Cup seven times.
“I finished my career at Carcassonne, my boyhood club, with whom I won the French Cup at the age of 35 in 2009.”
Written by Dave Craven
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