Pacifique XIII - A huge boost for French RL?

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Yakstorm said:

First training session involving the Pacifique Treize Nouméa training squad. Focus is on introducing young athletes in the region to the rules and techniques of the code in coordinated weekly sessions before a High Performance Programme is rolled out in 2021.

Are you involved in PT mate, or just interested in it? All looks great anyway

[langpark]

They started off very active, running regular coaching clinics and training sessions in New Caledonia and Solomon Islands. But now over this last year or so, to have gone very quiet. Does anyone know what is going on with them? 

[Yakstorm]

The weekly sessions in Noumea have continued for the past 12 months, with exception to the period New Caledonia was in lockdown. 

Now, thanks to New Caledonia finally opening its borders to Australia, Pacifique Treize has been able to get Dane Campbell (North Queensland Cowboys) and Laurent Gardner (Brisbane Tigers) to help kick start the High Performance Academy and build on the corporate & government relationships which unfortunately were on hold when NC was closed to everywhere but France.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=376510194509036&id=100064501757901

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=972789190239407&id=100025250053013

 

[Yakstorm]

Coverage in the Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes.

 

[Yakstorm]

Source: https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/17/pacifique-treize-set-for-historic-first-tour/

Quote

Pacifique Treize, the Noumea based rugby league team which aims to provide opportunities to players from the French speaking territories in the Pacific, namely New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna and French Polynesia, are set to undertake a historic first ever tour of Australia.

Twenty-five players have been selected for an Under 17s tour of North Queensland starting in late January, where the team will play games three games in total against Mackay Cutters, Townsville Blackhawks and Northern Pride. The games will signify the first time the Pacifique Treize colours will be worn in official games, following the establishment of the entity back at the start of 2020. Players from New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Futuna will link up with Australian based players of French ancestry, along with several players from mainland France.

Pacifique Treize Director Manuel Jalabert commented “We are very happy to be able to conduct our first tour to Australia. We were severely impacted in our development and ambitions by Covid and there were times that we considered whether something like this would be possible. However despite the challenges, we are now ready to hoist the colours for the very first time and represent the French speaking Pacific territories and bring a new audience to rugby league in Queensland and Australia”.

“Our long-term ambition is to replicate what the PNG Hunters have done by being a Pacific based entity playing in the Hostplus Cup in Queensland. We hope that by undertaking this tour at U17s level that we can showcase the athletic talent we have in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Wallis et Futuna, so that over the coming years we may be able to enter into the Queensland Statewide junior competitions (Mal Meninga and Cyril Connell Cups). We are also excited to be able to have some players from mainland France who will travel across to add valuable playing experience to the group”.

Game times and venues for the Pacifique Treize U17 tour of North Queensland:
Saturday 3rd February vs Mackay Cutters at Tiger Park, Mackay – 4:00pm AEST kick off.
Tuesday 6th February vs Townsville Blackhawks @ Jack Manski Oval, Townsville – 6:00pm kick off.
Friday 9th February vs Northern Pride @ Venue TBC, Cairns – 5:30pm kick off.

 

[langpark]

So good to see there still seems to be some life left in this venture!

 

 

[welshmagpie]

9 hours ago, langpark said:

So good to see there still seems to be some life left in this venture!

 

 

They play Mackay on 3rd Feb, Townsville 6th Feb & then in Cairns on 9th Feb.

A coach and some players coming across from mainland France to complement.

Role	Individual	From
Head Coach	Laurent Garnier	France
Assistant Coach	David Cazanave	France
Assistant Coach	David Nicolossi	Vanuatu
Physical Trainer	Didier Heysten	New Caledonia
FAO	Laurie Ferguson	Australia
Team Manager	Dave Gatt	Australia

[The Rocket]

11 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

They play Mackay on 3rd Feb, Townsville 6th Feb & then in Cairns on 9th Feb.

A coach and some players coming across from mainland France to complement.

Role	Individual	From
Head Coach	Laurent Garnier	France
Assistant Coach	David Cazanave	France
Assistant Coach	David Nicolossi	Vanuatu
Physical Trainer	Didier Heysten	New Caledonia
FAO	Laurie Ferguson	Australia
Team Manager	Dave Gatt	Australia

Isn`t it great to see the French Rugby League getting involved with this. Smart bit of forward thinking.

[Yakstorm]

Jersey for tour:

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/18/pacifique-treize-unveil-inaugural-team-jersey/

[Anita Bath]

Its hurricane season in North Queensland ….the region has already been hit twice badly this summer with serious floods and homes destroyed with the prospect of more to come. Hope it will not affect their visit and the games.

