Elite 1 follow-up

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

4 hours ago, Hvy wg said:

The Australians are gym rats !

To be fully honest, there are a lot of young guys in the gym in France but most of them are training in a "bodybuilding" style that only suits the enhanced bodybuilders. The focus needs to be shifted to strength. Too many guys spending 2 hours a day in the gym doing the same training, unable to bench their own weight.

 

Am I alone in feeling just a touch uneasy about the modern emphasis on size and strength?  I am reminded from the pages of Henri Garcia's Champagne Rugby that the great 1951 French touring squad to Australia had only 5 players out of 27 who were 6 ft or more in height and only 7 who were 14 stone or more in weight.

Whatever happened to skill and guile? 

OK, I'll shut up now and get back to my slippers, fireside chair and mug of steaming cocoa, and snooze with my faithful dog at my feet.

[Hvy wg]

42 minutes ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

Am I alone in feeling just a touch uneasy about the modern emphasis on size and strength?  I am reminded from the pages of Henri Garcia's Champagne Rugby that the great 1951 French touring squad to Australia had only 5 players out of 27 who were 6 ft or more in height and only 7 who were 14 stone or more in weight.

Whatever happened to skill and guile? 

OK, I'll shut up now and get back to my slippers, fireside chair and mug of steaming cocoa, and snooze with my faithful dog at my feet.

It happened that if you're not big enough in the modern game you won't be able to exploit your skills.

It's not a coincidence if the Aussies are all tall and big.

A "too small" player getting involved in tackles with big guys is going to be too tired to play his game. That being said, halfbacks being small is not quite my concern. It's about French forwards being too small, making it impossible to "lay the platform" for the more skillful players.

 

[Evil Homer]

3 hours ago, Hvy wg said:

Limoux - Catalans highlights.

Limoux's reliance on Luc Franco to create something is unworthy of their performances last year.
 

 

I'm still baffled that Luc Franco was released when he still qualifies for the U19s next year. Unless he chose to leave in order to play against men in the LER, but it still doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[RayCee]

2 hours ago, Wiltshire Warrior Dragon said:

Am I alone in feeling just a touch uneasy about the modern emphasis on size and strength?  I am reminded from the pages of Henri Garcia's Champagne Rugby that the great 1951 French touring squad to Australia had only 5 players out of 27 who were 6 ft or more in height and only 7 who were 14 stone or more in weight.

Whatever happened to skill and guile? 

OK, I'll shut up now and get back to my slippers, fireside chair and mug of steaming cocoa, and snooze with my faithful dog at my feet.

Much of the skill and guile went with the move to 10 metre defence. Big guys hitting the defensive line at full speed made size more important. At just five metres, the impacts were less and small defensive players had a chance. I'd like to see 5 metre defence come back. 

[winnyason]

I see toulon u 19s have beaten both asc and fcl already.there seniors are leading the national division pool also seems like a step to elite 2 on the cards next year. 

[The Daddy]

25 minutes ago, winnyason said:

I see toulon u 19s have beaten both asc and fcl already.there seniors are leading the national division pool also seems like a step to elite 2 on the cards next year. 

Is that the club run by Gael Tallec? 

[winnyason]

5 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

Is that the club run by Gael Tallec? 

Yeap , noted also castres and clermont are starting junior clubs with touch element it seems.

I reckon towns such as brive, agen and bayonne worth a shot for club also. 

[DoubleD]

2 hours ago, winnyason said:

Yeap , noted also castres and clermont are starting junior clubs with touch element it seems.

I reckon towns such as brive, agen and bayonne worth a shot for club also. 

Is touch rugby league big in France? 

[winnyason]

5 hours ago, DoubleD said:

Is touch rugby league big in France? 

Not sure FC Lyon rugby 13 are running touch also 

[barnyia]

I No, I play in old men's touch with mainly ex union players and the odd league team there's around 8 or 9 teams in my region and it's social with a big emphasis on the meal afterwards, 

The Catalans run a beach touch in summer and the French rugby union do a touch beach tour, I played in one and you have to sign up for a temporary license which intern raises rugby union playing numbers for statistics ! 

