Yvon Gourbal (

Torreilles Torreilles (; oc, Torrelles de la Salanca) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Torreilles is located in the canton of La Côte Salanquaise and in the arrondissement of Perpignan. Population ...

, 14 August 1939 -

Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque (; ca, Sant Llorenç de la Salanca) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Geography Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque is located in the canton of La Côte Salanquaise and in the arron ...

, 31 October 2004) was a French

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player and coach.

Biography

He played several seasons for

XIII Catalan XIII Catalan is a rugby league team from Perpignan in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of southern France. They were founded in 1934, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship. In 2000 their senior team merged with n ...

, a rugby league club based in Perpignan, with which he won the Lord Derby Cup in 1959. Thanks to his club performances, he received 4 caps for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

between 1960 and 1964 taking part at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

Rugby League World Cup, however, he did not take part at any match due to his military duties as well as not managing to obtain a long-term permit for said tournament. After his playing career, he embraced a successful coaching career. Under his guidance,

won four

French Championships The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

in a row in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985, as well as a Lord Derby Cup in 1985. He ended his tenure at XIII Catalan in 1986, but he later coached Le Pontet from March 1987.

Honours

As player

* Team honours: ** Winner of the Lord Derby Cup in 1959 (

Cap details

As coach

* Team honours ** French Champion in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 (

). ** Winner of the Lord Derby Cup: 1985 (

). ** Runner-up at the

French Championship The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. ...

: 1986 (

) and 1987 (Le Pontet). ** Runner-up at the Lord Derby Cup: 1983 (

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Yvon Gourbal statistics
at rugbyleagueproject.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Gourbal, Yvon 1939 births 2004 deaths France national rugby league team players French rugby league coaches French rugby league players Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Occitania (administrative region) Sportspeople from Pyrénées-Orientales XIII Catalan coaches XIII Catalan players