When I saw the lineup I feared the worst for the French. Not surprised they got tonked - anyone know why so many were missing?

They surrendered. So typically French.

They've got a European championship to win

I imagine that is the reason they left so many out but seen as it is a pointless tournament which a team has no incentive to win then you'd think they could prove how good they are by giving England a game. This years European cup isn't gonna qualify anyone for the four nations seen as the next 4th team will be an Oceanic team so I would presume that the 2018 euros will be the next important one.

Catalans have been in SL for several years yet French RL has gone backwards.

Next year the Dragons will have Myler and Carney in the halves / Tonga Pomeroy Inu Richards and Broughton in the backs / Aiton at 9 and forwards such as Stewart, Horo, Taylor & Anderson..

SL have let them get away with this for years. All aparently signed under the salary cap !

What a joke.

Maybe Huddersfield should consider signing some of the quality French players that can't get a game.

Why?

French RL appointed Agar...enough said

Are there even any highlights yet?

It's like the game happened in another dimension or something.

Better still. Catalans can develop some french players rather than sign a dozen overseas players who make up around 2/3 of their best 17.

To their credit the Giants wil have just 3 overseas players next year.

120 miles round trip for that rubbish! Won't be happening again to watch the French they were completely uninterested and those that played seemed unfit...

England will have to play Exiles next time in my opinion...very disappointing. Most French Super League players weren't playing

It did...Leigh. The dimension where rugby league reality kicks in about August time.

To help the French RL team improve of course. Keep up.

Number of French players produced by Catalans = a lot
Number of French players produced by Huddersfield = 0

I'm also pretty sure that despite having a large number of overseas players Catalans have produced far more Super League players overall than Huddersfield in the past decade, maybe even double or triple the number. Buying players from other clubs in order to field a largely British team doesn't equate to contributing to the talent pool or developing players. Catalans went to large expense to fly junior teams over to play any SL clubs that would host them, Huddersfield can't even be bothered to run a reserve team.

I know, why would any RL team want to sign good players? Heaven forbid.

Is there any hard evidence the game actually took place?

All I've seen is a picture of bateman in an england top with the ball that could well have been photoshopped and a ''match report'' which basically amounts to a few paragraphs seemingly scragged together in 5 minutes or less.

Is there any eye witness accounts?

I don't even think it'd hold up in a caught of law.

Aren't France in the European Cup? Why should they play a full strength team?

Turns out the French were actually denied permission to hold training sessions at Stade Gilbert Brutus, which then offered to host sessions for the Kiwis.

Seems the Dragons are more interested in hosting another national sides rather than their own. Sums up the problems in the French game.

Wow the Giants haven't produced any French players ! you are so...deep.



Whereas the Dragons have produced.....lots (I suppose that is as precise at you can get?) The appalling performance at the LSV today said little for the quality of these 'lots'. In the first 8 minutes of the second half England scored 24 points!

Catalans developing maybe 'double or triple' the players coming from the Giants

Why not go for quadruple? If you are going to be fast and loose with your 'imaginary figures' it does not make much differences when you are being so vague.

People wanting to look at the facts - not your strong suit I appreciate - know that many clubs think an U23s comp is a waste of time. And that the Giants can find as many or more Huddersfield developed players in their 17 than Catalans can find Frenchmen.

The only SL team in France opts to have 11/12 overseas players in its best 17. The French national side was dreadful today and they struggled to beat Ireland. Pathetic.

I posed the question of the thread on the assumption that France would play close to its best possible team.





It turns out that 11 of the 13 run on players in the team that I named did not play.

We all know that there is no depth to France's talent pool, so to miss 11 of the 13 first choice run on team players virtually guaranteed an annihilation by England.

This French team was obviously France A, not France. The situation was farcical. Both the French Federation and RFL bear responsibility for the holding of this farcically uneven contest. You cannot expect the France A team to compete with France, let alone England. The team selection turned the thread question into a purely abstract exercise.

Caught of law





Brilliant.

France better start rebuilding now from the ground up so that they have a decent side in 20 years.
It takes years to build up a solid base from which you build your international team. It doesn't happen overnight.

What duty do the Catalans club have to produce players for the French national side?
Yes, France's player pool needs to improve massively, but it's going to take more than 20 players from the Catalans to do it. Look at NZ, hardly any of their first choice team come from the Warriors.
Positively, more French juniors seem to signing for English clubs, which is what's needed.

Why did the French side have so many players missing?

Casty, Duport and Yaha were definitely injured.

Seven of the other eight missing were suspicious absences, possibly instructed by their paymaster Bernard Guasch not to play.

Interesting that both Hull KR players were there, along with Morgan Escare (whom Guasch has covered by Krisnan Inu).