France

[Marv]

maybe they need the kick up the backside mate

[Druzik]

May 13, 2009 3:13:01 GMT 10 Marv said:

maybe they need the kick up the backside mate

Who?

The french or England

;D

[Marv]

Both! Bobbie should kick everyones backside!

[jim]

May 13, 2009 3:13:01 GMT 10 Marv said:

maybe they need the kick up the backside mate

I'll say, after the WC.

Looking at the squad they should be able to put together a decent teams with alot of full time players. How about this?

1. C Villagas
2. C Stacul
3. S Planas
4. JP Baile
5. D Pelo
6. M Murcia
7. T Bosc
8. D Ferriol
9. J Rinaldi
10. J Guisset
11. E Anselme
12. C Gossard
13. G Mounis
14. R Casty
15. J Fakir
16. M Griffi
17. K Bentley

God I hope Greenshields makes himself available because he will fill a massive gap in that side. I've heard big raps on Villagas but have never seen him play so can't really comment.

Correct me if I'm worng but is that not a squad of 16 full timers?

[Marv]

May 13, 2009 20:21:03 GMT 10 jim said:

I'll say, after the WC.

Looking at the squad they should be able to put together a decent teams with alot of full time players. How about this?

1. C Villagas
2. C Stacul
3. S Planas
4. JP Baile
5. D Pelo
6. M Murcia
7. T Bosc
8. D Ferriol
9. J Rinaldi
10. J Guisset
11. E Anselme
12. C Gossard
13. G Mounis
14. R Casty
15. J Fakir
16. M Griffi
17. K Bentley

I agree its a strong looking side, allthough we have been saying their squad is getting stronger each year, they havent improved, results wise since '06 when they lost to England A 26-10 and turned over Samoa or Tonga (cant remember which)

One of my biggest worries (exept for the obvious shortage of a FB) is the halves, Bosc is a fine player but I often think he needs a guy like Mcguire or Bird, or in the past Stacey Jones to give him a hand, he isnt the type of guy to do it all himself, but he will have to step up big time IMO

May 13, 2009 20:21:03 GMT 10 jim said:

God I hope Greenshields makes himself available because he will fill a massive gap in that side. I've heard big raps on Villagas but have never seen him play so can't really comment.

Hes not a bad player but I wouldnt have siad his performances in the championship would make him your No1 FB, I dont know exactly when clint becomes eligible either.

May 13, 2009 20:21:03 GMT 10 jim said:

Correct me if I'm worng but is that not a squad of 16 full timers?

Are all the Toulouse boys FT? Im not sure they are. I would imagine thiose names would be quite safley FT

[jim]

May 14, 2009 17:10:54 GMT 10 Marv said:

I agree its a strong looking side, allthough we have been saying their squad is getting stronger each year, they havent improved, results wise since '06 when they lost to England A 26-10 and turned over Samoa or Tonga (cant remember which)

You'd think their performances would have to start reflecting their team sooner or later though. Gouliding has been heavily critisised but from what I've read he could be just what the French need. The forward pack is strong, one of the halves is a great player and the backline is more solid than i have seen it for quite a while. I see no reason why they can't give England a really good game.

May 14, 2009 17:10:54 GMT 10 Marv said:

One of my biggest worries (exept for the obvious shortage of a FB) is the halves, Bosc is a fine player but I often think he needs a guy like Mcguire or Bird, or in the past Stacey Jones to give him a hand, he isnt the type of guy to do it all himself, but he will have to step up big time IMO

Bosc is a great player and i imagine one of Villagas or Murcia will partner him, unless rinaldi goes to HB and Bentley to hooker. I do agree though. It's a shame Greseque didn't/hasn't got his ass out of gear and gone to Toulouse or even looked for another Championship club, he has potential.

Another I've heard massive raps on is Barthau, a real talent apparently. He is in the squad but it might be a bit rrisky testing him at this level quite this early in his career. I'd like to atleast see him have a few games of SL even off the bench before Goulding risks him. Pretty much the same with Sabri who i seem to remember is going to the Rhinos after the LER finishes, anything heard any more on this?

May 14, 2009 17:10:54 GMT 10 Marv said:

Hes not a bad player but I wouldnt have siad his performances in the championship would make him your No1 FB, I dont know exactly when clint becomes eligible either.

I think becomes eligable before the 4N, atleast I hope so.

Like i said, havn't seen him play but by the looks he is still the best option for FB.

May 14, 2009 17:10:54 GMT 10 Marv said:

Are all the Toulouse boys FT? Im not sure they are. I would imagine thiose names would be quite safley FT

I think so, not 100% sure on Villagas though. Still though 16 full time players with no player out of position is looking alot better than last year, it will only get better. Fisrt thing that needs to be done is to ship off the Perry and the criminal and bring in another French half, hopefully next year Barthau will be up to it.

