barnyia

Catalan and Toulouse are full time, french RL isn't, Toulouse has an hybrid pitch that the union team allow them to use, the real Toulouse ground is a mess with portacabins and prefabricated changing rooms, Catalan get a fortune from super league and the local council, french RL doesn't, Catalan and Toulouse don't travel across the south of france in july and august, I know the ins and outs of french RL and the federation quire well, the president would have had this idea over a long lunch with a couple of mates and it's probably never even been mentioned to the clubs or the rfl

There's the heat, part time players and their wives and partners who work for companies that impose holidays of 3 or 4 weeks in July and August, plus school holidays that are july and August, travel in France on Saturdays in summer is impossible due to traffic jams etc, coaches booked by travel companies Water restrictions so stadiums that are council owned can't water the pitch, Training facilities close in summer, in fact the main problem is france closes down in summer and it's too hot!

The cup comp'may happen but summer rugby won't,

Never going to happen.

The drought is over!

Ben lam reminded me of jonah lomu v England in the 90s, it's like ryan hall playing national conference in the uk!

Early season is always strange, the imports aren't here yet for some clubs , the catalans where at full strength but as from tomorrow 5 are on holiday until February (they are squad members so have holidays then pre season) Pia will struggle today too,

One's super xiii and one may ne the rugby school or women, The first one is the right one for super xiii

Pia xiii baroudeur or baroudeurs de Pia

St Estève v Lézignan now being played at 18h15 so the fans can watch the super league team before coming to watch the réserves (it won't happen ) on YouTube, Carcassonne game on YouTube so is the Limoux game, pia v Albi on Sunday also in YouTube,

He's signed for Pia with his brother Amine and the London second row, plus two Papua new guinea internationals, pia will be a strong team, not bad for a team with one if the smallest budgets in french elite/super xiii

With the water restrictions in the South of France in place you already have to try to find grass on the training and playing grounds in September, imagine in july and August playing 80 minutes on dust!

The tems have reinforced this year, the quality of imports looks pretty good especially at st Gaudens and Villefranche, Catalan have named a strong squad for Saturday, The only team that may struggle badly is Toulouse, but they have quality players but very young,

Do they have to pay to use their stadium? Probably more money for them if they play away,

He's already training with Pia, they're trying to sign Sam,

You need to add the league at the end, Montpellier herault rugby league, he's probably called the club this to make people think it's part of the union club. The guy is a bit shifty.

They've been called Montpellier sharks, Montpellier rugby league, Montpellier herault rugby league, they have no ground and aren't helped out by the local authority anymore after the first season mess up, they last played in a village 30kms from Montpellier, the red devils are the original old Montpellier team,

It's the old sharks, same people involved, they've been accepted again into the third or fourth division, Montpellier red devils have set up a team again this season and are in the bottom division, there's videos of Montpellier herault rugby league training and there's 5 players and 2 coaches, The sharks guy was involved with the red devils a few years ago for one season and brought 4 Aussies over that never got paid, had no work and lived in a caravan on a closed for winter camp site, the 4 Aussies ended up leaving and luckily a couple of clubs took them in, The sharks/mhrl have business partners all over their socials but as people say in France a partnership isn't a sponsor just someone who says yes we will be partners, if he goes for bread at the bakers there's a photo the next day saying new partner "Pierres boulangerie" The guy actually believes the lies he says! I just hope the imports don't pay their own travel costs, Or maybe he's learnt from his last 3 or 4 non seasons and they'll be a success this year

2017 i think

Équipe tv is showing the game in France.

If catalans win by 30 they're in 7th place, with Hull next week, if saints beat leigh next week catalans can still finish 6th,

Are they going to replace Lebanon with another team or have zero games except for Ukraine v France elite? If so Bernard will be happy.

https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/09/09/rugby-a-xiii-pourquoi-le-match-international-france-liban-a-pamiers-a-ete-annule-12186563.php

Just read in a french newspaper that Lebanon aren't coming over, the players clubs won't release them it says,

France 19s are playing the schoolboys over there, France are keen to tour every year now they can get the players to find their own sponsors to pay for their own trip. Which is not perfect but better than not touring at all,