I don't think the "good players" actually play for them much albeit there was a test match in 2018 in which England had won by half time 34-0 Fages played but the team was mainly Catalans/Toulouse players and as it was a test match I suspect France had their best team out.

That team then indeed had a run of games and won the European championship to get a world cup place. This being against Scotland, Ireland and wales. For me French talent gets thinner and thinner on the ground, so if Toulouse are to join SL expect an an Anglo-Antipodean team.....

France just dont have enough players, certainly not enough of decent quality.
However, as a genuine RL playing nation, albeit in a small corner in the South West of France, they need to be encouraged / helped to increase the spread of the game and Catalan / Toulouse need to do a little more to develop what talent there is..
The problem for France is that England, poor as they are, are massively better than them and Scotland, Ireland Wales are not good enough to give them a real test but, like many of the international RL sides, the other "home nations" are massively contrived and as a sport, we should be trying to find ways to help spread the game within Wales and Scotland.
Maybe there should be a Welsh club in SL



Fundamentally, there is no vision for the sport as a whole and that will never change with Lenegan and McManus running the show, as they are really only bothered about their own clubs.

Scotland and Wales actually playing games at home would be a start and not Cumbria, Wakefield, Leigh or wherever. I know interest is low and the teams themselves have English accents but we have to at least try.

England always get hammered by Aus and NZ. Maybe we need a run of games against other RL heavyweights like Tonga, Poland and Spain?

I take it you have not watched England play against Australia or New Zealand in the last few years or you would have known we do beat them take the last series against Newzealand we won the series did we not you want

What does "No vision mean" what are Lenegan and McManus blind to?

How did the show go when the RFL ran it?

What did they do with the biggest ever TV deal by Miles that Wood and Solly captured??

It's a TV deal for Super League. The RFL negotiated and got a great deal but the vast majority of the money went to the clubs under splits agreed between SL and the Championship clubs.
You think the RFL themselves had lots of money to splash around? Are you just mindlessly trolling now?

So people who don't agree with you are "Trolling"

SL and the championship clubs agreed nothing as regards the last TV deal, don't you get it that this rift was the basis of Superleague splitting from the RFL?

Take care insulting people, it makes you look bad....

No, just you hun. And Steph I guess. The usual suspects.

regarding Pearsons' comments, obviously being an fc fan i back him, not just the poor planning of a England game on a full SL weekend, my question is about the Exiles team....i dont believe they are a recognised international team so therefore more of an invitational team, so clubs should be within their rights to choose to release players or not if it puts them at a disadvantage

indeed, it is a pointless game, like the Yorks v Lancs would be, but hey, the RFL and idiots like ScunnyMan know better.

If as a player are called up for international duties then the club has no say in the matter without bringing the game into disrepute.

It's the mantra you have used ever since you joined this forum.

If you disagree please spend some time reading your previous posts over the past year.

but the Exiles team isn't a recognised international team, its a 'select' team, clubs should be within their rights to decline

If he does he'll probably find some truths where do you want to start

I understand your sentiment but, surely this is about getting some gamer time for the England side, who we want to prosper at the world cup.
We could just bin the whole thing off and give the title to the Aussies ?

I agree with you. However, on the injury front, it's easier for us fans that support clubs that won't have any players taking part in it.

or could have played a proper international v france!

England need a competitive side, not a walk over.

I was just going to say the same.
Mind you, (at the risk of setting up Donny for another anti French rant),, if England were to play France, how may players would Catalan feed into the French side and in theory, they would have a game that weekend too.



I fully agree that a decent exiles side would be significantly better than any French side.

The only other option would be possibles v probables but, while this would be competitive, it wouldn't attract many fans or sponsorship.

Somehow, there has to be a decent hit out for the England side, it's quite ridiculous that they could go into a World Cup having not had a game for over 2 years.

Or bring back Yorkshire v Lancashire.

3 game series like SOO and to keep the intensity up the losing county is forced to take the town of Oldham.

The State of Oldham?

It seems a good time to ask a question that many wonder about but is often unspoken. Namely, is French and English Rugby League benefiting from French teams in the English Pyramid?

The Dragons are no further forward in having French players in their first team than they were in 2006. Even under licensing, the number of French players that were promoted to the first team was negligible, as Catalan prioritised temporary success over longer term growth for French players.

Even Catalans incredible win versus Warrington in the cup final came at the cost to the RFL, of about half a million pounds in lost revenue, from the 12,000 fewer fans in attendance, compared to the 2019 final with all English teams. If Catalan aren’t blooding French players and the English game is footing the bill, then you may question whether the success of Catalans comes at everyone else’s expense. After 15 years the number of French players that will play a major part for Catalan Dragons this season is nowhere near enough. The stark reality is that Catalan are only going to field French players if they are forced to.

Herein then lies the conundrum. French Rugby League and the International game as a whole has the potential to benefit from French teams in Super League but the desire to win now, harms the very possibility of those benefits occurring...............

BTW I didn't write that, just found this major truth as you requested..............

Not sure what either "French" club brings the game that is worth leaving Newcastle and York etc out of Superleague, especially at a time SKY, who don't want French clubs are looking to cut the money heavily......

No truth, speculative and off topic, nothing new.

Take your blinkers off. What truths exactly?