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Lowdesert

Coach
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Posts posted by Lowdesert

  1. 16 hours ago, barnyia said:

    Yes, the french pro teams don't really scout the french kids, well since the academy finished anyway.  they hold trials and anyone can go along. But one good thing over here are the pole espoirs in Carcassonne and salon de Provence and pole france in Toulouse, the kids train every day whilst still doing their studies from thz age of 15 to 17/18 years old. But this again is a selection, they go to school then train afterwards all week and return to their clubs the Weekend, when this finishes at 18  they  end up training 2  or 3 times a week back in clubland if they're good enough to train with the elite they still progress but not like they would in a pro club, no elite club is pro. 

    Then university education comes into play and they're finished, cesar rouge brother was an excellent prop with the catalans youth and reserves but gave it up to study engineering. If he was in a real pro club he could do have done both, 

    So yes it's a lack of pro clubs or pro set ups that stops the progress at 18. My son has just finished pole france and will train with lezignan elite (after he recovers from his shoulder op) but he will go from 4 field and 4  gym sessions a week to 3 field and 2 gym sessions (optional). 

    Although he wants to go and join an academy next summer if he's good enough. (he's lucky as he has both passports so no problems for visas) 

    I hope he gets decent coaching at Lezignan 😉

  2. The last game v England was a close tussle so we (and Anderson) shouldn’t have expected an easy ride and planned accordingly.  Didn’t happen and the French beat us at our own game. Either way both groups will have learned but maybe Balloo’s position will now be considered/reviewed.

     

     

  3. 14 hours ago, Ullman said:

    Can't get enough of it, mate. Watched the live coverage on Eurosport, the highlights on ITV4 and am now watching The Breakaway on Eurosport. 

    It's one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time. 

     

    Merycx will not be happy!  I half expected teams to keep denying Cav victory until he ran out of steam but he’s taken his chance early.  Fantastic.

    • Like 1
  4. 1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

    My apologies too.

    ouRLeague was the same - occasionally sweet, sometimes sour. I just expected SL+ to be more reliable. It's no good some folk finding it fine and others being made angry by it. Even the tries I've seen on facebook are properly blurry. Having given several free volunteer hours to RL today, being unable to then watch my national team on a reliable platform has left me upset.

    I am in a one horse town in Spain called Mansilla de las Mulas and I watched it all on my phone.  No blips and the picture was clear enough.

    Have you dusted Archie? 😉

    • Like 1
  5. 3 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

    Here in Toulouse now.

    Have had a good chat with a couple of the French boys De Costa and Pascal Fages and they are really fired up for it and think they definitely have a chance of winning tonight.

    Good fun spirit in the French camp who seem to be really enjoying themselves.

    They even invited AMO my dog to take part in the official team photo at the hotel last night.

    It's on my LinkedIn and rugbyleague.com:))

     

    Paul

     

     

    Any reports of Leigh lads getting lost in the City looking for taxis?

    • Haha 1
  6. 17 hours ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

    Only named a 20 man squad for Barrow so maybe.  Official Club announcement at 7pm tonight so maybe a 21st man incoming?

    Yeah, I thought Wakey would be confident in their squad v Barrow but doesn’t look that way when the withdraw a young international.

  7. 2 hours ago, Hammerless Nail said:

    Amir? More like a "meh".

    I suspect you've got that figure of 10 appearances from Wikipedia, but that only covers 2022. I'm pretty sure he made a few appearances in 2023, and has made a further 10 or so this season. He lost his place when he failed an HIA (I think), and hasn't been able to claim it back, largely because of how much better Joe Mellor has been in that position.

    The problem is - as Red Willow has already said - that Amir is very slow around dummy half, partly, I think, because he always seems  to take a couple of steps away from the PTB before releasing. His passing accuracy has improved, but he had a lot of improving to do. Last year, he was like one of those practice machines that tennis players use that fire a ball at you at some random trajectory. He doesn't have much of a running game either, beyond running in when it all kicks off. His defence is pretty good though.

    So, Hull have signed a youngish player who may yet improve, but I wouldn't have thought he was first choice material at the moment, certainly not for a Super League club.

    Hull already have an ex England academy hooker in Balmforth and another exciting young hooker coming through in Hodgson.  I dare say young Moy would also cause havoc if he was to play hooker, so 3 years for Amir has to be questioned.

    Some exciting youth coming through at Hull, courtesy of Pete Ridings efforts.

    • Like 1
  8. On 24/06/2024 at 16:34, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

    I actually saw a Chaffinch in the garden today, it must be at least 10 years since I saw one.

    Back in the early 2000s, you could see them virtually all year round and in the winter you could see 5 or 6 at once.

    The ironic thing is, for the last 5 years or so, there's been one singing in a tree about 20 yards from the front door.

    Indeed.  But I think they are still up there as one of the most popular birds.

     

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