So if this 'competition' is such a wonderful idea, why don't SL clubs cough up the funds to pay for it and for the costs incurred by championship clubs involved. Reinvesting money for the good of the game. Oh, I forgot, the whole concept of the game in the UK right now is "all for one and one for yourself". Funny how most championship fans think this competition is a crock of sh*t.

We mustn't expand or innovate. Oldham v Leigh for the next 100 years is the best thing for our game. We must protect our heartland clubs and not force them to play in distant lands like the next country over in the smallest continent of all.

Oh dear some of you people do not get it do you?

Clubs in the championship get nothing zero zilch sod all nil no money from premier sports,now please don't tell us it mean being on tv,have you seen the ratings for prem sport??????????

I WILL SAY THIS SLOWLY ....WE GET NOTHING FROM THIS DEAL

Ah you say we are alll flatcappers for not jumping up and down over a comp were teams would struggle to raise a team as the players would need time off to travel against teams that leigh miners and leigh east would beat quite easily and have no interest from the paying public of the championships as at leigh we have played flamin russians and tonked them everytime, french teams [apart from the catalans who we pushed close we ave beaten everytime,so forgive me for getting excited about seeing a team go through the motions and run in 60 pts

And the club as the find the money to stage these games


Tell you waht send your super league youth teams over and you pay the expense if its so wonderful

except being broadcast on tv, something the championship chairmen were desperate for. I think your complaint is with them

You could apply the same reasoning to promotion and relegation and having championship clubs in the Challenge Cup.

Why should they? What has a cup featuring Championship clubs and French elite clubs got to do with SL? What will SL get out of it?

Another Championship fan that wants the world given to them and to give nothing back in return. Let's not pretend that SL don't do anything for the community game either before you ramble on about SL only looking after themselves.

If you don't like the competition, don't watch it. But don't complain that your club are skint if you're not supporting them in competitions.

Eyup, the Super League experts are back. At least we can expect hundreds of French fans at the games over here, afforded the chance for a rare trip to watch their side abroad without the cost of having to do it every other week. And I'm sure their players are delighted to play an extended season rather than have their feet up by then.

So none of you think that long term expansion of the game will be beneficial for your club? You think that staying a minority sport in the North of England will be more beneficial that potentially attracting new supporters to the game in France. More supporters in both England and France raises more awareness which in turn provides more funding. It's unfortunate some of you can't look past the end of your nose.

Look at the money in championship football, championship 1 and 2 also. In a lot of cases it's more than in Super League. That's because football is a majority sport and has a lot of awareness and funding. If we ever want to be anything more than a one column wonder in the back of some papers then we NEED to expand. Leigh v Swinton annually isn't going to take the game forward.

So existing UK semi-pro sides playing against existing French semi-pro clubs is 'expanding' the game?

I can only imagine the column inches this is going to generate in the dailies.

Playing one 'challenge' match against a French semi pro side isn't exactly going to bring in the crowds, and I would expect that the French are hardly going to be smashing down the gates for a post-season game against Halifax or Sheffield (no disrespect to those two).

I agree it isn't, but its a starting point and better than doing nothing.

It depends on what the competition is aiming to do as to whether its a success or not short and long term.

If its to benefit or help the Top Championship clubs I would imagine if doing a straw poll of supporters and club owners a 'one off game v a French RL side' wouldn't have featured highly on the list of things the clubs need to build up interest in them.
If its to benefit the French clubs and give them a run out v British clubs then I would have probably gone to include the Bottom Championship clubs or top Championship 1 clubs as that is probably more of a level playing field, I'm not entirely sure Halifax and Sheffield will be deemed big enough draws in France (much as the French teams won't be big draws here - France v England doesn't catch the imagination so can't see a lower league fixture doing it).
Equally the current top 4 sides in France might not be competing in this fixture.

It maybe to benefit Toulouse, help with their aim for SL perhaps.
Afterall they are guaranteed a fixture regardless of league position (which seems odd if this to help all French RL develop), They would stand a chance of winning a one off game at home and it may boost there confidence, again though its not as if they will be playing a club with a 'wow' factor as they have played all these teams recently and have generally struggled versus them so its a tough one to sell to supporters of that club after the season has finished.

The RFL may be looking to create a one off interlink fixture to make up for the Championships small fixture list this season - I wonder would a Championship Elect v a French elect have been better to sell as worth watching with a 'cut' going to each club thus all would have made money as the travel & accommodation costs alone of this French venture could have been saved and donated out to each club - £2,000 is still a decent sum at this level !

