Why aren’t we playing France

[Saint Toppy]

2 minutes ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Miloudi 

yaha

gigot

lagurre

bergal

fages

morgue

casty

da costa

bousquet

goudeamand

garcia

seguier

albert

springer

julien

puech

 

I'll revise my previous post - not a 50-60pt hammering, more like a 70-80pt hammering if thats the best team the French can turn out

[Cumbrian Mackem]

3 minutes ago, Saint Toppy said:

I'll revise my previous post - not a 50-60pt hammering, more like a 70-80pt hammering if thats the best team the French can turn out

Which players would you swap for it to be only a 50 point hammering?

[PECETTO]

40 minutes ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

Miloudi 

yaha

gigot

lagurre

bergal

fages

morgue

casty

da costa

bousquet

goudeamand

garcia

seguier

albert

springer

julien

puech

 

Marion, jussaume, marcon, sangare, 

[PECETTO]

39 minutes ago, Saint Toppy said:

I'll revise my previous post - not a 50-60pt hammering, more like a 70-80pt hammering if thats the best team the French can turn out

Humility is a good start in life... 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

4 hours ago, Scubby said:

I really can't see the Almost Stars putting in that much effort tbh. What exactly is in it for them? I foresee quite a few pulling out of the squad late and wanting a rest. Knowing the RFL, there will be no tangible financial carrot for them to put a stint in.

I was just going to say why not stick a decent win bonus in

[The Future is League]

5 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Am I misremembering but this has been raised before and one of the key problems is that nobody really does sporting events in France on Bastille Day as it's a time for a bit of pomp and circumstance, family time and *absolutely everything being shut*.

Could always try and see what the response is

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

4 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

Well the sun & the crowd is just about all the workout they'd receive, they certainly wont get it from a pi$$ poor French team. The overseas players in SL will offer a far tougher game for England and give them better preparation for the WC than a 50-60pt walkover of the French.

Like Catalans v Wigan then, or Leeds v Cas 

[Cumbrian Mackem]

5 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

Could always try and see what the response is

Playing against the old enemy England on france’s most patriotic day

[HawkMan]

We're not playing France for the same reason the England soccer team tonight are playing Austria and not San Marino or Liechtenstein as a Euro warm up. You want to learn something from warm up games and give the players a reasonable competitive game. France don't fit the bill,  simples!

[Scubby]

1 minute ago, HawkMan said:

We're not playing France for the same reason the England soccer team tonight are playing Austria and not San Marino or Liechtenstein as a Euro warm up. You want to learn something from warm up games and give the players a reasonable competitive game. France don't fit the bill,  simples!

They do have a World Cup game against France in a few months time. The exercise would have been useful for both countries and would have been a good workout if held in France.

[Cumbrian Mackem]

6 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

We're not playing France for the same reason the England soccer team tonight are playing Austria and not San Marino or Liechtenstein as a Euro warm up. You want to learn something from warm up games and give the players a reasonable competitive game. France don't fit the bill,  simples!

At least the English football team are playing another nation.

[Hela Wigmen]

Because we’re arrogant and have no intention of championing or developing international rugby league in the northern hemisphere. 

[Futtocks]

3 hours ago, PECETTO said:

Humility is a good start in life... 

It is one of those morale-boosting guaranteed wins, like when GB played the Kumuls at the end of their last tour Down Under.

[ATLANTISMAN]

I am sick of all this France bashing.

FRANCE is our nearest country where rugby league is played at a good level and needs our support.

The majority of people involved in French rugby league are passionate about the game and look up to us and the NRL.

France v England in Perpignan/Toulouse or Avignon would attract crowds of around 12000/15000/15000 whats not to like about that.

Once Trent Robinson gets stuck into the team there will be a few on here that wont be laughing in 5 years time, for the amount of players that there are in France and teams they produce an incredible amount of good players who with the right coaching set up would blossom. 

I have not watched maybe as many FRL matches as audios but would certainly be around the 500 + mark so I know what I am talking about.

Paul

[JonM]

Has the FFR XIII actually asked to play England? It's not the RFL's job to arrange home fixtures for France. Maybe they think a heavy mid-season defeat isn't the best preparation for them?

The French squad was training in Bègles today. Not sure whether any of the UK-based players were able to travel. I believe they also had a squad session there at the start of May, and there's some speculation that it's where they'll play a pre-WC game in October.

[Route66]

People are quick to criticise the Aussies and their reluctance to play internationals and yet some on here look down their noses at the thought of playing our neighbours, an annual game with France should be guaranteed, fully supported by all super league clubs 

[damp squib]

4 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

I'll revise my previous post - not a 50-60pt hammering, more like a 70-80pt hammering if thats the best team the French can turn out

Might come back to this when England finish second in their group and get knocked out by Tonga in the quarters.

