14 replies to this topic

[audois]

Didn’t fancy Carcassonne against bottom team Lescure at Domec and fancied ride out to nearby Prexian for their Federal clash – 4^th tier – with Minervois. On a lovely sunny winters day Stade du Beil amongst the vineyards felt a good place to be. Interesting to see the former NRL player Wagon leading the home side & putting something back in the game. It was his classy break and off load which decided the game. It was feisty and a bit too hectic. Not enough composure with a lot of ball put down. But some good bits thrown in too. Prexian edged it 26-20.

Elsewhere ASC too strong for the winless Tarn side Lescure but 32-10 score line respectable. Lezignan are the only side to beat Pia this season and they ran them close yesterday too just falling short 23-16. Limoux the third Aude first division side should have hosted Villeneuve sur Lot but the match was postponed. Apparently the Grizzlies pitch having draining problems.

Talking about Limoux it was disappointing to see they had their U21s pulled from the Cup competition for failing to put a team out at Avignon in the league. Lezignan too have problems with their Juniors when their recent league fixture against St Esteve was abandoned at the break because they were down to just eight players and a score line of more than fifty clocked up. The match started with a dozen on the pitch but then injuries reduced their numbers. Only a couple of seasons back FCL ran with two sides in this category. My gripe is that some of these sides fork out too much money on their overseas lads. They should be for me looking closer to home and developing the game top to bottom.

There must have been a couple hundred round the barriers yesterday at Prexian. Probably not many more than that at Domec. I know I’ve mentioned this before but they need more local teams around the area playing. Getting more villages sides involved and making the gateaux bigger. It was a good scene yesterday but we want more of it.

Pics as ever courtesy of Gerard Barrau. His lad seen here going for the line and scoring for the visitors. Bit of claret flowed and novel bandage. Young Kevin the referee hand his hands full but did a more than reasonable job to keep the action flowing. Well done.

[Jim from Oz]

Fantastic stuff. Now I want to know: how do I get to live in the south of France and watch TGG with wine and gateaux?

[audois]

Shouldn't include all overeseas lads in the same boat. Some salt of the earth and give yeomanry treize service. Bumped into Vincent Wulf the other day. Lives in next street to me in Carcassonne. At nearly forty years old back in the saddle. He played SL for PSG and was a key figure in that super Villeneuve side of the 2000s. Villegailhenc in N1 have got him involved yet again and he inspired them to a 18-16 win at Le Soler in Perpignan Sunday. Gareth Dean another with long service. Boy of Pontypridd and Cardiff Demons before London and Wigan. Played for Canaris here then off to Limoux and still going strong. Tyron Pau a Cook Islander a fixture for a decade or more first at Limoux and now at the ASC. Works I think for the town council while his daughters are part of the cheer leaders team. And not for getting Alan Walsh who posts on here. A Wigan lad who first came over to play at Montpellier but now lives in the Aude. Like Gareth raising a young French family and settled here with his own business. Coaching at Minervois and water carrier duties Sunday at Stade du Beil. In his spare time even coaches the kids down in the Corbieres at Lezignan. All top people.

[RS]

Any venue and kick off time for the Limoux V ASC Semi final yet?

[crusadin_photoman]

Shouldn't include all overeseas lads in the same boat. Some salt of the earth and give yeomanry treize service. Bumped into Vincent Wulf the other day. Lives in next street to me in Carcassonne. At nearly forty years old back in the saddle. He played SL for PSG and was a key figure in that super Villeneuve side of the 2000s. Villegailhenc in N1 have got him involved yet again and he inspired them to a 18-16 win at Le Soler in Perpignan Sunday. Gareth Dean another with long service. Boy of Pontypridd and Cardiff Demons before London and Wigan. Played for Canaris here then off to Limoux and still going strong. Tyron Pau a Cook Islander a fixture for a decade or more first at Limoux and now at the ASC. Works I think for the town council while his daughters are part of the cheer leaders team. And not for getting Alan Walsh who posts on here. A Wigan lad who first came over to play at Montpellier but now lives in the Aude. Like Gareth raising a young French family and settled here with his own business. Coaching at Minervois and water carrier duties Sunday at Stade du Beil. In his spare time even coaches the kids down in the Corbieres at Lezignan. All top people.

As usual very informative Gordon. Had hoped to catch up with Gareth Dean when we were over last year but he was away for the weekend (in Biarritz if I remember correctly). I still want to get back that way but at the moment I have no idea when due to family commitments, a new job and keeping busy at various age groups with Scorpions.
Hope you've recovered form your hospitalization.
Cheers,
IL

[audois]

Any venue and kick off time for the Limoux V ASC Semi final yet?

Rod - Its Saturday 9th March at Lezignan. As they've no lights afternoon KO. Are you over for the two weekends then.

[audois]

As usual very informative Gordon. Had hoped to catch up with Gareth Dean when we were over last year but he was away for the weekend (in Biarritz if I remember correctly). I still want to get back that way but at the moment I have no idea when due to family commitments, a new job and keeping busy at various age groups with Scorpions.
Hope you've recovered form your hospitalization.
Cheers,
IL

Ian - Thanks for that. Best of luck with new job et al. Hope Scorpions have some success in 2013.

