Catalans v Leeds

[screeny]

It's HT and 34-6 to Leeds. Rubbish match, zero entertainment value and a bit of an embarrassment to the sport IMO.

The French didn't touch the ball, other than kicking off, until 9 minutes 20 seconds into the match, by which time they were already 18-0 down. They then had their first few PTBs and proceeded to score through a jammy try.

Ever since it's been one way traffic and very little to get excited about.

Leeds scored on their first three possessions, including once when Catalans had a scrum but their pack got pushed off the ball allowung Burrow to score directly!

I used to like Frayssinous as I thought he was a tryer managing to punch above his weight, but he's beginning to annoy me as he's just not up to it. Not his fault, I know, but it's annoying. He offers nothing (except 6 points to Leeds when he fumbled an easy kick through, allowing Scott Donald to score) and is scared to go for the ball.

From 5/8 to half and now to FB, he's just no good.

Ref Smith is rubbish too. I think I've just seen the most blatant forward pass ever, at least two metres, which he let go and which led to another Leeds score.

Chan got sent off in the last minute for throwing a punch (he got humiliated by Chev Walker in the fight too, which sums up Catalans impotence) and now they must play the second half with 12 men, when really they need about 18 on the park.

This aint entertainment and the crowds will go. On 36 minutes, when Fakir threw a wild speculator out of bounds, the crowd started booing.

Fellous has been good, so has Guisset and Beattie.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Thanks for the coverage screeny.

Has Dobson shown that he is any good? And what has Rinaldi done?

What is the crowd, do you know?

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Incidentally the coaching situation is obviously a disgrace for a team which is starting out, and which is desperate to make a good first impression. The lack of a coach has been accentuated by the lack of an inspirational on field captain, Stacey Jones. Mick Potter may be there next week, but he will take time to absorb the evidence of all the problems the team faces. And he will have to establish his authority with the players.

Regarding Frayssinous, the person who insisted that Frayssinous is of Super League standard, despite all the evidence to the contrary, is the same person who would not move Rinaldi to half back and bring Berthezene in as hooker.

But those selection decisions aside, a team that has a weak defence is a team with poor morale.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Leeds won 58-10.

According to the Leeds radio update commentator it was raining and very windy, and there were only 5,730 spectators. That crowd number is particularly disturbing since the Leeds support is the biggest in the game and Les Catalans website had announced that over 2,500 would be at the game. That suggests that only around 3,000 French supporters were in attendance. As the crowds drop the club may face financial diffficulties.

I hope that Mick Potter and Stacey Jones can turn things around on the field by late April, and also bring back the French crowds.

On the Easter weekend Les Catalans play Harlequins at the Stoop in London, on Good Friday, April 14th, followed by St. Helens at Aime Giral on Easter Monday, and then Hull at Aime Giral the following Saturday night.

 

[Robster]

Just shows what happens when your star player isn't playing.

 

[bartman]

They need to win or have close games at home to keep people's interest.
Chan getting sent off wouldn't have helped the enterntainment value of the contest at all.

In their first year they are going to struggle against the top teams, and have been unfortunate to have Bradford and Leeds put the cleaners through them recently. But if they can bounce back and have a contest in their next "home" game against Cas, then that might turn things around.

And maybe by the home matches after Easter Potter will have his eye in and Stacey might be back? Let's hope so otherwise St Helens and Hull are more than capable of putting big beatings on them, and that might just about kill off all but die-hard interest this season.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

The crowd must have been affected by the bad weather, knowing also that the match was being televised on Sports +.

I checked the weather reports for all the relevant cities, and also French RL websites, and the bad weather (wind and rain) ran for a stretch across southwestern France, from Toulouse via Carcassonne down to Perpignan (though not in nearby Spain). That would have discouraged French fans driving for one or two hours from outside the Perpignan area. Leeds fans planned ahead and were in town and locked into going.

The crowd would also have been affected by the poor recent performances. It will not be helped in the future by last night's performance.

 

[Dr Crane]

Just shows what happens when your star player isn't playing.

Are you kidding? Murph was playing!

 

[screeny]

Thanks for the coverage screeny.

Has Dobson shown that he is any good? And what has Rinaldi done?

What is the crowd, do you know?

Can't lay too much blame at Dobson's feet as what should one expect of a debutant striaght off the plane? Having said that, why not just play Rinaldi who a) isn't a debutant b) isn't straight off the plane c) knows the team inside out d) is a Test half.

Berthezene, is he injured? He wasn't even on the bench, but did a good interview after the match so the club isn't completely ignoring him!

Les Cats looked better when Teixido came on as rake in the second half, but then Frayssinous and Rinaldi seemed to share duties there, or seemed to be making it up as the match went along, depending on your point of view!

None of the Aussie players caught the eye through their ability or industry. Hindmarsh did some alright hits in the first half but went missing in the second when players like Guisset and Fellous (my new thumbs up player!) stood up to be counted.

Mounis is pretty but he doesn't like the defence and is a one-dimensional lock in that he's a ball player and nothing else, as he's too small and slow to provide a running threat. I like ball playing 13s but they need to have some punch to them too, like a Timmins.

Speaking of one dimensional locks, the most over rated player in RL, Kevin Sinfield, was made to look good (if that's an appropriate turn of phrase considering Leeds' truly, truly, horrific kits) by Les Cats and especially Rudder, who let Sinny run round him for Leeds' third try.

Peacock is nothing more than a rah rah-esque pit donkey too but the amount of times the Catalans allowed him to offload comfortably beggared belief.

Rinaldi, neat and tidy and some good, desperation tackles from behind. But when your hooker is making that many rear tackles it tells you something about the solidity of your defensive line.......

(Crowd briefly got behind the team in the second half, but Smith reffed very poorly and they spent most of the game on his back, and rightly so).