[Marv]

May 14, 2009 20:02:46 GMT 10 jim said:

You'd think their performances would have to start reflecting their team sooner or later though. Gouliding has been heavily critisised but from what I've read he could be just what the French need. The forward pack is strong, one of the halves is a great player and the backline is more solid than i have seen it for quite a while. I see no reason why they can't give England a really good game.

I personally think we will see a clear 30 points between the two after the game, but I hope France can keep pulling closer.

I'm not sure where your comments re the backline are coming from for me thats the problem area again. In one breath Goulding should be commended for leaving out the Aussie qualifyed guys but if the replacements arent any better then there wont be improvment. for me Planas and Baille are nowhere near the quality of John Wilson. Murphy is god and James Wynne in the halves would have added to the squad for sure.

May 14, 2009 20:02:46 GMT 10 jim said:

Bosc is a great player and i imagine one of Villagas or Murcia will partner him, unless rinaldi goes to HB and Bentley to hooker..

Dunno one one hand I would put Rinaldi at 7, but it would be nice for France to have 2 genuinely talented 9s in the 17.

May 14, 2009 20:02:46 GMT 10 jim said:

Another I've heard massive raps on is Barthau, a real talent apparently. He is in the squad but it might be a bit rrisky testing him at this level quite this early in his career. I'd like to atleast see him have a few games of SL even off the bench before Goulding risks him. Pretty much the same with Sabri who i seem to remember is going to the Rhinos after the LER finishes, anything heard any more on this?

I thought after the trial no-one was taken on by Leeds, but yeah for me Barthau and Sabri are both too inexperienced so far, but both have talent, no doubt.

May 14, 2009 20:02:46 GMT 10 jim said:

I think so, not 100% sure on Villagas though. Still though 16 full time players with no player out of position is looking alot better than last year, it will only get better. Fisrt thing that needs to be done is to ship off the Perry and the criminal and bring in another French half, hopefully next year Barthau will be up to it.

well, Villegas is a winger or 5/8th naturally so he will be out of position. Rory Bromley is the FB for Toulouse, but yeah fair point more players playing in their natural positions is better overall

[jim]

May 14, 2009 21:07:24 GMT 10 Marv said:

I personally think we will see a clear 30 points between the two after the game, but I hope France can keep pulling closer.

I'm not sure where your comments re the backline are coming from for me thats the problem area again. In one breath Goulding should be commended for leaving out the Aussie qualifyed guys but if the replacements arent any better then there wont be improvment. for me Planas and Baille are nowhere near the quality of John Wilson. Murphy is god and James Wynne in the halves would have added to the squad for sure.

Maybe i got a bit carried away because Baile and Planas are both more exciting to my mind than Wilson, not necessarily better but I think they both will be before too long. I forgot about Murphy, what is happening with him? he hasn't been playing for Catalans. I agree that Wynne would have been a good option for FE but TBH I would have prefered Greseque, neither got picked though so unless Booby is playing mind games and puts one in at the last moment they won't be playing I guess.

Oh and England by 12.

May 14, 2009 21:07:24 GMT 10 Marv said:

I thought after the trial no-one was taken on by Leeds, but yeah for me Barthau and Sabri are both too inexperienced so far, but both have talent, no doubt.

I'm sure I heard over on TRL that Sabri and the Tongan would be going to Leeds after the LER finished, havn't heard any more on that for a while though.

May 14, 2009 21:07:24 GMT 10 Marv said:

well, Villegas is a winger or 5/8th naturally so he will be out of position. Rory Bromley is the FB for Toulouse, but yeah fair point more players playing in their natural positions is better overall

Well 12 out of 13 aint bad, and I imagine Villagas is quite capable of Fullback.

Maybe it's time for a match thread.

[Marv]

May 14, 2009 21:19:27 GMT 10 jim said:

Maybe i got a bit carried away because Baile and Planas are both more exciting to my mind than Wilson, not necessarily better but I think they both will be before too long. I forgot about Murphy, what is happening with him? he hasn't been playing for Catalans. I agree that Wynne would have been a good option for FE but TBH I would have prefered Greseque, neither got picked though so unless Booby is playing mind games and puts one in at the last moment they won't be playing I guess.

I'd agree with that, Wilson was never exiting, but he was a bloody solid defender and how Catalans would love his services this year. Murphy hasnt played this year and has been a victim of the 8 foreign players at the dragons so has found himself with UTC.

May 14, 2009 21:19:27 GMT 10 jim said:

I'm sure I heard over on TRL that Sabri and the Tongan would be going to Leeds after the LER finished, havn't heard any more on that for a while though.

I have heard similar things but it was a while ago, I wouldnt be surprised to see a few French players signing with English clubs after the LER finishes to keep themselves in the shop window for the 4N. but I have heard nothing about Sabri going to Leeds

May 14, 2009 21:19:27 GMT 10 jim said:

Well 12 out of 13 aint bad, and I imagine Villagas is quite capable of Fullback.

