Super League ready

[Spidey]

5 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Is it? Does Wembley close for the Autumn?

Need to remind myself DNFTT

[GeordieSaint]

8 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Absolutely.

They will have to strengthen, sure, but perhaps not dramatically. 

Unlike Toronto I imagine they will have managed their cap to be able to do so effectively – i.e. not spend overs on long contracts to p*ss the Championship.

This year’s recruitment is an interesting insight to how they do business. Whilst they were aged, they went for Peyroux, Paulo, Casty and Garbutt. 3 SL winners (including the previous season’s winners) and a Challenge Cup winning French international captain. Four highly experienced winners. Not ex-Wakefield/Leigh/Widnes players; highly experienced winners from Saints, Leeds and Catalan. They’ve then added more quality with Gigot et al during the season. 

Whilst there is a bit of chaff in the current squad (Hitchcox), I’d have faith in Toulouse being better prepared than some other promoted teams previously as their recruitment is better.

[yipyee]

11 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Is there an echo in your house Kev?

I seem to recall you and many others telling us how good Toronto will be in SL, stop making wild assumptions we will see soon enough how good they are competing in SL each week, and if they do go up I would expect that quite a few of their forwards will be exchanged for younger fresher blood, they collectively are getting a bit long in the tooth for the rigours of weekly competion that will not stand there and be run over as they are experiencing in the Championship. When older player's recieve injuries their recuperation and recovery time extends, I honestly think the Toulouse forwards as they are at present will struggle to compete all season, want a good example look at the Dad's army that Brian Noble assembled at Salford all good seasoned SL professionals individually but not all that good when grouped together as one unit.

Saints front row is over 100 still won the challenge cup and hunting for a third SL title

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

11 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

They’ll be Super League ready when they win the Championship Grand Final and gain promotion. Till then, they’re the standout team in the Championship and nothing more. Toronto (remember them?) showed that you can win every week in league games but if you don’t win the Final, it matters little. 

Suggestion of history repeating eh? 

Hmmm.. I quite fancy an away Championship final trip against a lauded foreign team beginning with 'To' 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

9 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Last three teams to be promoted had leagues smallest fan base.  No funding and half funding.

Toulouse will match the crowds of Salford, get full funding and have an elite 1 comp to fill out the squad if anyone stands out in first three months of Elite 1.  

I would be v worried if I am Salford should Toulouse come up. 

Salford, Wakefield and other clubs that often feature in the bottom half of Super League are certainly worried that Toulouse will be better than them, that’s the exact reason they blocked them from coming up last year and “promoted” a club that hadn’t finished top or been in a Grand Final in Leigh.

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, yipyee said:

Saints front row is over 100 still won the challenge cup and hunting for a third SL title

Yes and Jamie Peacock was 37, Steve Menzies older still but I can name lots of guys who have retired much earlier or are nowhere near as effective as they once were, As I said previously Salford are a great example of grouping good older player's together that wasn't effective, another one playing in the Championship is York.

[Hela Wigmen]

The whatabouttery in this thread is sensational. 

[Man of Kent]

42 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

The whatabouttery in this thread is sensational. 

Yes but what are you doing about showing you are ready for this thread?

[yipyee]

21 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Last three teams to be promoted had leagues smallest fan base.  No funding and half funding.

Toulouse will match the crowds of Salford, get full funding and have an elite 1 comp to fill out the squad if anyone stands out in first three months of Elite 1.  

I would be v worried if I am Salford should Toulouse come up. 

Toronto had the largest home crowds in league1 and then the championship.

If they played at home in SL they would have been in the top 5 

[DimmestStar]

As I have mentioned previously Toulouse put in a half hearted bid for inclusion in Super League this year. If Leigh had not been chosen the next in line were York.

It's clear that Toulouse felt obliged to apply but really they preferred to wait and that was probably a good decision.

They have by far the most expensive squad in the championship so it is no surprise they are top of their league.

This is down totally to a benefactor because their crowds are meagre and there is very little interest in them in the Rugby Union stronghold which is the city of Toulouse.

