France

[Storm13]

What did Joey teach these French halves the past two weeks?

 

[Irish-bulldog]

What did Joey teach these French halves the past two weeks?

Maybe how to set up tries for the Lebanon wingers ?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Unfortunately another World Cup where France will fail to get out of their group

 

[fourplay]

more on the rise and (deep) fall of French RL:



http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/960bd7b6e9425938d44dca3f37643f4b


France 2017 Rugby League World Cup preview: Squad ...
www.dailytelegraph.com.au
WE wouldn’t have a World Cup without France. From the time they played their first Test match in the mid 1930s, they were campaigning for a tournament to crown the ...


WE wouldn’t have a World Cup without France.

From the time they played their first Test match in the mid 1930s, they were campaigning for a tournament to crown the world’s best.

Reads well but it's poor journalism.

How can you talk about the decline of French rugby league and simply put it off as a "steady decline" and make no mention of the role of the Vichy government, World War II, and the seizure of French RL assets?

 

[adamkungl]

Well that was sad. They played a good brand of footy but unfortunately when it counted Barthau and Fages weren't effective while Moses stood up and came up with 2 big plays.

The wait continues for France... maybe next time.

 

[johnny plath]

Reads well but it's poor journalism.

How can you talk about the decline of French rugby league and simply put it off as a "steady decline" and make no mention of the role of the Vichy government, World War II, and the seizure of French RL assets?

No doubt about that, but post ww2 France won a world cup, stayed competitive, and beat Australia in a series as recently as 1978.. 30 years after the war. WTF has happened in the last 40 years that has turned it all to shit. Its getting frustrating reading different forums ad nauseum the NH posters blaming referees and heritage players. To me the reality seems that the NH teams just lack physicality and their precision disappears when pressure is applied by teams with NRL experience. IMO that comes down to the week in week intensity of the NRL v super league, not the vichy, or rugby union, or whatever else. International teams need more and more opportunity no doubt, but without intense week in week out footy the gap becomes too far to bridge.

 

[adamkungl]

No doubt about that, but post ww2 France won a world cup, stayed competitive, and beat Australia in a series as recently as 1978.. 30 years after the war. WTF has happened in the last 40 years that has turned it all to shit. Its getting frustrating reading different forums ad nauseum the NH posters blaming referees and heritage players. To me the reality seems that the NH teams just lack physicality and their precision disappears when pressure is applied by teams with NRL experience. IMO that comes down to the week in week intensity of the NRL v super league, not the vichy, or rugby union, or whatever else. International teams need more and more opportunity no doubt, but without intense week in week out footy the gap becomes too far to bridge.

Woah steady on. Can't have people looking at their own shortcomings now can we. It's not the Rugby League way.

 

[Evil Homer]

Well that was sad. They played a good brand of footy but unfortunately when it counted Barthau and Fages weren't effective while Moses stood up and came up with 2 big plays.

The wait continues for France... maybe next time.

It would be nice if they would show up with something close to their strongest squad for once. I remember a couple of years ago when they were beaten by 80 points by England and everyone was talking about how French RL is in terminal decline etc but if you looked at the team that day they had u18s players in there, guys who weren't even first grade in the Elite league FFS. Not as bad as that at this comp but I can't remember the last time they played an international match or tournament when they weren't missing at least 7 or 8 first choice players. No idea why it seems to happen every single time, if there is some sort of disconnect between the players and the national setup which means they don't want to play or what.

 

[Jim from Oz]

No doubt about that, but post ww2 France won a world cup, stayed competitive, and beat Australia in a series as recently as 1978.. 30 years after the war. WTF has happened in the last 40 years that has turned it all to shit. Its getting frustrating reading different forums ad nauseum the NH posters blaming referees and heritage players. To me the reality seems that the NH teams just lack physicality and their precision disappears when pressure is applied by teams with NRL experience. IMO that comes down to the week in week intensity of the NRL v super league, not the vichy, or rugby union, or whatever else. International teams need more and more opportunity no doubt, but without intense week in week out footy the gap becomes too far to bridge.

sorry but France have never won a world cup,

 

[adamkungl]

It would be nice if they would show up with something close to their strongest squad for once. I remember a couple of years ago when they were beaten by 80 points by England and everyone was talking about how French RL is in terminal decline etc but if you looked at the team that day they had u18s players in there, guys who weren't even first grade in the Elite league FFS. Not as bad as that at this comp but I can't remember the last time they played an international match or tournament when they weren't missing at least 7 or 8 first choice players. No idea why it seems to happen every single time, if there is some sort of disconnect between the players and the national setup which means they don't want to play or what.