He will be, I have always liked villegas, one of those guys who would play prop if he was asked to.

[arh21980]

With the news that Bobby was supposedly acting like a tool at the rlif awards the other night and now with the threat of him getting the sack who do you guys think might get the job?

I'm thinking either -
Mick Potter - Knows most of the players from his Catalans days

or

Kevin Walters - Current coach of Catalans so little to no disruption for the squad. And who knows with Kevvies relationship with Wayne Bennett he might even get him to help out ala New Zealand at the World Cup

[supersteve]

Well,

I dont know the details of what he did. If theyre minor incidents I hope he can stay. I think he's done a pretty good job so far. Apparently one of the things he got pissed about was the fact that the French logo was nowhere to be seen on the four nations trophy, or anywhere on the night. Cant say id blame him if that was the case.

[kingboy]

Oh that wacky Bobby Goulding, you never know what he's going to do next.

At least he seems to have stopped referring to himself in the third person, like he did in the interviews he did after getting the France job.

It was a bit of suprise when he was named head coach of the French side but I agree with supersteve, he's done alright so far and it would be a shame if this indiscretion cost him the job.

[sportsmad]

an exerpt from steve mascouds weekly blog:

With Steve Mascord

I WAS hoping to get through this week's Discord without mentioning certain events at the Rugby League International Federation Awards dinner on Monday night.

However, since my name has been mentioned in The Times in relation to an investigation into the behaviour of the France coach, Bobbie Goulding, on the night it would be disingenuous to rugbyleague.com and our readers if I ignored the issue.

I have found Bobbie to be thoroughly charming and personable during the tournament and I think he's done a good job with the French. Their first-half performances, in particular, have been outstanding. I also found him very friendly and cheery during the early stages of Monday's dinner in Leeds.

As the night wore on, he did seem to be getting a little "loose" - as we say in Oz - but again I encountered no conflict with him as we spoke intermittently.
It was only when I left with a group of journalists, heading for the lift, that he called me over for a chat. Sensing trouble, I declined and said I had to go and got into the lift, standing at the back.
Goulding stuck his head in the lift and began shouting at me, about something I had written about him when he was 16. I asked him several times what he was talking about. He pointed at me, saying "I never forget a face" and then grabbed me by my collar and tried to drag me through four or five people and out of the elevator. I'd like to thank Steve Ganson for helping obstruct him. Goulding was also restrained by France captain Olivier Elima.
Eventually the lift doors closed and I did not see Goulding again.

I am happy to let the entire incident go but if I was to be contacted by the French or International Federations, I would answer all questions honestly.

I do not have a particularly strong opinion over what action should be taken against Bobbie. If he is French coach again in October, I would ring him without hesitation in the course of doing my job. And according to reports, my incident was not of significantly greater seriousness than others on the night.

full blog at www.rugbyleague.com/blog/stevemascord

[arh21980]

Read in today's Telegraph this

THE European player agent who opened the door for our league stars to defect to French rugby has gained his NRL accreditation.

In a development that could lead to more NRL players following Craig Gower, Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams, Pierre Vandome is now in Australia searching for suitable offices to launch his Sydney operation.

Vandome was the man who pulled off Gower's move to Bayonne, the first time an NRL player had switched to French rugby. He also played a key role in Luke Rooney and Karmichael Hunt's code switches over the past two seasons.

But when we spoke to Vandome yesterday, the charismatic Frenchman said he envisaged the traffic going both ways.

"I also have two French rugby league players from Les Catalans Dragons who want to play NRL and I would like to find them clubs in Australia," Vandome said.

So I wonder who they would be

[jim]

Mar 26, 2010 14:38:50 GMT 10 arh21980 said:

Read in today's Telegraph this

THE European player agent who opened the door for our league stars to defect to French rugby has gained his NRL accreditation.

In a development that could lead to more NRL players following Craig Gower, Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams, Pierre Vandome is now in Australia searching for suitable offices to launch his Sydney operation.

Vandome was the man who pulled off Gower's move to Bayonne, the first time an NRL player had switched to French rugby. He also played a key role in Luke Rooney and Karmichael Hunt's code switches over the past two seasons.

But when we spoke to Vandome yesterday, the charismatic Frenchman said he envisaged the traffic going both ways.

"I also have two French rugby league players from Les Catalans Dragons who want to play NRL and I would like to find them clubs in Australia," Vandome said.

So I wonder who they would be

Bosc would be the great in the NRL, I really hope he's one. I would have him at the Titans any day.

Other than that it could be anyone really. Might be a Flanagan like deal with a player like Stacul, Gigot, Casty etc.

Bosc, Elima, Ferriol, Gossard, Mounis and Pelo would be the best bets of making a real go of it. Although a young player would be good for France aswell.