French team for June Test against England....

[jim_57]

\\\\/:crazy: Yayyy.......

First step to credibility...

Good on ya Goulding...

I'd say that is more than the first step towards credibility for France, their WC squad was very credible even with a few Aussies.

I was just thinking maybe this is Goulding's way of kicking Greseque up the ass. Greseque will now want to have a great final series, win the LER with Pia, then perhaps look overseas to further his chances. Another suprise for me is Sabri, I've heard big raps on him and I'm sure I heard somewhere he would be going to the Rhinos once the LER season finishes.

 

[druzik]

ACtually, you are well off the mark there. The French team has always been credible. It is only their on field performance which sometimes effects their credibility.

Incidentally, what is often forgotten about the French is that no matter how bad they get (and they have been dreadful over the years) they are always capable of pulling the odd upset (or one or two point game) against the Kiwis, Aussies and English. Probably due to a combination of them playing to their potential and their opponents underestimating them and getting lazy. I think they are due to make a close game of it sooner rather than later. When added to the likely advances that Catalans and Toulouse should have given the game, i wouldnt be to surprised to see an upset.

This is very tre, last time being November 2007 against the Kiwis. I was wetting myself 10 mins from the end when France were 8 points up... the french crowd were going ape... but alas the Kiwis just manged to wring them in.

 

[Evil Homer]

Stoked there are no Aussies. Great stuff Goulding.

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

Genuinely impressed by this -- the future of the Chanticleers is in developing French lads into seasoned professionals and internationals not quick fixes in using residentially-qualified players. That may seem to be stating the bleeding obvious but common sense dosen't always prevail in the haphazard world of IRL.

EDIT:

The crew at Sang-et-or.net aren't convinced this is a well-balanced squad (nor the best that could be assembled):

http://catalan.rlfans.com/readarticle.php?article_id=539

It's an incredible thing to pick thirty-two players and leave the squad looking so thin in vital areas. Not one specialist full-back is among the names and of the half-backs selected, three are incredibly young and inexperienced, one is Christophe Moly and the two that look set to start at this stage are Thomas Bosc and Constant Villegas. With no full-back, perhaps Villegas will switch to that role in a Goulding master plan with Mickaël Murcia finally getting international recognition. Whither Jared Taylor? And, for that matter, his cousin James Wynne? More bizarrely, there's no Maxime Grésèque. A fixture in the side for some time, he's surplus to requirements in the bright new Goulding age.

As ever, the strength appears to lie in the pack where all the usual names are present. Jérôme Guisset will presumably lead from his customary role and he has familiar company up front with team-mates David Ferriol, Rémi Casty, Olivier Elima and Jamal Fakir. Old friends of the Dragons Adel Fellous and Teddy Sadaoui are in and there's a call-up for Kane Bentley. Last time that happened, the Dragons hooker turned down the invitation as he wants to play international rugby alongside his brother Andrew and with the brothers able to play for four nations, he didn't want to commit. Maybe now it's time. Another hooker - a complete blind-side move - is Sylvain Teixido. No, us neither.

Interesting comments about the Bentley's not being sure they want to play for France...

 

[winnyason]

Have to say i am encouraged by goulding selecting no aussies, going for youth in the future. On the gresque issue i think the ffr13 along with national selectors have had enough of his attitude to stay at pia, when for all to see he is at least a very good championship player or solid superleague, he knocked back a offer from toulouse and this will probably be his undoing.

Villegas is a superleague player in waiting, a fine talent while Barthau is a future star he will no doubt play sl at some stage this year after perry and mounis woeful fill in job on the weekend.

The outside backs is still the worry i think jp baile is a good player, but is he a centre i would like to see duport and planas in the centres. The only elite players i see playing are moly and the underated fellous, saudoni performed poor at the wc look at other players.

Injuires is what france cannot afford when they had that good test series win in 2007 over png and good within a whisker of a win over the kiwis they where full strength.
The side must have the big three boppers fit in gussiet, ferriol and fakir fit and moly is a classy player. My 17:

1. Villegas 2. Duport 3. planas 4. baile 5. pelo 6. moly 7. bosc
13. Anselme 12. fakir 11. elima 10. gussiet 9. rinaldi 8. ferriol.
bench: griffi, fellous, bentley, gossard.

 

[Bluebags1908]

Now that Channel 9 are showing Super League, will this test match be on TV in OZ? Is the test match to be played on a Super League-free weekend? If so I'm sure Channel 9 will show it to fill in their timeslots.

 

[roughyedspud]

nah it's not on a free weekend

 

[jim_57]

Now that Channel 9 are showing Super League, will this test match be on TV in OZ? Is the test match to be played on a Super League-free weekend? If so I'm sure Channel 9 will show it to fill in their timeslots.

You would hope so, but 9 have have gone from 2 games to one and last year fox managed to play SL games a week but not play this game.

 

[Coastbloke]

It would be great now that the LER almost finished, that those players from that comp that have been selected can maybe train with Catalans fo the June Test and to prepare for the Four Nations..

If they aren't playing and just training using ESL methods, would there be a Salary Cap problem...??

 

[cumberlandsashes81]

You would hope so, but 9 have have gone from 2 games to one

No. There are 2 SL games on 9 each week - the second one just gets shunted around different nights depending how popular they think it will be (they had Wigan v Saints on after the second Friday Night match for example).