[oiseau]

bit one sided at Les Minimes on sunday Gordon with UTC taking the foot off the pedal in the second forty - not surprised at the easy victory what with at least 9 SL experienced players turning out for Catalans reserves, led well with William B and good to see J-P Baille as well as Cyrille Gossard and Seb Raguin in the line up - another excellent performance from young Morgan Escaré, surely Webbs sucessor in a couple of years ? I know he was really hoping he would replace Greeny at FB -a bit early for me but he is the future - La Fray will make him an even better player...heres' the UTC 17 :

Escaré, Vaccari, Baille,Pala, Ahlalou; Robin,Barthau , Raguin, Joan Guasch, Da Costa, David Guasch, Gossard, Swain (still plodding on...), Springer, Margalet, Rouch, Maria.

impressive looking LER line-up methinks Gordon ?

[audois]

bit one sided at Les Minimes on sunday Gordon with UTC taking the foot off the pedal in the second forty - not surprised at the easy victory what with at least 9 SL experienced players turning out for Catalans reserves, led well with William B and good to see J-P Baille as well as Cyrille Gossard and Seb Raguin in the line up - another excellent performance from young Morgan Escaré, surely Webbs sucessor in a couple of years ? I know he was really hoping he would replace Greeny at FB -a bit early for me but he is the future - La Fray will make him an even better player...heres' the UTC 17 :

Escaré, Vaccari, Baille,Pala, Ahlalou; Robin,Barthau , Raguin, Joan Guasch, Da Costa, David Guasch, Gossard, Swain (still plodding on...), Springer, Margalet, Rouch, Maria.

impressive looking LER line-up methinks Gordon ?

Peter - thought Gossard hurt himself in the warm up. Whats this Toulouse lad Springer like? Margalet in the back row highly thought of in Perpignan but has had a fair few injuries of late. Escare certainly knows his way to the try line. Not a lot of him but you could say that about Webb too. Robin at scrum half has always impressed me. Attacks the line and has pace. He spent some time at Wakefield under John Kear.

Should be a good game Sunday against Carcassonne in Perpignan. ASC have some big games coming up with Limoux next up in the Lord Derby Cup and then Pia away. Toulouse at Domec Easter weekend after which both go to England for Challenge Cup first weekend of April.

[EdinburghExile]

Apropos of nothing is Theo fages related to Pascal Fages, the 90s international?

[The Daddy_merged]

Apropos of nothing is Theo fages related to Pascal Fages, the 90s international?

Oui

[oiseau]

Peter - thought Gossard hurt himself in the warm up. Whats this Toulouse lad Springer like? Margalet in the back row highly thought of in Perpignan but has had a fair few injuries of late. Escare certainly knows his way to the try line. Not a lot of him but you could say that about Webb too. Robin at scrum half has always impressed me. Attacks the line and has pace. He spent some time at Wakefield under John Kear.

Should be a good game Sunday against Carcassonne in Perpignan. ASC have some big games coming up with Limoux next up in the Lord Derby Cup and then Pia away. Toulouse at Domec Easter weekend after which both go to England for Challenge Cup first weekend of April.

yeah, didn't se what happened to Gossard and I was near to them watching the warm-up routine, very strange - couldn't have been anything major as he wasn't hobbling around...re Springer :really nice kid and obviously well liked by Steve D who spent a lot of time with him individually, looks good though well matched by Vunakace who I felt won the battle, despite losing the war...
Great shot of the young gun with mentor LP alongside the now almost fluent english speaking (and probably the nicest guy in Perpignan) EP)


you know what Gordon, at the Salford game Eloi asked where Heather was and why she was'nt present so I told him the sad news and he was in tears and vowed, in his best english "ok wee weel ween todaye fore yore laydee" - I have to admit it was looking a bit doubtful after the third minute when Bousquet saw red....
sorry, I digresss, regarding Springer the only doubt about him for me is his fitness especially the back which has given him past problems and he's still a kid so he needs to be careful or could end up the next Brett Mcdermott ie. forced out of the top echelons due to injuries at a young age etc

yeah, Robin looked useful but he and William B ruled the centre of the park and stopped TOXIII playing fluently plus the loss of the better TO players ie Fahy & Blackett (mumps with other squad members) etc didn't help

love watching Escaré - first saw him with the juniors Elite at Villeneuve a few years back where he was brilliant and quicker than a butchers dog.....

[EdinburghExile]

Oui

Merci.

[audois]

Apropos of nothing is Theo fages related to Pascal Fages, the 90s international?

Pascal's his father I think. Played at Pia. He has another older son Maxime who plays at Carcassonne. He went initially to USAP to play in their junior set up. After years of searching for a decent French half back we now have a crop of them. Well a few. Greseque's time has gone I think and now France looks to the likes of Fages, Barthau and Robin.

[EdinburghExile]

Pascal's his father I think. Played at Pia. He has another older son Maxime who plays at Carcassonne. He went initially to USAP to play in their junior set up. After years of searching for a decent French half back we now have a crop of them. Well a few. Greseque's time has gone I think and now France looks to the likes of Fages, Barthau and Robin.

Excellent to see.

I spotted Pascal in a France U21 team from 1990, the name caught my eye.