This is partially a depth issue and hopefully we see it become less of an issue in the coming years.
Australia or even NZ having 8 players out is effectively meaningless - NZ in particular have lost some big names to Tonga but have still named what is 99% likely to be 3rd or 2nd best team of the competition.

France or Wales losing 8 players is terminal and means they have to dip into 2nd and 3rd tier competitions. They key is to get those winning players from France and Wales 16s and 18s sides into serious professional clubs whether that is in England or elsewhere. From there the national side starts hitting some results and that feeds back into local promotion and growth.

It will be interesting to see if Ireland continues their opening round form and if they do whether they can capitalise on strong results back home.

 

[CliveC]

This is partially a depth issue and hopefully we see it become less of an issue in the coming years.
Australia or even NZ having 8 players out is effectively meaningless - NZ in particular have lost some big names to Tonga but have still named what is 99% likely to be 3rd or 2nd best team of the competition.

France or Wales losing 8 players is terminal and means they have to dip into 2nd and 3rd tier competitions. They key is to get those winning players from France and Wales 16s and 18s sides into serious professional clubs whether that is in England or elsewhere. From there the national side starts hitting some results and that feeds back into local promotion and growth.

It will be interesting to see if Ireland continues their opening round form and if they do whether they can capitalise on strong results back home.

I saw the great French teams of the 50's the most amazing Rugby League I ever saw , Clive couldn't believe how good they were.

 

[CliveC]

This is partially a depth issue and hopefully we see it become less of an issue in the coming years.
Australia or even NZ having 8 players out is effectively meaningless - NZ in particular have lost some big names to Tonga but have still named what is 99% likely to be 3rd or 2nd best team of the competition.

France or Wales losing 8 players is terminal and means they have to dip into 2nd and 3rd tier competitions. They key is to get those winning players from France and Wales 16s and 18s sides into serious professional clubs whether that is in England or elsewhere. From there the national side starts hitting some results and that feeds back into local promotion and growth.

It will be interesting to see if Ireland continues their opening round form and if they do whether they can capitalise on strong results back home.

The Paddies were impressive and v. Professional.

 

[johnny plath]

sorry but France have never won a world cup,

My mistake. .thought they won the first one.

 

[DIOGENES]

A lot of panic because a French team with a significant number of SL players was competitive with a team of mainly NRL/state cup players calling themselves "Lebanon".

Compared to the 80s French RL is able to support 1 team in the SL and 1 in the Championship and have 3 tiers of domestic competition

AFAIK Lebanon has 6 domestic teams

 

[Jim from Oz]

My mistake. .thought they won the first one.

No worries!

France lost the first RLWC Final in 1954 in Paris to GB, 16-12, in front of 30,000.


They only other RLWC final France reached was in 1968 in Sydney, where they lost 20-2 to Australia in front of a then record crowd of 54,290 for a RL World Cup Final,

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

If France had been able to call upon Morgan Escare (injured), Tony Gigot (suspended), Remi Casty (injured), Gadwin Springer (injured) and Mickael Simon (injured) the the result would have been different. Escare and Gigot are game breakers. Casty is an enthusiastic attacking prop, as is Springer.

 

[NRLMad]

If France had been able to call upon Morgan Escare (injured), Tony Gigot (suspended), Remi Casty (injured), Gadwin Springer (injured) and Mickael Simon (injured) the the result would have been different. Escare and Gigot are game breakers. Casty is an enthusiastic attacking prop, as is Springer.

Agree gigot is an excellent player. I think it’s not bad, I know you don’t like the result but at the end of the day Toulouse coming up and Catalans surviving and more French players playing in ESL bodes well for the next World Cup and on.

 

[JasonE]

They should've picked Larroyer in this squad.

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

They should've picked Larroyer in this squad.

Larroyer is a back rower. No way that he is as good as the four that they used: Baitieri, Garcia, Jullien and Margalet.

The problem with France was not in the forwards, but in the outside backs (Cardace is not SL standard, Bergal is very young and inexperienced) and the halves (Barthau's and Fages' field kicking were not good enough).

 

[CliveC]

Larroyer is a back rower. No way that he is as good as the four that they used: Baitieri, Garcia, Jullien and Margalet.

The problem with France was not in the forwards, but in the outside backs (Cardace is not SL standard, Bergal is very young and inexperienced) and the halves (Barthau's and Fages' field kicking were not good enough).

Great film of the legendary French 50's teams thanks.
Now anyone with video of Jacques Merquet,alias quicksilver.?