Not really. They have beaten English teams before. Halifax and Widnes trip straight off my memory.

Well it's a great achievment for the French and must be a good for the game in France, do they get to play at home if they are drawn at home in the next draw? They used to be fiddled and have to play in the UK?

Hark at thee!

Good point.

Hopefully the French teams improve year on year. It’ll be fantastic when we finally have an all French challenge cup final. I do wonder if we’ll ever move the final to Paris one day like we moved it to Wales and Scotland?

Might see that before my time is up.

Doubt I’ll ever see an all Russian Challenge cup final though

All the French sides can play at home.

Dicky Lewis

Did the Russian sides take part this year?

nyet

I don't think so. The Russian RFL is a right mess unfortuntaely.

I think they've mostly sorted it now and they seem to actually have more teams, but the pro sides (Locomotiv and Kazan) have gone. In the long run it might be better for the game as the owners of these clubs were meglomaniacs who wanted everything for themselves, and both teams used to win 100-0 most weeks. But I don't think they have a pro comp any more so we probably won't see any Russians in the Cup again in the near future.

Look forward to seeing the Bears back in international competiton in the not too distant future.

Edited

I honestly don't care about French rugby league and never will. We still haven't got our own house in order let alone babysitting anyone else.

That's my boy!!!


What size blinkers did you say you needed again?

Whether we should/shouldn't have them is beside the point. We're not ready to take them on. We can't even get 'expansionist' clubs in our own country to yield much benefit.

Cas seem to be doing ok.

And Les Cats have to be the shining example of how well it can go if done properly...

Fax might not be, but other clubs should be able to give them a decent game

12th, 10th, 3rd and currently 12th. They finished 3rd with about 8 Aussies and New Zealanders.

I seem to remember a CC final in 2007, playoffs in 2008 and 2009 with a semi-final in 2009. They only had the right to two more aussies than other SL teams.

Whenever you like it or not this is a European competition.

In fact Britain is a European super state and that gives any team the right to work in our leagues as long as they up to scratch. Whilst I don’t know much about other French teams I’m aware that Catalan is as rugby league heartland as is Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Queensland and New South Wales.

We should start embracing the fact that we’re European more even if the politics is led wrongly at the moment!

Remind us how many overseas players Halifax have this season.

Frank Watene
Dylan Nash
Stanley Gene
Makali Aizue
Ben Black
Luke Branighan
Said Tamghart

Are the overseas players off the top of my head. And thats despite the Championship having an overseas quota of one. Not a dig at 'Fax but the RFL need to think about the quota rules as there is far to many ways around it as it stands.

The year is 2106. Welcome to the United States of Europe.

Agreed. I don't think a lot of people realise that there is a small area in France that love and play RL as much as we do and have done for decades and decades. Its these people that i don't mind helping. Its the Crusaders and Harlequins of this world that annoy me, not the Catalans, Toulouses, Lezignans etc.