The 4 Nations 2014 is a Mess

[strong_latte]

That's true about France. They were massive in League at one stage and used to beat Australia and England. I believe the government conspired against the game to some degree though.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

That and incompetent leaders of the time plus Australia not giving a shit and helping out much along with NZ. They were more or less left to their own devices.

 

[RoosTah]

RoosTah, click the link in my sig to find all you need to know about the French game, just make sure google translator is on.

Will check it out.

Just to clarify though, I'm not actually against increasing the number of teams - I just want us to focus on the big teams and get home and away matches for each of them each hear in one tidy format. That's why I'm suggesting the changes - I just want more premium content basically. But if in the next World Cup the likes of France can claim a scalp, then include them by all means

 

[roughyedspud]

Apologies for going off topic, but... Spud I'm fully aware of Oldhams situation as a South Wales fan but are the amateur clubs in the town really getting bigger crowds?

sadly yeah....waterhead,saddleworth & st annes are all bigger and better run that ORLFC

.

Btw Roostah, Roughy has been posting here for years and has never trolled anyone outside the usual pom vs aussie, kiwi, froggy whatever, but it's always about the footy and a bit of banter. He has never used Soccer to bash Rugby League over the head with to my knowledge.

thanks lad...ive never ever spoke about football on here cos it isn't relevant...and i can count the number of football games i've actually been to on my hands and 1 foot....in 35 YEARS lol but yeah im a soccer troll.....what a knob

 

[roughyedspud]

That's true about France. They were massive in League at one stage and used to beat Australia and England. I believe the government conspired against the game to some degree though.

yeah you could put it like that...lol...RL was banned & stripped of all its considerable assets by the vichy government & the nazis during WW2

 

[RoosTah]

sadly yeah....waterhead,saddleworth & st annes are all bigger and better run that ORLFC





thanks lad...ive never ever spoke about football on here cos it isn't relevant...and i can count the number of football games i've actually been to on my hands and 1 foot....in 35 YEARS lol but yeah im a soccer troll.....what a knob

And yet soccer is apparently "in your blood". LoL you're really a fool mate - you started this shit slinging match dickhead.

 

[Dakink]

Roos this aint TFC, carry on with that garbage in their please mate.

 

[hutch]

Don't know how this thread got onto this topic, but I'd take 'fagball' every day of the year over rugby union, a sport which has tried to kill our sport off and blocked its progress in many countries. Union is the true enemy, a sport played by inferior footballers and followed by wankers.

 

[deluded pom?]

..and i can count the number of football games i've actually been to on my hands and 1 foot.

You're from Oldham 'spud. That probably means about 57 fagball matches. ;-)

 

[strong_latte]

Don't know how this thread got onto this topic, but I'd take 'fagball' every day of the year over rugby union, a sport which has tried to kill our sport off and blocked its progress in many countries. Union is the true enemy, a sport played by inferior footballers and followed by wankers.

Can't agree I have to say. I hate soccer with a passion - growing up soccer fans were almost the most obnoxious and whiny... We had these wanker kids at my school who's parents tried get League and Union banned whilst they pushed for a bloody soccer team! Never had that sort of trouble with Union or the Aus-kick guys...

Soccer is a cancer in Australia and its fans are either euro-trash wannabe snobs that demand everyone call it 'football' (because they don't know where the word comes from) or they're thuggish immigrants who look like they're about to hop on a plane to join ISIL.

Look at how those bloody morons carry on at the Wanderers - the game is so bat-shit boring that they try to start riots every other week. Nothing bloody happens on the pitch though, so I suppose it makes sense. Reminds me of a quote I read comparing 'Twilight' with soccer once actually - "Soccer is like Twilight: All they do is run around for two hours while nobody scores, and when you complain it's millions of fans insist that you don't understand".

I'd watch Union, AFL, NFL, Basketball, and darts long before I'd consider sitting down to that snore fest with its wanker fans and prima donna players any day.

 

[RoosTah]

Roos this aint TFC, carry on with that garbage in their please mate.

Not sure what you're on about directing this at me mate. I'm just returning the mud with interest to a sad little pommy prick who likes to dish it out but can't take it.

 

[strong_latte]

yeah you could put it like that...lol...RL was banned & stripped of all its considerable assets by the vichy government & the nazis during WW2

Yeah, I'd read about that - pretty horrible to say the least. Although in terms of atrocities surrounding sports bodies, Union ain't got nothing on soccer...

League and Union definitely have a fraught history, but soccer is actively destroying people's lives as we speak, with the hideously corrupt FIFA having signed the death warrants for a projected 4000 people working on the Qatar world cup that was awarded to them by the bloated criminal Sep Blater.

John Oliver sums it up best when explaining just how insanely evil the governing body of that tumor of a sport is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

Just getting back to this topic though for a second (seriously seems to have snow balled after your bout of name calling there spud), I kinda like the 4 nations, but I almost feel like when it's played down here they should try a combined Pacific Island team - sorta like a League version of the West Indies. Would definitely be pretty strong don't you think? And yeah, I get that they have different cultures and rivalries, but the Poms manage to get it to work in the cricket (well, they did before we brought them back to earth ) with their team of South Africans, Irishmen, Welshmen and Poms.

 

[hutch]

I'd love if that were true, but it just doesn't seem like it is. I actually say above that the Argy pro players are in foreign leagues, but they still have a significant amateur presence and have taken some big scalps in recent history. That just isn't true of a country like France in League. I'd love to see the French more into their League, but barely anyone seemed to be at their home games in the World Cup and they didn't look much chop on the pitch either.

