It’s tough to make it to the top in rugby league, particularly in France where rugby union is so strong. So what makes a young French player choose the path towards a professional contract?

TAKE IT TO THE MAX Rugby League World talks to 25-year-old second-row Maxime Stefani who turned pro last year with Toulouse Olympique and has been putting in impressive shifts in the Olympians’ recent successful streak. Max, when did you first pick up a rugby league ball and why did you choose XIII over XV? All of my family plays rugby league,