Mid Season International

[Tre Cool]

Still sounds better than Magic Weekend in South L**ds

[StandOffHalf]

What an idea it is to play it in Toulouse but have no Toulouse players!!

Wow!

[sam4731]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

It delivers everything and more that you'd expect from an FFRXIII-RFL collaboration:

No tickets.

No TV.

No Toulouse players.

No doubt it will fall flat and the conclusion will be that there's no demand for international RL.

Are tickets available for the TO Fev match? If so, will they be valid for the England games.

[The Future is League]

5 hours ago, sam4731 said:

I'd be hesitant about even watching these matches. I definitely won't be paying for them. Expecting another big blowout.

No players from the NRL and perhaps Wane will use the game to blood some young players.

[The Future is League]

52 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

What an idea it is to play it in Toulouse but have no Toulouse players!!

Wow!

But as you know Toulouse are playing the last of the 3 games against Fev.

[The Future is League]

On 26/03/2024 at 18:50, stookie said:

Is that really 3 games spread over 8 hours ?!?! I love this sport, but I'd struggle to do even 2 of those games. Longs gaps between games is such a mood buster.

Perhaps they should have gone 17.30 for the England game and 20.30 for the Toulouse v Fev game. 

[JM2010]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

How? Presumably the only other French professional side in Toulouse won't be releasing players. France are up against it anyway without cutting their player pool in half. French domestic league players are way off this level.

I’m not sure if Toulouse provide half the players. I was talking about the Catalans players plus Chan, Sangare, Goudemond and Salabio. What would the 17 be?

I do agree that Toulouse players should be available and that Toulouse shouldn’t be playing that weekend never mind straight after 

[bar red]

Rhodri forgot to mention for the following season the FFR will have to pay the travelling expenses for all the English international teams to keep in line with SL policy.

[gazza77]

4 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

 

I do agree that Toulouse players should be available and that Toulouse shouldn’t be playing that weekend never mind straight after 

The problem with this theory is that the international fixtures were agreed after the Championship fixtures were announced. In theory a simple solution, rearrange the TO v Fev game. Problem is that a good number of Fev fans by this point have booked flights and accommodation, often non-refundable. 

All it would have taken is a bit of planning. International weekend? Don't schedule any domestic fixtures at any level...

[StandOffHalf]

29 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

But as you know Toulouse are playing the last of the 3 games against Fev.

Yeah, an international as a curtain-raiser.

Odd, even for RL.

[Archie Gordon]

56 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

Are tickets available for the TO Fev match? If so, will they be valid for the England games.

There is a message on the TO site that roughly translates to "Tickets? You'll be the first to know when we get around to it."

[Damien]

29 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

I’m not sure if Toulouse provide half the players. I was talking about the Catalans players plus Chan, Sangare, Goudemond and Salabio. What would the 17 be?

I do agree that Toulouse players should be available and that Toulouse shouldn’t be playing that weekend never mind straight after 

I didnt mean they would be providing literally half the team. The point was they have two French teams playing at a decent level that between them represent the most of the French elite player pool and they cant choose from one of those teams. 

Toulouse provided 8 of the French World Cup squad, Catalans provided 13. Toulouse provide a substantial number whatever way you cut it and a French team without them is a lot weaker.

Half a dozen regular French Catalans starters and a few average French players playing at other clubs is hardly the makings of a competitive team.

Edited April 16 by Damien

[BristolDevonCharlie]

13 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

I’m not sure if Toulouse provide half the players. I was talking about the Catalans players plus Chan, Sangare, Goudemond and Salabio. What would the 17 be?

I do agree that Toulouse players should be available and that Toulouse shouldn’t be playing that weekend never mind straight after 

A full strength squad of French Super League players could look like this (assuming Catalans don't do what they did last year, and no injuries). Possibly missed someone. 

(In brackets - how many SL & CC games played this season, out of 9; team if not Catalans)

1. Mourgue (7 of 9)
2. Miloudi (7; London)
3. Romano (7)
4. Laguerre (5)
5. Yaha (3)
6. Rouge (5)
7. Fages (8)
8. Navarrete (9)
9. Da Costa (6)
10. Bousquet (8)
11. Goudemand (7; Leeds)
12. Seguier (8)
13. Garcia (8)
14. Tison (1; now on loan at London)
15. Sangare (7; Leeds)
16. Maria (2)
17. Dezaria (7)
18. T. Chan (2; Wigan)
19. Salabio (5; Huddersfield)

(Additional players from Elite 1 could include Benjamin Jullien, Bastien Scimone, Tanguy Zenon, Morgan Escare, etc)

Interesting to see how many of the above make the squad!?!