[yipyee]

10 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Because France offer no proper worthwhile preparation they are too weak.

Yeah whatever, is that the weak french who have been beating england at HT (or close to) the last 2 times we have played?

Scotland were beating us at Coventry? And drew with NZ after leading against them.. oh they are too weak as well, lets combine nations or play a made up team then.. load of codswallope

[yipyee]

1 hour ago, JonM said:

Has the FFR XIII actually asked to play England? It's not the RFL's job to arrange home fixtures for France. Maybe they think a heavy mid-season defeat isn't the best preparation for them?

The French squad was training in Bègles today. Not sure whether any of the UK-based players were able to travel. I believe they also had a squad session there at the start of May, and there's some speculation that it's where they'll play a pre-WC game in October.

Has England asked to play France?

As its a warm up test game the RFL could probably do with palming off the arrangment of the game as its one less thing to balls up!!

[welshmagpie]

Hundreds of English fans sat around a sun soaked town square in the south of France, drinking beer and singing songs, all ahead of the annual fixture against France.

... things we’d all love to be a part of.

Warrington for a game against a bunch of foreigners will do for now.

[Tommygilf]

2 hours ago, JonM said:

Has the FFR XIII actually asked to play England? It's not the RFL's job to arrange home fixtures for France. Maybe they think a heavy mid-season defeat isn't the best preparation for them?

The French squad was training in Bègles today. Not sure whether any of the UK-based players were able to travel. I believe they also had a squad session there at the start of May, and there's some speculation that it's where they'll play a pre-WC game in October.

The Irish (and I mean the actual Irish administrators of the IRL) asked to play England after their good show at the 2017 wc and England's response was "here's the Knights??" 

That's on top of us playing the only 2nd tier national team to take a point from a top tier team in a 4 nations only once, ever.

Australia and the NRL organised an Oceania cup on the basis that Fiji and Tonga beat the Kiwis let alone Australia. When it comes to the international game our insularism and lack of growth comes to the fore hugely, especially when you consider we can split the UK and Ireland up into 4 countries too to make things easier too!

I wouldn't be surprised if France were tired of asking tbh.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

10 hours ago, Route66 said:

People are quick to criticise the Aussies and their reluctance to play internationals and yet some on here look down their noses at the thought of playing our neighbours, an annual game with France should be guaranteed, fully supported by all super league clubs 

Absolutely spot on. Australia have been sending a select 13 side to play an International in PNG for years, they’ve been hosting mid season Pacific tests for a while now, committed to the Oceania Cup, what have England done? England Kinghts v France would be a really good close game, how many times have they played? As would an England Under 20’s/21’s/22’s v Wales. 

[Eddie]

11 hours ago, JonM said:

Has the FFR XIII actually asked to play England? It's not the RFL's job to arrange home fixtures for France. Maybe they think a heavy mid-season defeat isn't the best preparation for them?

The French squad was training in Bègles today. Not sure whether any of the UK-based players were able to travel. I believe they also had a squad session there at the start of May, and there's some speculation that it's where they'll play a pre-WC game in October.

Yes they did ask the RFL earlier in the year. Here is the interview that I got the info from https://www.stitcher.com/show/chasing-kangaroos/episode/ep-108-france-is-back-82772548

 

[Cumbrian Mackem]

Slightly going off track but not really but does anybody else remember England playing France at the Gateshead international stadium in the mid 90’s and Emlyn Hughes was the sky sports studio guest??

[Harry Stottle]

12 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

I am sick of all this France bashing.

FRANCE is our nearest country where rugby league is played at a good level and needs our support.

The majority of people involved in French rugby league are passionate about the game and look up to us and the NRL.

France v England in Perpignan/Toulouse or Avignon would attract crowds of around 12000/15000/15000 whats not to like about that.

Once Trent Robinson gets stuck into the team there will be a few on here that wont be laughing in 5 years time, for the amount of players that there are in France and teams they produce an incredible amount of good players who with the right coaching set up would blossom. 

I have not watched maybe as many FRL matches as audios but would certainly be around the 500 + mark so I know what I am talking about.

Paul

And I will not try to discredit anything you say Paul, in fact I agree with most of your comments with the exception of 5 years hence.

But the fact remains in this WC year, where the total emphasis for England's preperation in the very narrow slit (not even a window) of opportunity that Mr Wane has at his disposal it should be directed at his requirements for his team alone and though it may be hard to hear not for the benefit of anyone else, he obviously does not see France as providing the opposition he requires, hence choosing to play an invitational team made up from the best overseas player's in SL and the friendly v Fiji on the eve of the tournament.

If England do very well in the WC it may be said he got the preperation correct.