[redjonn]

On 09/08/2021 at 20:15, Spidey said:

The whole point of the 1895 cup is to get to Wembley. How would that be possible playing it in Autumn?

well maybe but as we know with RL things can quickly change... for reasons beyond our comprehension, I've more chance of understanding the changing technology face of nuclear fusion then RFL/SL,,,,

[Scubby]

1 hour ago, DimmestStar said:

As I have mentioned previously Toulouse put in a half hearted bid for inclusion in Super League this year. If Leigh had not been chosen the next in line were York.

It's clear that Toulouse felt obliged to apply but really they preferred to wait and that was probably a good decision.

They have by far the most expensive squad in the championship so it is no surprise they are top of their league.

This is down totally to a benefactor because their crowds are meagre and there is very little interest in them in the Rugby Union stronghold which is the city of Toulouse.

Yep, they are wholly reliant on one guy/gal and his/her euros.

https://www.to13.com/partenaires/ 

[Gooleboy]

On 10/08/2021 at 08:07, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Salford, Wakefield and other clubs that often feature in the bottom half of Super League are certainly worried that Toulouse will be better than them, that’s the exact reason they blocked them from coming up last year and “promoted” a club that hadn’t finished top or been in a Grand Final in Leigh.

Same credentials then as Toulouse. Not finished top or been in the Grand Final.

[Dallas Mead]

2 hours ago, Scubby said:

Yep, they are wholly reliant on one guy/gal and his/her euros.

https://www.to13.com/partenaires/ 

Jeepers.  That’s some list of sponsors like!!!

[Scubby]

3 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

Jeepers.  That’s some list of sponsors like!!!

They also had Papa Johns providing them 6 Tuna and Sweetcorn pizzas until recently.

[The Daddy]

4 hours ago, DimmestStar said:

As I have mentioned previously Toulouse put in a half hearted bid for inclusion in Super League this year. If Leigh had not been chosen the next in line were York.

It's clear that Toulouse felt obliged to apply but really they preferred to wait and that was probably a good decision.

They have by far the most expensive squad in the championship so it is no surprise they are top of their league.

This is down totally to a benefactor because their crowds are meagre and there is very little interest in them in the Rugby Union stronghold which is the city of Toulouse.

Tripe. 

[lucky 7]

46 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

Jeepers.  That’s some list of sponsors like!!!

You can see why some Super League clubs fear them being promoted to Super League. They embarrass some Super League clubs with their ability to get sponsors on board

[Gooleboy]

29 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

Tripe. 

A delicacy of acquired taste. Salt and Pepper required.

[The Daddy]

29 minutes ago, lucky 7 said:

You can see why some Super League clubs fear them being promoted to Super League. They embarrass some Super League clubs with their ability to get sponsors on board

And I've said many times that they would very quickly become a top club. The only thing that would slow them down is the introduction of vaccination passports which would have an impact on their ability to get as big a crowds as they would have got pre-covid.

[lucky 7]

5 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

And I've said many times that they would very quickly become a top club. The only thing that would slow them down is the introduction of vaccination passports which would have an impact on their ability to get as big a crowds as they would have got pre-covid.

I think they are so well run that the vaccination passports would soon be sorted if that's a problem. Some Super League clubs need to ask themselves this question " If Toulouse can get plenty of sponsors on board why can't we?" The simple answer is hard work. If the sponsors won't come to you go to them and show them the benefits of being a sponsor

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

It’ll be interesting to see how France go in the World Cup next year with both Catalans and Toulouse in Super League for the 2022 season, it should be the first time France can select a full side of Super League players. I think they’ll lose to England and Samoa still, but will be the best side to be knocked out in the group stages.

[Spidey]

14 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

It’ll be interesting to see how France go in the World Cup next year with both Catalans and Toulouse in Super League for the 2022 season, it should be the first time France can select a full side of Super League players. I think they’ll lose to England and Samoa still, but will be the best side to be knocked out in the group stages.