The one final factor in this which it was always going to be difficult is the month its been chosen to be played - June.
Its in June that the Championship sides in this comp will have one eye firmly fixed on the Northern Rail Cup Quarter final - a realistic chance to boost that clubs profile in its home town, a chance to make some money , a realistic chance to get to a final and maybe a chance (if franchising still exists) to tick a box for a SL application.

Throw all the above into the mix and all I can see happening is British clubs sending a fringe type squad playing against French clubs using players who are tired out after a long season not taking it too seriously.
If the RFL is saying this fixture will help the Championship clubs I think I can say it quite possibly could be a bigger distraction than a help, maybe some thought with the structure, time of season and relevance to the fixture may help if this is the start of something.
Personally I'd have just gone for Fev v whoever finishes top in France this season (or select league as mentioned above) and seen how it ran, / caught the imagination.

One thing that does occur to me... Why can the RFL not announce these things a year in advance? When they suddenly decide we're going to be having a new competition in three months time, it smells of desperate, short term, publicity seeking behaviour and nothing else.

Fixtures announced today

Schedule of fixtures for the Euro Weekend:

Saturday 2nd June
Toulouse v Halifax – TBC KO
Leigh v Avignon – 3pm KO
Carcassone v Sheffield – TBC KO

Sunday 3rd June
Featherstone v Pia – 3pm KO

Please note that Premier Sports will be broadcasting the Leigh v Avignon and Featherstone v Pia fixtures.



Despite me still not quite understanding the point to this tournament, cheap flights have convinced me that it's worth it.

The point of the tournament is to justify Nigel Wood's yearly holiday to the South of France being paid out of RFL funds with the added bonus that come next round of franchising the RFL can justify the inclusion of another French side on the basis they beat a championship club in a one-off match.

Personally, I believe an Anglo-French Magic Weekend would work better as a format. A triple header on one ground with aggregate points deciding the winning "nation". Maybe the winning sides "nation" getting a bonus 10 points towards their aggregate total for each game won.

It was first mentioned at Fax back in November and since then nothing. I don't think it's a bad idea. My only criticism is the communication. When i heard about it I said I wanted to go. But we could only be told it would probably go ahead in summer. I've now booked to go away that weekend so can't go to France. The format was known ie which English teams would play 1st, 2nd etc in the French league. They also knew the dates they would be keeping free. It should have been part of the fixtures at the start of the season with team and venue tbc (for Fax and Sheffield as Fev and Leigh would know they would have a home fixture) but at least we could save some money towards it and keep that weekend free! I've only been to Toulouse once and it wasn't even to watch my team..it was the Toulouse v Widnes CC 1/4 final game back in 05. Can't complain too much cos it was a blazing hot day and a good match.

Wonder if the flat berets are raising their pitchforks too?

Bank Holiday weekend. Great shout! They should have had all the games in France IMO.

I think its a great idea and will be good to see how the french sides fair against the top championship sides and.....

Featherstone Rovers... champions of Europe has a great ring to it as well

That's Fatherstine Reevers isn't it?

In the RFL are intent on testing the French clubs against the Championship equivilant the most sensible way to do it would be to have the Championship GF winners and the NRC winners play the French Elite and Lord Derby cup winners in a double header in France, providing they could find a good sponsor ( cheap flight airline perhaps ) , both matches played for a trophy and with ideally some deals on ticket and transport

That would be a tangible reward for actually winning competitions

Only Fev v Pia has any meaning. Whats the point of the Leigh, Sheffield and Fax games when its just one off games and even if you do win no guarentee you will get any extra money? The French season would have ended and the overseas players gone home or on holiday! Seriously very poor organization from the RFL as usual. The concept could have seen the top 2 French and English teams play each other with a final deciding the champs of Europe and dates announced way in advance and not just with a month or so to go. But as usual Woody and Rimmer could organize a pee up in a brewery and with Lewis going things are not going to improve.I hope my club Send the U23s across and get them game time. Whats the point in sending our 1st team out in a meaningless game?

LBC, my idea was the best compromise of a bad idea, it would possibly at least be a worthwhile event with 4 lots of fans

Carcassonne won the French Play-offs, so Fev aren't even playing the French champions...

Big wins for Leigh, Fax and the Eagles, with a large turnout of 773 at the LSV to see a team half made up of academy lads beat Avignon easily

Time for plan C Nigel

Not surprising given that the French sides were apparently vastly understrength due to their season having finished.

I was excited about this tournament when it was announced but it has been extremely poorly implemented.