France should be in the Tri Nations next year

[c_eagle]

The Final should be at Suncorp or Telstra and the preliminary games should be spread between Suncorp(x2), SFS(x2), Canberra, Melbourne, Townsville.

So something along these lines:
Australia vs NZ - Melbourne
Australia vs GB - Suncorp
Australia vs France - SFS
Australia vs GB - SFS
Australia vs France - Suncorp
France vs GB - Townsville
France vs GB - Canberra

The alternative would be to fixture an Australia vs France game in Canberra and take a GB vs France game to Western Sydney (Parramatta Stadium would be suitable.)

 

[ali]

I do like the idea of doubling the profit, but I'm not convinced France would handle the travel particularly well. I'd say they'd be thrashed in all games. Ideally it would have been better to introduce them in a northern hemisphere Quad Nations where they can get home advantage. Maybe they can play GB home and away throughout the Super League season. Either way I'm sure Australia is going to play NZ twice at the start of next year's Tri Nations, so when all teams are here, there would be 4 fixtures each remaining, plus the final.

 

[Sun_Down]

++deleted

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

All of this scenario depends upon France being competitive in November against Australia and New Zealand, as France was last year. Otherwise it won't happen.

This is a Four Nations idea, not a World Cup. There will be no matches in Canberra or Townsville if the organisers have any brains. The regional stadiums will have to wait for the exotic matches that will be on in 2008.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Having four nations does not make it a longer tournament. Just eliminates the bye for the other three each week. Each nation plays each other twice over the same number of weeks.

But here is the surprise. With a fourth team, instead of six games we have twelve games! Double the profit and double the audience for international rugby league. Two games each weekend.

Five games in New Zealand, seven games plus the final in Australia. Four at Telstra, three at Suncorp.

Final at Telstra. Make that final a double header with playoff for third place.

Four Nations will be great preparation for the World Cup. Will show the ARL what needs to be done by 2008.

Many French rugby union players will defect if France is elevated to such a status in 2006. Many of the hundreds of thousands who play rugby union, but have no chance to join the French national rugby union team, will want the chance to tour Australia and New Zealand. That will be wonderful for the French youth as well --- assuming that the French Federation and clubs can start to behave more professionally in the field of youth development, coaching, refereeing, and in finding club sponsorship.

Many French rugby union players will leave their rich clubs because they want to fly to Australia nd NZ ?
I don't think so !

The French should have never been relegate it in the first place . They should have been involve still with games against the big three .
Italy in union had no chance of beating anyone when they join the 6 nations and Im sure everyone will say the same about the French league .

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Many French rugby union players will leave their rich clubs because they want to fly to Australia nd NZ ?
I don't think so !

The French should have never been relegate it in the first place . They should have been involve still with games against the big three .
Italy in union had no chance of beating anyone when they join the 6 nations and Im sure everyone will say the same about the French league .

I am not talking about about players in the Top 16, premier competition. They are well paid and happy, many of them. But I am talking about players in the second and third tier of French rugby union. For example Fabrice Estabenez, who has a wife and child to support, could not afford to be a part time player with Toulouse rugby league. So he went to Gaillac, which if I am not mistaken is a third tier rugby union club. It will be very boring for him. He is there for financial reasons. I know for a fact that if Toulouse could have paid him a living wage that he would have stayed with rugby league.

Once Toulouse are admitted to Super League (in 2008 or 2009) there will be a second channel of opportunity for French youth, and some good French rugby union players will start to defect. The elevation France to higher status (Four Nations) will also help that, because then French rugby league will become more glamourous to the French public. The international tours, and playing before big crowds, are another exciting part of the appeal of a sport to all young men. A few months after he defected, Matt Rogers told me that, though he enjoyed playing rugby league, the chance to perform regularly on a bigger global stage was a big factor in his decision to switch to rugby union.

 

[hgfds]

Not so sure about no matches in regional centres,i reckon france vs australia in newcastle is a guarenteed 27,000 sellout.Can see france touring next year but not as part of the tri nations so they will need quality matches in regional centres to maximise the crowds.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Ok got you ! But with one French team now in the Superleague and probably more than 6 overseas players and then all the union players you want to switch .
Where does that leave the French rugby league players ?

