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French News

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11,354
https://treizemondial.fr/skybet-propose-des-paris-sportifs-pour-lelite-1/

The French championship has just seen an English bookmaker reveal the odds for the title of champion and it will also be possible to bet on the matches.

Unavailable on French online betting sites, the Elite 1 has appeared on the SkyBet site in England. While it is impossible for us French residents to bet, it is interesting to look at the odds of the different teams. The favorite for the title is Lézignan. The Corbières club is closely followed by Carcassonne. Saint-Estève XIII Catalan completes the podium. Limoux and Villeneuve are a little further away while the 6th team is Toulouse. Finally, as in the league, Palau brings up the rear.

It is also possible to bet on matches such as the clash between Albi and Lézignan !

There is no doubt that recent social media broadcasts have something to do with it.

Cotes-Elite-1-SkyBet.png
 
Messages
11,354
https://treizemondial.fr/luc-lacoste-fait-le-point-sur-les-diffusions-tv/






Broadcast by vía Occitanie, the Elite 1 has disappeared from the screens for a fortnight. As Luc Lacoste explained on the radio, the annual budget devoted to the broadcasting of Elite 1 has already been used up. Indeed, while the regional channel was initially to broadcast the Magic Weekend, 5 regular season games and the finals. The cancellation of the first event upset the agreement reached. The former presidency has indeed postponed the 5 matches of Magic Weekend on the first 5 days of the championship but while initially all the matches were to be played in the same place on the same day, the spreading multiplied the production costs by 5 As a result, the budget voted and allocated was fully used.

Luc Lacoste, not wishing to stop the broadcast, decided to space the broadcasts while waiting to find the funding to find a regular broadcast. According to the president, it would currently take 100,000 euros to complete the season. Luc Lacoste, who praised the initiatives of the clubs which broadcast on social networks, will also try to standardize these broadcasts in order to increase the quality of the images in particular. On the other hand, the federation will offer images of Elite 1 abroad.

Riding on the fact that he is the only current world championship, Luc Lacoste has proposed the broadcasting of Elite 1 to other countries and if he will not be able to derive any TV rights from it, this will publicize our Elite and help its visibility and therefore its development. A huge project but which is now essential for the development of the 13th century and to increase its visibility.



Hope Australia take up French Rugby League
 
Messages
11,354
https://pacifique13.com/en/2021/03/21/pacifique-treize-announce-partnership-with-montpellier-sharks/

The Pacifique Treize Intrust Super Cup bid team is proud to announce that it has reached a formal agreement with with French National Division club, the Montpellier Sharks, to help provide development pathways for players within New Caledonia.

The agreement will see support provided by the Montpellier Sharks club for both domestic programmes within New Caledonia as well pathway opportunities for the top talented identified in the territory.

Local support provided by the Sharks will include, but not limited to, provision of training materials and collaboration on Development programmes between the two entities, as well the Montpellier club will send jerseys and equipment to Noumea.

Meanwhile for some of the top talent identified locally, the Sharks will assist Pacifique Treize in providing opportunities for the athletes to travel to Montpellier to train and play with the club which is in the FFRXIII National Division (Third Division) competition and join fellow New Caledonian, Axel Mauvaka.

Further details about the program will be announced in coming weeks.
 

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
5,852
https://pacifique13.com/en/2021/03/21/pacifique-treize-announce-partnership-with-montpellier-sharks/

The Pacifique Treize Intrust Super Cup bid team is proud to announce that it has reached a formal agreement with with French National Division club, the Montpellier Sharks, to help provide development pathways for players within New Caledonia.

The agreement will see support provided by the Montpellier Sharks club for both domestic programmes within New Caledonia as well pathway opportunities for the top talented identified in the territory.

Local support provided by the Sharks will include, but not limited to, provision of training materials and collaboration on Development programmes between the two entities, as well the Montpellier club will send jerseys and equipment to Noumea.

Meanwhile for some of the top talent identified locally, the Sharks will assist Pacifique Treize in providing opportunities for the athletes to travel to Montpellier to train and play with the club which is in the FFRXIII National Division (Third Division) competition and join fellow New Caledonian, Axel Mauvaka.

Further details about the program will be announced in coming weeks.
I thought Montpellier were Devils, not Sharks ?
 
Messages
11,354
https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...edium=email&pure360.trackingid={~TrackingId~}
Across Super League, clubs are in the process of retaining their off-contract players.

