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The Coupe de France was a French rugby union competition founded early in the 20th century. It was abandoned during World War II but was restarted in 1943. All clubs were invited to participate, and about 100 of them took part, with first division teams joining in the later rounds.

The 1951 final was so violent that the Rugby Football Union, requested its discontinuation, fearing France could be expelled from the Five Nations Tournament which they had rejoined in 1939. Consequently, the chairman of the French Federation made the decision to end the competition. It was replaced the following year by the Challenge Yves du Manoir which had been ended by the war.

The competition was revived in the mid-1980s under the initiative of Albert Ferrasse, then president of the French Federation, running alongside both the championship and the Challenge Yves du Manoir. However, low attendance and a congested schedule led to its cancellation after three seasons.

A final attempt to resurrect it was made in 1996, when it was merged with the Challenge Yves du Manoir to create the Trophée Du-Manoir Coupe de France. This version lasted until 2003 under three different names. As a result, the final seven competitions are counted in both the Coupe de France and Challenge Du Manoir records.

Finals

References

• Viard, Frédéric; Duboisset, François (2011). "9: La scène rugbystique nationale". Le Rugby Pour les Nuls (in French). p. 165. ISBN 9782754032902.

• Rugby union competitions in France