barnyia

I don't think Frank Maria will be playing as he got on the field for the last 5 minutes v hull.

Vlandy said on nrl 360 that it didn't cost much due to sponsorship and TV rights etc.

I don't know bit it's being played in Belgrade

The France 19s play the England academy for a one off match in early July, then it's the European cup in Belgrade, then I've heard the Aussie schoolboys may be over this winter,

Mourgue, Yaha , maybe da Costa and Séguier in the few years they had the academy

It's amazing that Connor terrill the Cumbrian lad flies over every week to play for Tonneins. Good effort.

Last time they had a team in the academy it cost them over 500,000 just to cover the costs. A bit expensive for an academy team.

Toulouse have Catalans haven't.

It's been said a few kids think they've made it as soon as they have the team tracksuit,

It's a selection of the best players in the Perpignan area plus players from other areas, they train every day, they have a squad of 40 players, they took almost all the players from the u17s champions baho, the other clubs train twice a week and are struggling to get 17 players on the team sheet every week, they almost lost to the merged Avignon club in the cup when Avignon had all their players available from carpentras and Entraigues elite 2. Just a thought but maybe they should take all the best players (Toulouse do the same thing) and coach them at this level and let them play for their origin 19s club every weekend, the championship will be better and the Catalans and Toulouse can promote the best, the rest go back to their elite club when they're too old. A bit like the scholarship system in England.

And Lézignan have beaten Pia and limoux as well as losing against Pia and limoux And lost in the second half against the Catalans. So it will be a good play off series.

Pia is a very strong team, on paper probably the best squad or at least up there with Carcassonne and Albi, Vailhan, baitieri, guasch, Benjamin julien, Ambert, Hugo Perez, dean whare, their full back was named in the NSW cup team of the year, a solid Aussie prop, Lézignan had a few injuries before and during the game, but where outplayed in the second half, the young Clement Martin going to full back having never played that position, he did really well in defence and under the high balls, Definitely dominated in the second half.

Albi v Limoux is a great advert for winter rugby

They could buy it for a couple of hundred euros

Excellent at full back and Scrum half in France, now playing centre in the sg ball cup, He comes from salon and played elite2 at 17, he's never played elite 1, but played against the Catalans last year with the elite select team, Played in the halves for France 17s and at full back for France 19s and France b in Serbia I think. Very tall and rangey I'd say around 6foot 4.

We'll soon be sick of them and they'll start being annoying. Happens to all RL commentary teams for some reason . ( Maybe it's us )

Something about not having the ground available and having to play cancelled games before playing the return game, nothing is ever simple, the game went on forever, very stop start, final whistle was at 17h10 and the kick off was at 15h ISH

A lot less wrestle makes the the game quicker and more enjoyable. It looks like the play the ball is a lot quicker than last year,

Big game this Sunday. Limoux v Carcassonne. On limoux YouTube channel

Yes

The Lézignan v Albi game is now available to see on YouTube

Pamiers are looking to move up to elite 2, they've a bit of money and a decent following,

Never going to happen, a semi pro player with a full time job will be getting minimum 1500 euros take home for his job and between 600 and 1200 from rugby (some maybe a little more) there's no way clubs can pay this as a real work contract costs the employer double, so a player on 2k will cost the club around 3700 with taxes, national insurance etc , Players aren't going to give up a long term job to play a couple of years of full time rugby for half the money he was getting,

The right side was the strong side until they moved the young full back Monteil to stand off or left side halfback, and he unlocked the left side attack,

Avignon are a very good team, It seems in France the refs referee the score and not the game, dominant teams in a game seem to get penalised more near the end of the game to let the other team back in, it happened for the Lézignan Villeneuve game, same yesterday, the Toulouse v Lézignan game it happened and for the Carcassonne game when Lézignan came back to almost win. I watched Ferrals struggle v Pamiers and was 18 0 down after 20 minutes, after this the penalty count was 5 to 0 for Ferrals who came back to lose 22 to 16 but missed a penalty at 18 16 that would have probably drawn the match, Or I may be wrong