The effect of the vichy government on league in france was huge as it was becoming very popular up until that point, and the rules that were enforced on the code to limit growth until 1991 also killed off any chance of a resurgence the sport could possibly have plus the asset stripping that went down they really had no chance.
I have just been to a country in the last month where rugby league is banned and it is illegal to play or watch a game of league, all due to intervention from union. I know this through a series of strange circumstances where i ended up attending a union match over there (christ it is duller then i remember) and some took great smugness in telling me this fact.
Anybody who thinks, even in the modern day, union doesn't use every opportunity it gets to kill or undermine growth of rugby league in other countries either doesn't know much on the subject or is incredibly nieve.