 

[jim_57]

No. There are 2 SL games on 9 each week - the second one just gets shunted around different nights depending how popular they think it will be (they had Wigan v Saints on after the second Friday Night match for example).

OK, I'm sure there have been atleast a few weeks when they've played only 1. Atleast where i live anyway?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The week before the CC weekend they showed one game and they held the other one till the following week because there were no games, due to the CC, and obviously there was only one game that week too.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Last weekend against St Helens J P Baille made a smashing run fending off two players, and then when he was literally collared, offloaded while running backwards (!!) to Pelo who ran 20 metres, drew the full back, (Grandpa Wellens), and passed to Bosc who scored.

Duport played on the right wing for Les Catalans Dragons last weekend, and made a great break down the right touchline, before coming infield to set up his support Mogg, who scored a try.

Villegas is a real talent at Toulouse. He created the try by Bromley against Leigh. He does many wonderful things that show he has a football brain.


Here is my side:

Constant Villegas,

Vincent Duport, Jean-Phillippe Baille, Sebastien Planas, Dimitri Pelo

Thomas Bosc
Julien Rinaldi

Gregory Mounis
Cyrille Gossard, Eric Anselme
Jerome Guisset, Andrew Bentley, Olivier Elima

Interchange: David Ferriol, Remy Casty, Jamal Fakir, Christophe Moly

Standby: Matthieu Griffi, Cyril Stacul,

 

[druzik]

Last weekend against St Helens J P Baille made a smashing run fending off two players, and then when he was literally collared, offloaded while running backwards (!!) to Pelo who ran 20 metres, drew the full back, (Grandpa Wellens), and passed to Bosc who scored.

Duport played on the right wing for Les Catalans Dragons last weekend, and made a great break down the right touchline, before coming infield to set up his support Mogg, who scored a try.

Villegas is a real talent at Toulouse. He created the try by Bromley against Leigh. He does many wonderful things that show he has a football brain.


Here is my side:

Constant Villegas,

Vincent Duport, Jean-Phillippe Baille, Sebastien Planas, Dimitri Pelo

Thomas Bosc
Julien Rinaldi

Gregory Mounis
Cyrille Gossard, Eric Anselme
Jerome Guisset, Andrew Bentley, Olivier Elima

Interchange: David Ferriol, Remy Casty, Jamal Fakir, Christophe Moly

Standby: Matthieu Griffi, Cyril Stacul,

Nice, an all french team that really could take it to the Poms... I like it.

 

[kiwileaguefan]

What will be a good result for the French?? Keeping England to under 40 points?

 

[druzik]

What will be a good result for the French?? Keeping England to under 40 points?

that would be a start yes.

I think being competitve through the match, show that they have the match fitness to go the whole 80 mins.

The two times I have seen france play in the last 3 years its been their major flaw. the back 10-20 mins they have droipped off significantly to lose games.

v GB in 2007 at Leeds they led 12-10 at the break and were competitive till the last 20 when GB ran away with it (42-14).

v NZ in 2007 at Paris... almost got the Kiwis but fell off in the last 10 to let in 2 tries in quick succesion and lose by 8. (14-22)

 

[jim_57]

Looking at most of the teams posted France should be able to field a side with 15-17 full time players so fitness shouldn't be too much of an issue surely.

If they can play to their strengths and nulify England's then I think this will be the closest game between the 2 in a long time.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Looking at most of the teams posted France should be able to field a side with 15-17 full time players so fitness shouldn't be too much of an issue surely.

If they can play to their strengths and nulify England's then I think this will be the closest game between the 2 in a long time.

I agree.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that France can win. I am not predicting that they will win, but just saying that it is a possibility (I would put it at 30% probability, for what that's worth).

What is new this year is the blooming of Jean-Phillippe Baile and Sebastien Planas in the centres. We have been waiting a long time for France to have two cracking good centres. I think we might just about have found them. Plus we have three good wingers, in Dimitri Pelo, Vincent Duport and Cyril Stacul, and having a choice there is a nice change. I would choose Duport because he is a strong physique, but others may disagree.

I think that Julien Rinaldi may be a better scrum half than a hooker. He played most of his international career there before he became part of Les Catalans elevation to Super League, when Stacey Jones was placed on the books. Now, given the dropping of Greseque, I think you must have an experienced professional in that position. Fortunately Kane Bentley is playing very well at hooker for Les Catalans, so Julien can be slotted in at scrum half, with Moly as the cover for both.

This French team that I have selected is an impressive one. I hope that Bobby Two Shoes will also select it.

 

[Coastbloke]

Nice team Albert..

Who needs to do their homework when someone else is providing the answers...!!

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

England squad:

Ryan Atkins (Wakefield)
Sam Burgess (Bradford)
Shaun Briscoe (Hull KR)
Tony Clubb (Harlequins)
Eorl Crabtree (Huddersfield)
Peter Fox (Hull KR)
James Graham (St Helens)
Ryan Hall (Leeds)
Gareth Hock (Wigan)
Danny McGuire (Leeds)
Scott Moore (Huddersfield)
Adrian Morley (Warrington)
Richard Myler (Salford)
Sean O’Loughlin (Wigan)
Jamie Peacock (Leeds)
James Roby (St Helens)
Michael Shenton (Castleford)
Sam Tomkins (Wigan)
Ben Westwood (Warrington)

Good to see some younger blokes getting a go.