This. Its not like the other clubs are producing quality players. Very far from it.

How anyone can claim with a straight face the profile of the competition has got worse due to Catalan I have no idea? Does one seriously think replacing Catalan with some northern town is suddenly going to raise profile of SL lol?

The profile has gotten worse as the competition has got worse year on year. The best players leave the competition but that's nothing to do with Catalan.

Then either yes or no, players are developed through St Esteve to play for Catalans. I’m presuming that encourages community youth development. They may do it a different way but the outcome is still the same.

So, you take out the 2 professional clubs that compete in SL and The Championship and declare the rest as non professional
Why not go the whole hog and take out the English Clubs in those leagues and say that the game over here is the same.

The fact is that Catalan and Toulouse pay their players, hence, they are professional RL clubs in France.

I'm afraid it is. Richard Lewis was highly vocal about the fact that to raise Rugby leagues profile we needed more top class international games. Therefore Catalans were invited into Superleague so they could give leading French players a pathway to professionalism and the French national side. The year after their inclusion France.v.Great Britain tests re-started accordingly.

And no Catalans were not burdened with an instruction to be the French national side, only create a pathway for quality French RL players and aspiring young French players to reach the top. French players were just as welcome to go to St.Helens like Theo Farges did - quite a number of French lads have played in English sides.

in 2006 Casty, Fellous, Mouinis, Rinaldi, Guisset, Frasayinous, Fakir, Bosc, Verges and Fellous Etc were regulars in the side.

But Gausch had no interest in the French National side and as the years went by the French side suffered and the GB.v.France tests were pulled.

That only spurred Gausch on to abandon any idea of growing French Pro-RL and creating a pathway for youngsters. He had run an academy but shut that down, and progressively he brought in English and Antipodean players in order to try to win himself cups, which he did with the Wembley final win.

Buoyed by this he presided over a policy that didn't encourage French players anymore. gigot left, Maria and Simon were not played much. Albert and Morgue who were promising players didn't play at all towards the end of this season and French players like Seguire ,were sat on the bench for the full duration of games.

What point there ever was to Catalans has disappeared....... Expansion they are not......

Nor have I but their entry was not to "raise the profile of SL" it was to raise the profile of French International RL see above.......

***checks thread, sees its still the same Dragons bashing***


***moves back to own forum***

(Genuinely sincere comment)
Please feel free to point out any / all inaccuracies. I am quite sure there will be a good number who will appreciate this.

So, no professional RL in New Zealand either

Quote: Donnyman "I'm afraid it is. Richard Lewis was highly vocal about the fact that to raise Rugby leagues profile we needed more top class international games. Therefore Catalans were invited into Superleague so they could give leading French players a pathway to professionalism and the French national side. The year after their inclusion France.v.Great Britain tests re-started accordingly. And no Catalans were not burdened with an instruction to be the French national side, only create a pathway for quality French RL players and aspiring young French players to reach the top. French players were just as welcome to go to St.Helens like Theo Farges did - quite a number of French lads have played in English sides. in 2006 Casty, Fellous, Mouinis, Rinaldi, Guisset, Frasayinous, Fakir, Bosc, Verges and Fellous Etc were regulars in the side. But Gausch had no interest in the French National side and as the years went by the French side suffered and the GB.v.France tests were pulled. That only spurred Gausch on to abandon any idea of growing French Pro-RL and creating a pathway for youngsters. He had run an academy but shut that down, and progressively he brought in English and Antipodean players in order to try to win himself cups, which he did with the Wembley final win. Buoyed by this he presided over a policy that didn't encourage French players anymore. gigot left, Maria and Simon were not played much. Albert and Morgue who were promising players didn't play at all towards the end of this season and French players like Seguire ,were sat on the bench for the full duration of games. What point there ever was to Catalans has disappeared....... Expansion they are not......'" I cannot find any quote from Richard Lewis similar to your assertion.Could you assist,please? He did seem to want to expand the sport;as did Mick Potter. https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2009/02/05/ ... er-league/ news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 300343.stm No mention of the international improvement/involvement/development...responsibility for one club side...

Quote: Donnyman "I'm afraid it is. Richard Lewis was highly vocal about the fact that to raise Rugby leagues profile we needed more top class international games. Therefore Catalans were invited into Superleague so they could give leading French players a pathway to professionalism and the French national side. The year after their inclusion France.v.Great Britain tests re-started accordingly. And no Catalans were not burdened with an instruction to be the French national side, only create a pathway for quality French RL players and aspiring young French players to reach the top. French players were just as welcome to go to St.Helens like Theo Farges did - quite a number of French lads have played in English sides. in 2006 Casty, Fellous, Mouinis, Rinaldi, Guisset, Frasayinous, Fakir, Bosc, Verges and Fellous Etc were regulars in the side. But Gausch had no interest in the French National side and as the years went by the French side suffered and the GB.v.France tests were pulled. That only spurred Gausch on to abandon any idea of growing French Pro-RL and creating a pathway for youngsters. He had run an academy but shut that down, and progressively he brought in English and Antipodean players in order to try to win himself cups, which he did with the Wembley final win. Buoyed by this he presided over a policy that didn't encourage French players anymore. gigot left, Maria and Simon were not played much. Albert and Morgue who were promising players didn't play at all towards the end of this season and French players like Seguire ,were sat on the bench for the full duration of games. What point there ever was to Catalans has disappeared....... Expansion they are not......'" I cannot find any quote from Richard Lewis similar to your assertion.Could you assist,please? He did seem to want to expand the sport;as did Mick Potter. https://www.therhinos.co.uk/2009/02/05/ ... er-league/ news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 300343.stm No mention of the international improvement/involvement/development...responsibility for one club side...

Yet the product still exists and is able to generate income. Good for the product. But the demise in the sport without a sugar daddy is looking considerably weaker.

You mean you don't want to find anything about Catalans being brought in to develop the French International side