M Hadden (Antrim), C Dunne (Athboy), Mikey Russell (Barnhall), S Hesketh (Batley), W Kelly (Belfast Met Scholars), H Peacock (Carcassonne), J Murphy (Dewsbury), L Ambler, C Casey, B Johnston (all Halifax), E Cosgrove (Keighley), R Mulhern (Leeds), B Beswick (capt), M Platt (both Leigh), J Toole (North Sydney), C Mulkeen (Oxford), S McDonnell (St Helens), G O'Keeffe (Treaty City), W Hope (unattached), B Hargreaves (Wigan St Patricks) Good old Gutterfax always one not to let facts get in his way at least 11 of the squad have played in the championship this year, Matty Hadden has played in c1 along with the other lad from oxford. everyone knows who Shannon McDonnel is he along with Robbie Mulhern has been in SL environment all year. In fact this report quote Mark aston as saying the Irish only included 2 domestic players in the 13. https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rug ... --spt.html The fact remains France should probably have won, but there is so many reasons why the players Jean cited missed out this time and so well done to Ireland who have undoubtably livened up this Euro comp

M Hadden (Antrim), C Dunne (Athboy), Mikey Russell (Barnhall), S Hesketh (Batley), W Kelly (Belfast Met Scholars), H Peacock (Carcassonne), J Murphy (Dewsbury), L Ambler, C Casey, B Johnston (all Halifax), E Cosgrove (Keighley), R Mulhern (Leeds), B Beswick (capt), M Platt (both Leigh), J Toole (North Sydney), C Mulkeen (Oxford), S McDonnell (St Helens), G O'Keeffe (Treaty City), W Hope (unattached), B Hargreaves (Wigan St Patricks) Good old Gutterfax always one not to let facts get in his way at least 11 of the squad have played in the championship this year, Matty Hadden has played in c1 along with the other lad from oxford. everyone knows who Shannon McDonnel is he along with Robbie Mulhern has been in SL environment all year. In fact this report quote Mark aston as saying the Irish only included 2 domestic players in the 13. https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rug ... --spt.html The fact remains France should probably have won, but there is so many reasons why the players Jean cited missed out this time and so well done to Ireland who have undoubtably livened up this Euro comp

only a squad list sorry

France (from): J Baitieri (capt), J Bousquet, D Cardace, B Garcia, A Maria, E Pelissier (all Catalan Dragons), K Larroyer (Hull KR), J Fakir (Lezignan), R Marginet, F Vaccari (Palau), T Fages (Salford), J-P Baile, W Barthau, T Margalet, M Pala, M Simon (St Esteve), T Maurel, A Wood (Toulouse).

Elima's retired from internationals iirc.

Didn't England lose a friends a few years back against some random Aussie amateur team like Wagga Wagga u21s or something.

Says a lot for English rugby league

Regards

King James

Looks like the French domestic comp has fallen even further behind the championship

I always thought the French Elite was a little behind the Championship, that said my only comparison was Challenge cup games against English teams. E.g Lezignan beat Rochdale, Workington and Whitehaven off the top of my head but Pia and Carcassone got thumped by Fev and Sheffield respectively.

Again, not exactly scientific but the results suggested the top 3/4 of the elite could survive in the championship but would get touched up by the bigger names

The problem isn't Catalans being in SL (that can only be good for French RL) the problem is the terrible organisation of international RL.

There is (or appears to be) no long term plan or strategy whatsoever, there doesn't even appear to be a short term plan.

These games should have been planned and arranged at least a year in advance. Then they could've been advertised within the RL community at least.

But then even the 4 Nations is ridiculous with schedules not announced long enough in advance and no-one even knows which years it's going to be on or not. There isn't even a 4 Nations website FFS.

This isn't just an anti-RFL post either, it's game-wide and the Aussies have a lot to be blamed for too.

If the RL authorities started taking it more seriously then maybe clubs and players would take it more seriously and finally fans might too.

Having attended yesterday's game and therefore in a far better position than most on the board to comment on it, the French seemed to lack cohesion early on and seemed less up for it than the Irish. A really strange wind was blowing passes that were clearly backwards in a forward direction, forcing the receivers to chase after them (pretty much all kicks towards one end of the ground were low and short as anything high was coming back over the head.

The French got pinged quite heavily for offside and this too disrupted them. They only came to life late on in the game and pulled it back from 16 to nil back to sixteen 12. On paper they were much stronger but they didn't seem to produce on the day. A couple of the French lads couldn't control their tempers (although niggle merchant Bob Beswick seemed only too keen to get them wound up).

Both sides slowed the tackle area down and it is a little bit of a shame they were allowed to do that as it slowed the game down as well. Ireland managed the conditions better and wanted the win more.

These games are played at the same time every year, in fact, in the clubhouse there are two Jerseys showing the last time Ireland and France met at Tallaght (really nice ground) and it was on 26 October 2010. So you can pretty much predict when the internationals are taking place Him. Good turnout from locals and from a load of French students studying in Dublin gave a good atmsophere to the fixture.

Except the fixtures were announced on 1st August.
It involves different nations from the previous comp 2 years ago.

Which involved different nations from the comp previous to that, again 2 years before.

Which involved different nations to the comp a year previous to that.

Which involved different nations to the previous comp which was 4 years prior to that.

The RLEF does some great work and are doing their best. But they operate on a paltry, pathetic, woefully low amount of £200k.

Until the real RL authorities, the RFL, NZRL, NRL & ARL, take international RL seriously then we'll be left with poor organisation. Resulting in players pulling out except in World Cup years, no long term strategy & no set international calendar. Then we wonder why media, sponsors and fans don't pay it much attention.

