FRANCE coach Laurent Frayssinous will be selecting his “strongest possible side” against England in Saturday’s international test match in Toulouse.
“It’s a historic day for French Rugby League and it deserves every respect,” the 47-year-old French chief told League Express.
Frayssinous, who is also assistant coach at St Helens, set up a week-long training camp at Stade Ernest Wallon, working alongside the Toulouse Olympique playing squad.
He said: “I have been given permission by all of the coaches to select the best possible team.
“It is the 90th anniversary of French Rugby League, two Test matches are taking place at a fantastic stadium in a fantastic city and it is our duty to represent our sport in the best possible way.
“We will have to wait to see who is available following the weekend’s games of course but nobody is off-limits, I’m looking forward to a great occasion and I know the players will wear their shirts with pride.”
Catalans Dragons coach Steve McNamara has given the green light for his skipper Ben Garcia (who is also captain of France) and the other French internationals in his squad to take part.
Toulouse coach Sylvain Houles is also on board although he faces the toughest task of the weekend, fielding a strong enough squad to face Featherstone Rovers in the third game of Saturday’s triple-header.
“It’s not ideal,” said Houles, “and it wasn’t my decision to play a championship game on the same day but we have to respect the occasion and my squad is wide open for national selection.”
Saturday’s event is being billed as ‘Le Triple Crunch’, with France against England in both men’s (3.30pm UK time) and women’s internationals (6pm) before Toulouse tackle Featherstone at 9pm.
Both internationals will be broadcast live on the Super League+ service while the Championship game will be televised live in France.
“We’re ready to go for a unique day of Rugby League in France,” said Toulouse executive director Cedric Garcia, who is in charge of the event.
“We’re hoping for a crowd over 10,000 and we’re still working on building the best possible attendance, we have approached all of the other professional sports organisations in the city and invited their season ticket holders to buy tickets.
“We’ve got a very special day planned with lots of entertainment around the ground and a real party atmosphere at the club’s Bodega bar.
“These kind of events can help us attract a lot of media coverage and be an introduction to people outside of our sport.”
Garcia admitted that international duty could impact Toulouse’s performance against Featherstone, adding: “Our coach Sylvain has been part of the process all along and while it is not ideal with the risk of losing some players for this important game, he knows we didn’t have the choice.
“And we will be clear with our players that the priority is the French national team.”
Over 500 Featherstone supporters are expected at Saturday’s event and the French Federation has given incentives to its French clubs to encourage their supporters to fill seats at the 19,000-capacity stadium.
FFR XIII president Dominique Baloup told League Express: “It is a landmark day for our game which celebrates its 90th birthday. We have had many trials and tribulations in the past but also many more triumphs so we shall sing La Marseillaise with pride on Saturday.”
Baloup, a former player for Olympique who took over as FFRXIII president last year following the resignation through ill-health of previous chief Luc Lacoste, added: “French Rugby League is a game with a rich history but I truly believe it is the sport of the future.
“The efforts being made by Catalans Dragons, Toulouse Olympique and the many clubs of the Federation should be applauded and I hope as many people as possible turn out on Saturday to support the French side and the games against our English friends.”
Toulouse chairman Olivier Dubois is hoping that the event will be a huge boost for Rugby League in the city.
He said: “This is the first time that three high-level matches have taken place on the same day and on the same pitch.
“It’s a rare event which is a real asset and a magnificent showcase both for our sport and for our club and I am convinced that we will witness an exceptional day, which will certainly be the biggest Rugby League event of the year in this city, it’s a magnificent and ambitious project.”
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