BY MIKE RYLANCE
AFTER cruising to a 36-0 victory over Jamaica, France are through to the World Cup finals they were originally supposed to host.
Ranked eighth, they were fully expected to beat a nation in 20th place.
The French performance – based as it was on the Catalan Dragons squad – was as impressive as it ought to have been against opposition with nowhere near the same levels of experience.
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Head coach Laurent Frayssinous can take particular satisfaction, though, from having given international debuts to three young players and seeing each blossom, thereby justifying their selection.
Enzo Griffier, the 20-year-old centre, took both of his tries impressively. He is a relative unknown because he spent last season with Sydney Roosters U21s, but is yet another product of the Salon-de Provence youth system.
A trio of his team-mates – Jordan Dezaria, Arthur Romano and Fouad Yaha – also took their first steps in rugby league in Provence.
Another lesser-known debutant was the 22-year-old second-row forward Louis Grossemy, who is currently operating with Canterbury Bulldogs’ NSW Cup side after coming through the ranks at South Sydney Rabbitohs. He qualifies to play for France through a French father.
And the third of the newcomers, making up a killer right edge combination with the other two, was 25-year-old winger Léo Darrelatour who joined the Dragons last season after spending most of his career to date in rugby union, notably at Perpignan.
Another noteworthy feature of France’s play, apart from the dominance of the forwards led by try-scorers Julian Bousquet and Paul Séguier, was the way Arthur Mourgue stepped up to play a vital role.
The 26-year-old Hull KR fullback, linking with Théo Fages, was involved in France’s three first-half tries and two of the three scored in the second period, in addition to kicking four conversions.
What this latest outing shows once again – in front of a decent-sized 7,000 Albi crowd incidentally – is that France is better than most international teams but some way off the best, as may well be reinforced by next year’s World Cup.
The fact that the players got to train with the Kangaroos for a couple of days beforehand will have helped in French preparations, and the presence of Trent Robinson on the touchline will also have been an encouragement.
SO, Toulouse Olympique are to rejoin Super League, although anyone in favour of rugby league’s expansion must have reservations about their funding.
The basis on which they – and York – were promoted was objective enough. Not so the funding which they will receive.
Established Super League clubs still have a say in how much cash the promoted sides receive.
As far as we can tell, an eye stinging cut of around 50 percent is involved, which significantly reduces their budgets, Bradford apart.
For Toulouse, that is sliced further by the obligation to pay the expenses of travelling teams and match officials.
Super League has done this before, but you have to ask how this is fair, and how serious, therefore, the competition really is about expanding its geographical footprint.
After the news of the Catalans playing a home fixture against Wigan in Paris next year, with the French Championship final as curtain-raiser, the Australians however seem to have global plans that could feature a worldwide round in 2027.
As Hull KR and Leeds are set for Las Vegas, so the NRL is aiming to stage its opening fixtures in various places across the globe.
Perpignan and Toulouse have been earmarked as possible venues. Quite the comparison in attitude.
Back in 2023, with a limited budget at the back of their minds, Toulouse stood by the squad that had earned them promotion.
For 2026, the only signings made to date are the permanent capture of ex-Parramatta hooker Brendan Hands, ex-Queensland Cup and London Broncos fullback or centre Luke Polselli, forward Tyler Dupree, on loan from Wigan, and relatively inexperienced winger Mathieu Pons, son of Toulouse and French international winger Cyrille.