The team was also missing Thomas Bosc. Let's not let logistics get in the way here, Catalans finished 2 weeks ago, after a mad Monday etc, won't have gone into camp until the week after. Elite 1 comp has just started and clubs didn't release their players until Monday. So a maximum 3 training sessions before the game without 5/6 of their top players over the past 5 years.

That's without me going into the unrest in the camp over pay. Don't let these issues get in the way of a rant Gutterfax.

Did your missus run off with a Frenchman? You have a real downer on the Catalans.

Regardless of if all the Catalans players were rested and regardless of when the elite comp starts, France should defeat Ireland every day of the week. France has a rich history of RL, Ireland has none.

Catalans being in SL we were assured was going to boost French RL.......so far, this has not happened. Yes, there are French players at UK clubs for the coming season and this is progress, but as it stands, France's performances at International level have not been enhanced as a result of their best players playing in the SL.

As for being down on the club? Not at all.........other than you being our hated derby rivals, I have no opinion either way. The fact is, that France were terrible at the RLWC and have now plunged even further downwards with a defeat to the Irish.

Maybe in future the french should just say TBH we can't be d,can you pick Greece or Serbia instead

You're doing a huge dis service to the players in the Irish team, the France players and supporters will be (correctly) disappointed in the weekend's result, but what incentive is there for France to play? They are already assured of a World Cup spot. Do this group of players want to be hammered by New Zealand, Australia and England in two years time?
Given the start Catalans had this season after a World Cup, why do they need the extra games?

Yes, France should be more competitive, but to lay the door squarely at Catalans door is an unreasoned and thoughtless argument. Are the RFL not to blame for not offering Toulouse an opportunity to apply for a licence? This would have grown the talent pool available to the French to choose from?

Players like Pelissier and Escare are now starting to come through the system, and before them, Bousquet, Simon and Duport but until a top quality half back comes through, France will never have a side capable of challenging at international level. That has to be the challenge for the Catalans within the next few years.

Unfortunately you just can't create players, You should know, London have been trying for the past 34 years.

IMO, they should. The same players can't play (and shouldn't be expected to play) a 27 game season, plus cup and play-off games, then go straight into an international tournament.

It's slightly different for other squads (not playing at as high a level, not as many strains on the body etc) where they can select from a wide number of 'professional clubs'. There is one in France.

I can't believe that I forgot the omission of Thomas Bosc from the team. That means that the following talent was missing from the French team:

Morgan Escare
Vincent Duport
Thomas Bosc
Gregory Mounis
Olivier Elima
Remi Casty

So six of the eight most talented French players (I would add to the group of most talented Pelissier and Baitieri) are missing from the team. Yes, France should have won with the talent available. However it is hard to imagine France losing if all the missing talents were playing.

well Jean, we will never know because apparently after a hard season of cup, league and play-off games, the white flag waving surrender monkeys didn't feel that representing their country was important enough and instead fielded a team of 2nd grade players who were beaten by a team of amateur and semi-professional 2nd generation Irishmen.
Personally, I'd bite my arm off for the chance to represent my country at any sport......maybe it's just not the "French way"?

Forgive me.......I could have sworn that French RL purchased the RLWC trophy and that French RL has a rich history in the game. I should have realised that they of course need maybe more than the 60+'year head start on London to get 3 players in the SL grand final.
As for the Toulouse for SL debate.......bollox. Stop cramming the dragons with imports before you ask for another team......

Its not just one season though is it. Some of the French players haven't had a proper off season for years, some since they came out of the elite in 2006. Because most of the pro players are in one club, it puts a strain on those players and the club.




Nice backtrack

Quality, we should walk the 4N we have more history of RL than Aus and NZ. Tell them not to bother.

Is someone a little bitter that they're not in superleague anymore? That they're an expansion club that has failed massively? Unfortunately the Catalans play to the same rules as everyone else regarding imports, so the same number of imports that fill the catalans squad also fill the St. Helens, Wigan and Warrington squads . Perhaps that's why England failed just one stage further than France at the RLWC.

I'll give you the 60 year head start, we'll ignore that the first professional club in France was the Dragons, a whole 26 years after professional rugby league went to london. The roots you've set down in 34 years and you're only just getting players into grand finals? It's also 10 years after superleague went to full time professionalism. That is a huge gap that has seen France playing catch up ever since.

Catalans have done amazingly well since their inception (let's ignore the 2 years of Kevin Walters' reign where only 2 French players made their debut-top coach he was) the likes of Pelissier, Escare, Simon, Bousquet, Larroyer, Garcia, Baile, Vaccari, Pala, Margalet, Bentley's, Barthau, Maria, Baitieri have all made their debut since the Walters reign and gone on to play at international level.

The biggest fear now that 'every minute of every game matters' is that less players will come through and make their debuts, that is why the catalans have invested €750,000 into a new academy system so the new Escare and Pelissier can come through.

Great result Ireland, truly a woo hoo moment!

they can still qualify though for the next 4 nations, the big one will be Scotland v France, they will prob bring in a few players that were missing for the Ireland defeat.

I know it has probably been said a million times on this forum already, but the only way to really make the french international team competitive, is if someone pumps a massive amount of money into the french league to make it a full time professional competition. Whilst I like the Catalans and do think they have a number of good homegrown players, 1 professional team is not a big enough player pool to sustain an international side who can compete at the highest level and they should be competing in France against other full time professional sides.

They could even then have some sort of Heineken Cup style competition every year.

Disagree, nz are competitive without a national pro league. Reality is, like nz, you need around 80-100 players playing in NRL or SL. Getting more French players in the Dragons squad plus bringing in another French club to SL plus more SL and NRL clubs scouting the best 16-20 year old French jnrs will eventually make them competitive. Having 12-15 French players in NRL or so regularly playing is t going to make much difference to the French INternational performances.

Nice one Mable