A TWO-MATCH international series between France and Lebanon has been cancelled, only five days after being announced.
Last Thursday, it was announced that Laurent Frayssinous’ side will play the Cedars – quarter-finalists at each of the past two World Cups – in Pamiers on October 13 and Albi and October 19.
But the French federation (FFR XIII) have now announced that the series will not take place, due to Lebanon being unable to secure the release of many of their NRL players.
Almost half of their squad at the World Cup in 2022, including star halfback and captain Mitchell Moses, played in the NRL, while almost all the others were based with other Australian clubs.
The FFR XIII said: “This decision is motivated by the fact that Lebanese players playing in the Australian professional league have not been released by their clubs, an essential condition for the holding of these matches.”
While there has not been a blanket refusal, with the series beginning a week after the NRL Grand Final and inside the designated international window, it is understood that individual players were not granted release for injury reasons.
It was uncertain how strong the France squad would have been for the games either, with the Super League Grand Final taking place on the weekend of the first international and the Championship Grand Final the following week.
Additionally, France play their first World Cup qualifying match three days after the second Lebanon fixture was scheduled.
Les Blues are still due to play Ukraine at Carcassonne’s Stade Albert Domec – a double-header on October 22 alongside the other semi-final between Wales and Serbia – before a final in Perpignan on October 26.
That final decides which European nation plays in the World Series in 2025, from which the last two World Cup participants are decided.
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