St Helens are no different. In recent weeks they've tied down Alex Walmsley, Jonny Lomax and Josh Simm to new long-term deals.

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But one player whose future isn't as clear at this stage is Theo Fages.

While talks with the likes of James Bentley and Regan Grace, two other major players off-contract, are thought to be underway, it's unknown whether any talks have taken place with Fages at this stage.

It's an interesting development given Fages' stature in the team and the fact he will be able to speak to rival clubs from May 1st if his future isn't tied up before then.

The Frenchman has been Saints' first-choice halfback alongside Jonny Lomax for the past two seasons, with the club winning back-to-back Grand Finals in the process.

Still only 26, Fages has established himself as a key cog in Saints' spine and was a star performer in the recent win over Hull KR.

Yet with his contract drawing to a close, there appears to be a growing possibility that he will leave at the end of the season.

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It's worth noting that Saints still have time to do business but as May draws nearer, the situation becomes more and more peculiar.

There could be a reason behind it. Simply put, St Helens might not be able to afford him.

In giving Walmsley and Lomax new contracts, their salaries are likely to have been increased. The same will apply to Grace and even more so to Bentley, whose stock has risen significantly in the last 12 months and will command a much bigger salary than his existing deal.

Last year, Mark Percival, Morgan Knowles and Matty Lees all put pen-to-paper on multi-year deals. Like Walmsley and Lomax, their value has only increased since previously negotiating with the club.

St Helens have run their salary cap excellently for a long period, aided substantially by their ability to integrate Academy players into the first-team setup.

In Jack Welsby and Louis Dodd, the club boasts two of the best young talents in the country. Welsby's progression into a permanent position appears transparent. He is likely to replace Lachlan Coote at fullback, another who is off-contract at the end of the year.

Dodd, a halfback, will eventually be unleashed and eased into the system but his pathway isn't quite as apparent right now. If Fages isn't around, his pathway into the side becomes a little clearer.

When you combine both the salary cap and pathway factors together, it becomes a little clearer how his stay at the club could be coming towards a close.

If that's the case, he's almost certain to be the most in-demand player on the market this summer. Fages is in the prime of his career, a proven track record of winning trophies and a widely-regarded top-level performer. With several clubs likely to be shopping in the halfback department ahead of 2022, it's clear to see that a bidding war could take place.

As ever, time will tell.
 
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11,354
https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/rugby-league-was-once-huge-in-france-why-cant-it-be-huge-again/



The world-famous abbreviated bridge at Avignon which only half-crosses the river Rhone is a perfect metaphor for the current state of Rugby League in France.

Rugby á Treize has made recent massive strides forward upon solid foundations but without support to take things further, the game could tumble over the edge with a huge splash and go under completely.

Nobody is more aware of this than the buoyant Avignon-born Christophe Jouffret, former Catalans Dragons’ Chief Executive and current advisor to his home-town club ‘The Bisons’ who are riding the crest of a wave of form in the Elite One championship.

One of the leading administrators in the French game for the past two decades, Jouffret believes Rugby League is about to bridge the gap between semi-professional near-anonymity and its rightful position among the leading sports of football and rugby union in France.

The appointment of former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Troy Grant as new Chairman of International Rugby League and his avowed intention to bring the RL World Cup to France in 2025 has given Jouffret genuine optimism that a French renaissance is around the corner.
“Why not?” he told Love Rugby League. “Rugby League was once huge in France, why can’t it be huge again?”

Despite the best attempts of the Vichy government (in collaboration with rugby union and the Nazis during World War Two) to eliminate Rugby League, the game flourished in the 1950s and the very first World Cup was held in France in front of huge crowds.

However, a subsequent combination of mismanagement and in-fighting among the game’s chiefs saw Treizistes hit freefall in the French sporting pecking order and the sport was in danger of disappearing altogether until Catalans Dragons (and now Toulouse Olympique) brought about hopes of a revival.

Jouffret was there at the birth of the Dragons 21 years ago, a moment he describes as “pivotal” for the game in France.

“It was so ambitious at the time but it has been the best thing that could have happened for the game here,” he said: “And now Toulouse are pushing forward too and they won’t stop until they get into Super League.

“Another World Cup could be the next great development for Rugby League in France,” added Jouffret: “It will put a window for the world upon our game. All of the important political and commercial decision-makers will be aware of our sport and that is exactly what we need.