Both clubs will need to increase the amount of French players in their squads for that to happen. I think France will still have Elite 1 players in their starting line up

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

3 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Both clubs will need to increase the amount of French players in their squads for that to happen. I think France will still have Elite 1 players in their starting line up

These were the players named in the French World Cup squad. Across Catalans, Toulouse and other Super League clubs there is more than enough players for the match day squad to be a fully Super League side once Toulouse are promoted. There maybe the odd Championship or Elite 1 player who is selected ahead of them.
 

Squad: Lucas Albert, Vincent Albert, Bastien Escamilla, Georgy Gambaro (all Carcassonne), Bastien Ader, Ilias Bergal, Remi Casty, Mathieu Jussaume, Mark Kheirallah, Anthony Marion, Eloi Pelissier, Maxime Puech, Justin Sangare (all Toulouse), Lambert Belmas, Justin Bousquet, Alrix Da Costa, Jordan Dezaria, Ben Garcia, Mickael Goudemand, Benjamin Jullien, Matthieu Laguerre, Corentin Le Cam, Arthur Mourge, Paul Seguier, Fouad Yaha (all Catalans), Morgan Escare (Salford), Theo Fages (St Helens), Romain Franco, Ugo Perez, Cesar Rouge (all St Esteve), Tony Gigot (Avignon), Gavin Marguerite (Villeneuve), Romain Navarrete (London B), Gadwin Springer (Halifax)

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

These were the players named in the French World Cup squad. Across Catalans, Toulouse and other Super League clubs there is more than enough players for the match day squad to be a fully Super League side once Toulouse are promoted. There maybe the odd Championship or Elite 1 player who is selected ahead of them.
 

Squad: Lucas Albert, Vincent Albert, Bastien Escamilla, Georgy Gambaro (all Carcassonne), Bastien Ader, Ilias Bergal, Remi Casty, Mathieu Jussaume, Mark Kheirallah, Anthony Marion, Eloi Pelissier, Maxime Puech, Justin Sangare (all Toulouse), Lambert Belmas, Justin Bousquet, Alrix Da Costa, Jordan Dezaria, Ben Garcia, Mickael Goudemand, Benjamin Jullien, Matthieu Laguerre, Corentin Le Cam, Arthur Mourge, Paul Seguier, Fouad Yaha (all Catalans), Morgan Escare (Salford), Theo Fages (St Helens), Romain Franco, Ugo Perez, Cesar Rouge (all St Esteve), Tony Gigot (Avignon), Gavin Marguerite (Villeneuve), Romain Navarrete (London B), Gadwin Springer (Halifax)

Will all those French players stay with them in Super League, or will they look to upgrade their squad?

No doubt French RL will be on the up with Toulouse in SL I think we’ll see the impact in the following World Cup not this one

[Harry Stottle]

17 hours ago, DimmestStar said:

As I have mentioned previously Toulouse put in a half hearted bid for inclusion in Super League this year. If Leigh had not been chosen the next in line were York.

It's clear that Toulouse felt obliged to apply but really they preferred to wait and that was probably a good decision.

They have by far the most expensive squad in the championship so it is no surprise they are top of their league.

This is down totally to a benefactor because their crowds are meagre and there is very little interest in them in the Rugby Union stronghold which is the city of Toulouse.

Hi DS obviously people have different opinions, there are some who believe Toulouse gain entry to SL suddenly 5 times as many people from circa 2,000 (generous estimate, subtracting away fans) to 10,000 will suddenly appear. 

You say it is a Rugby Union stronghold which by all accounts it most certainly is which brings me to the question, are the Unionists going to transfer a most probable lifelong allegiance to their sport over to RL, if the boot was on the other foot (no pun intended) and a top union club came to a RL stronghold would RL fans visit there instead? how well supported has Orrell been in Wigan, or Leeds Carnegie in that fair city, have they made much of a dent in transferring Leaguies over.

Catalan enjoys good support from visiting UK fans, and I imagine initially those who have expierenced Perpignan will want to try Toulouse, I doubt many fans will be able to afford visits to both clubs each season, I would also expect good crowds because of inter city rivalry to attend the 'Derby' matches initially time will tell if the novelty wears off.

I am on the fence of how well Toulouse will do supporter wise in Toulouse for the reason you state, and I am prepared to await the evidence without making assumptions one way or the other.