A guy gave a demo in lezignan of real.touch rugby but it was too quick for the older guys, 

[wackojacko]

Lézignan just announced Pelissier and Pomeroy. A shame to see Pelissier presumably dropping out of the professional ranks, for me he had a lot to offer but maybe not the discipline?

[fcl]

Some players went to the FCL XIII (or other Elite clubs) before returning to a Championship, Super League and even NRL club: Boudebza, Pomeroy, David Fifita and Vaha Pulu in Lezignan. (Damien Cardace also had several proposals but refused them)

I think that the FCL is the perfect club to revive Eloi

[winnyason]

Sorry to say complete waste of talent in elite. He had any ambition should have signed with toulouse at least. 

 

[wackojacko]

9 hours ago, fcl said:

Some players went to the FCL XIII (or other Elite clubs) before returning to a Championship, Super League and even NRL club: Boudebza, Pomeroy, David Fifita and Vaha Pulu in Lezignan. (Damien Cardace also had several proposals but refused them)

I think that the FCL is the perfect club to revive Eloi

Let's hope so.

[winnyason]

Not to be rude but this is reason why france are treading water. Fcl not a professional club, to me this is the somewhat maxime greseque approach i can earn the same in elite as pro ranks and its easier. 

France best young players should be with toulouse or catalans and if not english pro clubs. Attitude is the problem i see here. 

[barnyia]

Maybe he didn't have many options, this is the problem with only one french team in super league, does he want to leave his business and family to play in the championship or play for Toulouse for less money than as a big fish in elite and have to travel every second weekend, 

[Hvy wg]

8 minutes ago, winnyason said:

Not to be rude but this is reason why france are treading water. Fcl not a professional club, to me this is the somewhat maxime greseque approach i can earn the same in elite as pro ranks and its easier. 

France best young players should be with toulouse or catalans and if not english pro clubs. Attitude is the problem i see here. 

This isn't a "France" issue. It's a Pelissier issue.

He's too much trouble.

[winnyason]

7 minutes ago, Hvy wg said:

This isn't a "France" issue. It's a Pelissier issue.

He's too much trouble.

Like the miloudi brothers ??

[audois]

Last nights results

St Esteve 28-14 Toulouse

Albi 22-16 St Gaudens

Sounds like two excellent performances from two of last seasons stragglers

[barnyia]

52 to 6 for lezignan, Pomeroy and pellisier made a massive difference, pellisier is wasted at this level ! 

[winnyason]

17 hours ago, audois said:

Last nights results

St Esteve 28-14 Toulouse

Albi 22-16 St Gaudens

Sounds like two excellent performances from two of last seasons stragglers

Kane Bentley and Aaron wood helping kids at Toulouse I imagine 

[audois]

7 hours ago, winnyason said:

Kane Bentley and Aaron wood helping kids at Toulouse I imagine 

I reckon but great improvement on last season for Toulouse. Also in the U19s curtain raiser they were just pipped by last years Champions St Esteve 22-20. They 're running with two sides at that level too I think. Toulouse ticking all the right boxes.

Interesting in the St Esteve U19s a J Chan listed - is it Alex's lad I wonder.

Other results this weekend

Carcassonne 6-10 Limoux

Lezignan 52-6 Villenuve  sur Lot

Palau 14-42 Avignon

 

* Danny Hulme scored Villeneuves only try at Lezignan.

* Reported here that Darryl Griffin is joining Palau.

[audois]

Bruno Onteniente is the lead reporter for L'Independant as well as commentator for Radio Bleu Roussillon covering all the Dragons games home & away. He covers Elite 1 too and each Tuesday has a full page review.

 

[fcl]

Very ban news in Carcassonne :

125k £ in debt

Players have not been paid since the beginning of the season

Chairman says that there is not enough private sponsors and he's trying to build a financial plan to save the club

https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2018/01/11/2719555-as-carcassonne-vers-un-plan-pour-sortir-de-la-crise.html

[Fabou]

2 hours ago, fcl said:

Very ban news in Carcassonne :

125k £ in debt

Players have not been paid since the beginning of the season

Chairman says that there is not enough private sponsors and he's trying to build a financial plan to save the club

https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2018/01/11/2719555-as-carcassonne-vers-un-plan-pour-sortir-de-la-crise.html

well... sad, but not surprising.