“We have got all of the facilities, some of the best stadia in the world and I know that many football clubs would love to host games. Just imagine a game of international Rugby League at such a fabulous venue as the Orange Velodrome in Marseille.

velodrome-marseille-PA-56879372.jpeg


“But for me the most important thing for our game is to be represented in our capital city. We need to build our links with the political networks in Paris, it is the place where all the major decisions are made and it is good to hear that the new chairman of the IRL has a political background and contacts within the French government.
“Troy Grant will be an incredible asset to the French Federation with his international political connections and links with government in Paris.”

The new IRL chairman has said he relied upon advice from Australian coaches Wayne Bennett and Trent Robinson for guidance on the best way to “regrow” the game in France and Jouffret (who worked alongside Robinson when he was coach at the Dragons) said: “It has been one of the greatest gifts that Rugby League in France could have hoped for to get Trent Robinson here as a player then a coach at Toulouse and Catalans Dragons. He is now a Director of Rugby for the French national team.

“He is very passionate about France and he will do all he can to help us. His knowledge is incredible, he is fully aware of the good points and the bad points in this country and he is the kind of man who can fix a lot of things.”

Jouffret is rightly proud of the Bisons’ incredible rise in Elite One standings this year. Virtually nailed-on for a top-six finish, the Bisons need fear no-one in the play-offs following a series of stunning wins including an 11-try annihilation of Toulouse Elite.

The Bisons succumbed to league-leaders Carcassonne last weekend but Jouffret remains convinced his team can be contenders for the title this year.


He said: “The staff and the players are really excited about how the season is going. We already had a good team at the beginning of the season but we have added Pat Moran and of course Tony Gigot and my son Louis, they have brought that added touch of professionalism


“We are not embarrassed to say we should be in the play-offs because we are playing really well now. We’re scoring lots of tries and our defence has improved so we know we can compete. For sure Lezignan, Carcassonne and the Catalans will be the favourites because they have been playing at consistently high levels for many years.

“But play-off football is all about one game, anything can happen in 80 minutes and we are not worried about playing against anyone, there is a great spirit at Avignon.


“I was at training earlier this week and once again we were doing the Covid tests on players and it’s difficult but nobody is complaining. Thankfully all of the tests were negative again and we must appreciate what the players are doing.

“They are all taking extra care of themselves, they can’t go out with friends and family to socialise if they want to continue playing. They are making huge sacrifices for their clubs and their team-mates and while it is a horrible situation we are in it has created a great bond between the players.”

Jouffret’s pride in his hometown team extends beyond the boundaries of the Parc Des Sports, he believes the whole region of Provence provides an invaluable pool of players to the game.


He added: “I want to say how proud we are in Provence to have sent a lot of our players to the Catalans club. This region has provided so many, the list is too long to mention, right from the very first when the Dragons began, Renaud Gigue joined them in 2005 and now he is back here at Avignon as our head coach.

“Vincent Duport, Tony Gigot, Ben Garcia, there are too many to mention, and the latest seems to be Matthieu Laguerre who had that incredible performance on his debut for Catalans. He isn’t from Avignon, he’s from Marseille but he is Provencal and we are very proud of him.

Mathieu-Laguerre-Catalans-2.jpg


“There are lots of small clubs in Provence, people in little villages working hard to educate young Rugby League players so I’m sure in the next few years we will see many more Super League players who come from this region.”

Exposure for French Rugby League has been boosted recently by an upsurge in live streaming of Elite One games and Jouffret believes it is a rare hidden bonus from the pandemic.

He said: “I think what happened this season with Covid ensuring no supporters are allowed in the grounds is that there has been a boost in viewing figures for on-line games.

“Anybody with a laptop, anywhere in the world, is now able to follow French Rugby League and watch live games.

“For the past few months we were the only ones in the world able to play. It was a closed season in England and Australia so lots of people were watching our Elite One games.

“We were so worried about our sponsors not getting the exposure they would like because supporters aren’t allowed in but they have probably had more exposure than normal because now they are being shown around the world.

“These people who put their money into our clubs are the lifeblood of the game and it is fantastic that they can have their names broadcast to so many people all over the planet.

“They have continued to put their faith in us and now they have had some reward.”

Jouffret believes the reward is coming soon for the French game. The words of the famous song begin: “Sur le Pont, d’Avignon, l’on y dansé, l’on y dansé” which translate as “On the bridge of Avignon we’re all dancing, we’re all dancing”.

The Rugby League community in France will be dancing soon if it is successful in its bid for a World Cup.
 

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