What's the story with French League though? I know that once upon a time it was a huge deal there and they spearheaded the World Cup in the 50s, but it seems like they've just massively dropped away.

The French World Cup games were sold out, they had their biggest crowds in years there. What games were you watching?

Maybe you should look into the history of French rugby league and union and find out why they aren't a world power in league anymore!

 

[CC_Roosters]

Yeah, I'd read about that - pretty horrible to say the least. Although in terms of atrocities surrounding sports bodies, Union ain't got nothing on soccer...

League and Union definitely have a fraught history, but soccer is actively destroying people's lives as we speak, with the hideously corrupt FIFA having signed the death warrants for a projected 4000 people working on the Qatar world cup that was awarded to them by the bloated criminal Sep Blater.

John Oliver sums it up best when explaining just how insanely evil the governing body of that tumor of a sport is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

Just getting back to this topic though for a second (seriously seems to have snow balled after your bout of name calling there spud), I kinda like the 4 nations, but I almost feel like when it's played down here they should try a combined Pacific Island team - sorta like a League version of the West Indies. Would definitely be pretty strong don't you think? And yeah, I get that they have different cultures and rivalries, but the Poms manage to get it to work in the cricket (well, they did before we brought them back to earth ) with their team of South Africans, Irishmen, Welshmen and Poms.

I have long thought a Pacific islands team would be a great touring and tournament side. Maybe more of a stretch for the four nation's as u can see png and fiji getting stronger in the years to come and can stand alone against the top 3 soon hopefully. But we could have a tours every 4 years I.e right between world cups. Alternate great Britain, nz and Australia plus Pacific islands would open up new revenues and attention on the international game.

 

[roughyedspud]

Not sure what you're on about directing this at me mate. I'm just returning the mud with interest to a sad little pommy prick who likes to dish it out but can't take it.

you still here sweetheart?

you are talking shite and its not just me thats picked up on it....


as for "football being in my blood"....its cos im english,we invented the bloody thing,its force fed every kid in the country,it dominates the sporting landscape in this country.....if you struggle with thats your problem,among many you have.....now jog along little boy

 

[RoosTah]

The French World Cup games were sold out, they had their biggest crowds in years there. What games were you watching?

Maybe you should look into the history of French rugby league and union and find out why they aren't a world power in league anymore!

This has kinda been covered now mate. Either way, the games involving France were played at small stadia and so that's why it didn't look like much even full. Anyway, this is all beside the point. France clearly need help, but more at the club level than anything. If they were like NZ and had a lot of their players in the Super League and NRL beyond their one team it would be a good start and actually more akin to what the argies have in union

 

[RoosTah]

you still here sweetheart?

you are talking shite and its not just me thats picked up on it....


as for "football being in my blood"....its cos im english,we invented the bloody thing,its force fed every kid in the country,it dominates the sporting landscape in this country.....if you struggle with thats your problem,among many you have.....now jog along little boy

Oh so you don't have a choice? Oh right, I forgot you had your brain and balls removed. Must make it tough to not just be a sheep.

Now run along with the other soccer sheep sweetheart ;-)

 

[hutch]

List of frenchies at English clubs: (stolen from winnyason on totalrl forums)

Remy casty(roosters nrl), William barthau (London broncos 2015), kevin larroyer (hull kr), theo fages(Salford), Michael Simon (Wakefield 2015), Jamal fakir ( Bradford), Louis jouffret ( Warrington academy and going great guns), Jean phille baile ( rumoured Bradford), Julian bousquest and antoni Maria ( chased by Wakefield).
In championship clubs seb martins ( north wales), theo Gonzalez - trique ( Sheffield).

Alexandre Mickalezyk (17yo, 1m90, 98kg) just came back from 2months trial at the Roosters and it seems like he nailed it as he's going down there again next year! He rejected an offer from Catalans.

 

[strong_latte]

I have long thought a Pacific islands team would be a great touring and tournament side. Maybe more of a stretch for the four nation's as u can see png and fiji getting stronger in the years to come and can stand alone against the top 3 soon hopefully. But we could have a tours every 4 years I.e right between world cups. Alternate great Britain, nz and Australia plus Pacific islands would open up new revenues and attention on the international game.

It seriously has potential doesn't it? If they were seriously competitive it might also help to stop players picking Aus and NZ for rep duties.

The problem would be the economics - the islands just don't have the economies of scale to make something like that very (if at all) profitable and even as an outbound touring side they'd have to take big scalps early for the concept to live long.

 

[RoosTah]

List of frenchies at English clubs: (stolen from winnyason on totalrl forums)

Remy casty(roosters nrl), William barthau (London broncos 2015), kevin larroyer (hull kr), theo fages(Salford), Michael Simon (Wakefield 2015), Jamal fakir ( Bradford), Louis jouffret ( Warrington academy and going great guns), Jean phille baile ( rumoured Bradford), Julian bousquest and antoni Maria ( chased by Wakefield).
In championship clubs seb martins ( north wales), theo Gonzalez - trique ( Sheffield).

Alexandre Mickalezyk (17yo, 1m90, 98kg) just came back from 2months trial at the Roosters and it seems like he nailed it as he's going down there again next year! He rejected an offer from Catalans.

That number needs to be tripled really. Maybe the ESL clubs and the NRL ought to start looking at the French Union academies and talent scouting guys early like the NRL does in NZ with their union and league dev leagues. Would help the national team which in turn would help build a case for a second French ESL side.