[17 stone giant]

I suppose it's better than nothing. I won't be going but I've added it to my calendar and I'm sure I'll watch some of it.

[sam4731]

2 hours ago, The Future is League said:

No players from the NRL and perhaps Wane will use the game to blood some young players.

Well I'm sold now. I'll definitely pay to watch a weakened England vs a France team with no TO players. Take my money now RFL.

Also, what's he blooding them for, the plethora of international matches in the calendar?

Edited April 16 by sam4731

[Hopie]

This is so frustrating, two weakened teams, a game that is unlikely to be competitive, announced at short notice, that is unlikely to draw a crowd and won't be on TV, so likely to make a loss and provide no benefit to either team or association. 

God damn I want international rugby league to mean something, but watching this shower of ######s run it into the ground is really getting me down.

[Damien]

Even Fev are trolling and taking the Michael:

[Worzel]

A full international taking place as a curtain raiser to a 2nd division match, with one of the international sides being weakened by not having players who are instead playing in the more important second division match taking place afterwards?

Only in rugby league.

Announcing a Test match only 9 weeks in advance, and then still not putting tickets on sale, or even saying what they might cost and when and how you might buy them? 

Only in rugby league.

How does this sort of thing happen? Hmmm. Appoint a succession of administrators from within, who’ve all “failed upwards”, culminating in making the sponsorship manager who didn’t sell any meaningful sponsorships for a decade the MD of your new commercial venture?

Only in rugby league.

You really couldn’t make this stuff up

[moorside roughyed]

Let's see how many show up to watch. The one at the Halliwell Jones was bad enough.

[Wakey Til I Die]

3 hours ago, BristolDevonCharlie said:

A full strength squad of French Super League players could look like this (assuming Catalans don't do what they did last year, and no injuries). Possibly missed someone. 

(In brackets - how many SL & CC games played this season, out of 9; team if not Catalans)

1. Mourgue (7 of 9)
2. Miloudi (7; London)
3. Romano (7)
4. Laguerre (5)
5. Yaha (3)
6. Rouge (5)
7. Fages (8)
8. Navarrete (9)
9. Da Costa (6)
10. Bousquet (8)
11. Goudemand (7; Leeds)
12. Seguier (8)
13. Garcia (8)
14. Tison (1; now on loan at London)
15. Sangare (7; Leeds)
16. Maria (2)
17. Dezaria (7)
18. T. Chan (2; Wigan)
19. Salabio (5; Huddersfield)

(Additional players from Elite 1 could include Benjamin Jullien, Bastien Scimone, Tanguy Zenon, Morgan Escare, etc)

Interesting to see how many of the above make the squad!?!

They could use the Elite 1 players but given their grand final is over a month before and the other teams will have finished potentially much earlier than that then they are going to a bit short of match practice to say the least. They’ll be well into the off season red wine. 

[Pulga]

English RL deserves everything it gets. Why should the Kangaroos taint their brand by playing England?

[Whippet13]

Lots of strong criticism of the RFL here, but unless I'm mistaken it is the French who are organising this event. They have likely decided the scheduling of all 3 games based on their views what will do the most for them on a tight budget. It is their 90th birthday party, they are not a wealthy organisation and just getting this event on is probably quite an achievement. Let's consider this before jumping in and bashing the RFL.

[gingerjon]

30 minutes ago, Whippet13 said:

Let's consider this before jumping in and bashing the RFL.

I think most people understand that it's the same French organisation who utterly failed to deliver the World Cup they overpromised and underworked for who are putting on this budget triple header.

[Gomersall]

3 hours ago, Pulga said:

English RL deserves everything it gets. Why should the Kangaroos taint their brand by playing England?

The Kangaroos are a brand? Who knew?

[BristolDevonCharlie]

28 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I think most people understand that it's the same French organisation who utterly failed to deliver the World Cup they overpromised and underworked for who are putting on this budget triple header.

Maybe on here but not in the wider world. This is fully open season for RFL bashing for most. It is a shame as it all taints the fact that we have an international in the calendar and if (and that is a big if) France are at full strength at home, it should at least be competitive like in 2021.