[The Rocket]

10 hours ago, Yakstorm said:

Jersey for tour:

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/18/pacifique-treize-unveil-inaugural-team-jersey/

Some really exciting looking sponsors there Yakstorm, a listed Queensland mineral producing company, a French Electrical products wholesaler, a company associated with the American giant Caterpillar. Very solid.

[Yakstorm]

27 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

Some really exciting looking sponsors there Yakstorm, a listed Queensland mineral producing company, a French Electrical products wholesaler, a company associated with the American giant Caterpillar. Very solid.

Thanks. We've been very fortunate with the type of companies who want to be involved with the Pacifique Treize project and are already prepared to commit for multiple years.  It gives us a lot of confidence around the organisation's plan to have teams in the Queensland U17s & U19s Junior Representative programs (Mal Meninga & Cyril Connell Cups) by 2026. 

[Yakstorm]

Touring squad:
https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/19/pacifique-treize-announce-u17-touring-squad/

[Sports Prophet]

I look forward to hearing more of this. Will be a great addition to our sport in the region.

[Yakstorm]

16 year old, Remisio Lakina, will make history this February when he becomes the first ever Rugby League player from the small pacific territory of Wallis & Futuna.

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/21/futuna-to-north-queensland-for-lakina/

[On the buses]

On 18/01/2024 at 22:55, Yakstorm said:

Thanks. We've been very fortunate with the type of companies who want to be involved with the Pacifique Treize project and are already prepared to commit for multiple years.  It gives us a lot of confidence around the organisation's plan to have teams in the Queensland U17s & U19s Junior Representative programs (Mal Meninga & Cyril Connell Cups) by 2026. 

That’s awesome news and definitely the direction any potential pacifique treize team should be heading in similar to the kaiviti silktails who have gone from the Ron Massey cup a level below the NSW cup to the u21’s jersey flegg competition.

get them while they are juniors giving you more chance of developing an NRL standard player.

[On the buses]

On 19/01/2024 at 09:43, Sports Prophet said:

I look forward to hearing more of this. Will be a great addition to our sport in the region.

A large(for the pacific region) untapped market for the NRL and RL as a whole.

[On the buses]

20 hours ago, Yakstorm said:

16 year old, Remisio Lakina, will make history this February when he becomes the first ever Rugby League player from the small pacific territory of Wallis & Futuna.

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/21/futuna-to-north-queensland-for-lakina/

Great story.

[Damien]

Sounds good:

 

 

[Yakstorm]

Some more updates:

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/25/vanuatu-players-named-in-inaugural-pacifique-treize-squad/

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/23/pacifique-treize-to-promote-game-in-french-polynesia/

Some mentions in the local press:

https://www.tahiti-infos.com/Une-franchise-de-rugby-a-XIII-s-interesse-au-Fenua_a221884.html

https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/pendant-l-ete-le-rugby-a-xiii-troque-le-stade-contre-la-plage-1458824.html

The team has also been on TV & Radio in New Caledonia. 

[On the buses]

That’s some gig being The pacifique XIII coach and Tahiti development officer.

[Damien]

Good to see 7 players from New Caledonia:

Over the past 3 years there Mathys Fabre and Ryann Weatheane could have questioned whether to keep turning up to training at Stade Pentecost in Noumea with their Pacifique Treize teammates, not because they were not enjoying themselves, but because each time the fledging entity looked to be gaining momentum an obstacle seemed to appear.

Setbacks taking many forms, from Covid lock-down; international travel restrictions and cyclones to name just a few, yet despite all this both Fabre and Weatheane continued to turn up week after week in the hope that one day they would finally get to run onto the field wearing the red and blue colours in a competitive game.

Pacifique Treize, which launched in February 2020 full of optimism and ambition was severely impacted by the emergence of Covid globally. Plans to develop the game in New Caledonia and Vanuatu came to an abrupt halt. For Fabre and Weatheane the easy option would have been to lose faith and stop turning up to training, as with each passing week the optimism that had been generated could start to erode given the setbacks. Fortunately, both players stood firm with their commitment and now are part of the inaugural Pacifique Treize Under 17 team that will tour North Queensland, Australia in early February.

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/27/pioneers-set-for-adventure/

[Yakstorm]

Plans to open a second Academy in New Caledonia later this year

https://pacifiquetreize.com/en/2024/01/28/pacifique-treize-looking-to-grow-the-game-in-new-caledonia/

[JM2010]

Hopefully it unearths some top level talent for France. England need a competitive nation in the NH

[On the buses]

16 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

Hopefully it unearths some top level talent for France. England need a competitive nation in the NH

Hopefully they won’t change the eligibility rules for origin allowing both NSW and Queensland to select any useful players from New Caledonia and Vanuatu etc.