 

[jvujosevic]

I think that France should play with Australia, NZ and GB, that is only way for development of rugby league in France and also for international rugby league, maybe first 1 or 2 years they will lose games a lot, but after that I’m sure that they will improve.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Ok got you ! But with one French team now in the Superleague and probably more than 6 overseas players and then all the union players you want to switch .
Where does that leave the French rugby league players ?

Some players will switch. But not that many until Toulouse can create a second opportunity by joining Super League in 2008 or 2009. At that point the allure of full time professional rugby league, plus international tours, will work together to get more rugby union players defecting.

And remember that in a year or two some of the Les Catalans, and later Toulouse players, are going to be bought by English Super League clubs, leaving openings in those French professional clubs for other French players. (N.B. Hull KR bought Toulouse's Damien Couturier when Toulouse coach Justin Morgan defected to Hull KR. Morgan, who snatched Englishman Tommy Gallagher at the same time tried to take two other French players with him but couldn't).

The addition of France into Four Nations is just going to add to the mix of making rugby league more attractive in France to all potential players, whether teenage schoolboys or bored rugby union players.

 

[Kurt Angle]

The tri-nations should be expanded to 4-Nations in 2006.

It is a radical step, and I feel this degree of risk taking is not up to the ARL/RLIF.

As opposed to the playing each other twice, I don't like that idea.

We currently do that now because with 3 nations, 3 games + a final is not enough. But the 2 games each still gives it a H&A presence about it, and people want to start scheduling accordingly.

A round robin means 3 successive weekends of 2 games, + a final on the 4th weekend.

A month long tournament with a format that can be transported anywhere.

My ideal would be all 4 'big' nations come to Australia and all agree to play a warm up game.

Australia vs PNG
France vs Fiji
England vs Tonga
NZ vs Samoa/Cook Islands

All these warm up games on fox would prime the whole 4-nations series.

 

[hgfds]

Surely Georgia is a prime example of union players switching in order to make a wc,if the wc is held every 4 years and a decent international schedulde produced,converts could come from,argentina,south africa,italy,usa canada etc.Unfortunately the rlif has decided to make the 08rlwc a 10 team mini tournament which will only last a month 12 teams at least is needed to provide a incentive for the above.Really if there is to be a proper qualifying tournament the wc announcement has to made soon

 

[Misanthrope]

I don't see why not. They're not going to improve by being put up against second string sides whenever the nations aren't involved in 'real' tri-nations matches. Sure, they might get crushed for a year or two (and on last year's showing, maybe not) - but in the long run it'd improve their players immensely.

 

[dubby]

NO. They are not ready yet. 2009 they will be. Let them progress a bit further in terms of the new SL team getting used to top level footy each week, raise the profile at home more( the recent game v Wales had no crowd) and then give them a run.

I know it would be great to think they are ready now, but they aren't.

 

[SilverSteeler]

France have got to start somewhere, so why not next year?

Having a team in the Uk Superleague will help them develop more players.

Look at it he same as what the Warriors did for the Kiwis.

it takes time though.

 

[phonetic]

If the Rugby League community is willing to put up with a couple of embarrasing results which may come as a result of inducting France into the Tri Nations scene, then yes they should be there.

However... I can just imagine the media and others ranting and raving as soon as France cop a bit of a touch up. The types who say International league is dead every time we pump New Zealand or Great Britain. It happens to the best of teams. This doesn't change at an international level.

Bring them in. I'd love to see them play down under.

 

[Razor]

They'll have to rename it to the Quad-nations

Although if Australia wants to have a cry about referees again, kick Australia out and add France.

 

[sixtynine]

wait and see what the score is between australia and france

 

[sixtynine]

but i dont rekon untill they prove them selfs they should be alowed in

 

[_dan13_]

lets see how the new esl side les catalans fair up first and if they are successful i think we should include them in the tri-nations