Pia Donkeys

Infobox rugby league club
clubname = SM Pia XIII


fullname = Salanque Meditérrannée PIA XIII
nickname = Pia Donkeys
shortname =
founded = 1960
ground = Stade Daniel Ambert
capacity = 10,000
ceo = flagicon|France Français Labéde
mgrtitle = Coach
manager = flagicon|France Luc Mendez
league = Elite One Championship
season = 2007
position = 1st

SM Pia XIII are a French rugby league team from Pia in the Pyrénées-Orientales "département". The club was formed in 1960 and now plays in the Elite Championship, the highest tier of French domestic rugby league.

History

The club won both the Elite One Championship and the Lord Derby Cup in 2007 for a second successive year, but in the past the club have not fared as well, winning only one other championship in their history.

In 2005 the club competed in the Challenge Cup. The club defeated Keighley Cougars in its first match, winning 53 to 26, before going down to the World Champion Leeds Rhinos, 70 to nil. A loss to Harlequins RL followed in 2007 yet they returned in 2008 eventually meeting Wigan Warriors in the fourth round where despite brave resistance they eventually went down 74 to 4.

Honours

*sport honours|French Championship|3| 1996, 2006, 2007
*sport honours|Lord Derby Cup|3| 1975, 2006, 2007

Records

*Biggest Victory: 126-4 against Carpentras in the 2005/2006 season of the Elite Championship.
*Biggest Defeat: 4-74 against Wigan Warriors in the 2008 Challenge Cup.

External links

* [http://www.pia.sm13.info/ Official website]
* [http://brothers.info.free.fr/pia%2013/ Pia fansite]