: Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:16 pm  

lpage wrote: Hi guys, Don't be too harsh with your team. Toulouse was under rated at the start of the season as it started completely unprepared. It is now a very decent side as its recent victory at Batley showed. I think it will be a top 5 team this year. Anyway, photos of the match are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/PhotosRugby ... directlink We must have been terrible as well as how good Toulouse were. In addition Toulouse should have been in NL2 this season... and I'm not saying that because they beat us, I just think they should have to start at the bottom if they are a new team. To be honest I think the French game would benefit more from your stronger teams playing in your own league rather than playing in the English leagues otherwise your own league will never get any better.

lpage wrote: Hi guys, Don't be too harsh with your team. Toulouse was under rated at the start of the season as it started completely unprepared. It is now a very decent side as its recent victory at Batley showed. I think it will be a top 5 team this year. Anyway, photos of the match are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/PhotosRugby ... directlink We must have been terrible as well as how good Toulouse were. In addition Toulouse should have been in NL2 this season... and I'm not saying that because they beat us, I just think they should have to start at the bottom if they are a new team. To be honest I think the French game would benefit more from your stronger teams playing in your own league rather than playing in the English leagues otherwise your own league will never get any better.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:24 pm  

lpage wrote: Hi guys, Don't be too harsh with your team. Toulouse was under rated at the start of the season as it started completely unprepared. It is now a very decent side as its recent victory at Batley showed. I think it will be a top 5 team this year. Anyway, photos of the match are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/PhotosRugby ... directlink lpage I thought Toulouse looked good, those French internationals are knitting together and Nathan Wynn is a decent halfback at this level. Villegas is full of promise too and Planas had a great game in your centres. There is an abundance of decent halfbacks in the comp, Wynn, Branighan, Groom, Black, Webster - all from the Southern Hemisphere - this is a problem.... where are our British halfbacks?

lpage wrote: Hi guys, Don't be too harsh with your team. Toulouse was under rated at the start of the season as it started completely unprepared. It is now a very decent side as its recent victory at Batley showed. I think it will be a top 5 team this year. Anyway, photos of the match are available here: http://picasaweb.google.com/PhotosRugby ... directlink lpage I thought Toulouse looked good, those French internationals are knitting together and Nathan Wynn is a decent halfback at this level. Villegas is full of promise too and Planas had a great game in your centres. There is an abundance of decent halfbacks in the comp, Wynn, Branighan, Groom, Black, Webster - all from the Southern Hemisphere - this is a problem.... where are our British halfbacks?

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:10 pm  

The Kevster! wrote:

Toulouse should have been in NL2 this season... and I'm not saying that because they beat us, I just think they should have to start at the bottom if they are a new team.

To be honest I think the French game would benefit more from your stronger teams playing in your own league rather than playing in the English leagues otherwise your own league will never get any better.

I agree for them to start at the bottom as they were not ready for SL, and this bottom is the Championship which is their right level as today's match shows. The Championship One would not make sense financially and would raise even more eyebrows than the Championship which was already an innovative decision from the RFL.

Our league will get better, but this is not the main goal, the main goal is to have strong sides in the Super League Europe which is the leading competition in Europe. The SL was a European project from the start and it is natural for it to welcome several French teams in it. Neither the RFL, nor the French federation wish to have the French teams withdrawing to create a French only competition in the long term. On the contrary, the europeanisation of the tournament is a well thought strategy to make of Rugby League one of the major sports in Europe.

I know some supporters in England are worried about welcoming French teams, but it is clear that Rugby League can not compete as a professional sport by being limited to the M62 in England or to towns of 10,000 habitants in the South of France. The europeanisation of the competition is a good process for everybody. We can expect the coverage from Sky to increase, money from sponsors to come and more people to practice the game.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:14 pm  

DParky wrote:

lpage I thought Toulouse looked good, those French internationals are knitting together and Nathan Wynn is a decent halfback at this level. Villegas is full of promise too and Planas had a great game in your centres.

There is an abundance of decent halfbacks in the comp, Wynn, Branighan, Groom, Black, Webster - all from the Southern Hemisphere - this is a problem.... where are our British halfbacks?

Yep they were good, I think they were completely unshaped in the first matches: no matches of preparation, almost one year without competition. I hope they will win their spot in SL on the field and not just because they represent a good prospect financially.

Don't worry too much about your outfit. The trip to Toulouse was never going to be easy. They have gain confidence after their victory at Batley and this match was very important for them to show that they can do it in Championship against a strong side.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:17 pm  

DParky wrote:

lpage I thought Toulouse looked good, those French internationals are knitting together and Nathan Wynn is a decent halfback at this level. Villegas is full of promise too and Planas had a great game in your centres.

There is an abundance of decent halfbacks in the comp, Wynn, Branighan, Groom, Black, Webster - all from the Southern Hemisphere - this is a problem.... where are our British halfbacks?

Aye, Dave - and none of them at Leigh!!

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 7:30 pm  

I feel somewhat guilty at posting on this topic, not having been to the game. But I did see it on the internet, and it did seem typical of many of our performances to date:-

'One-up' rugby most of the time.
Offloading onto the ground, or up in the air, & passing to the opposition
Very few breaks.
Inability to cope with the opposition moving the ball wide - how many men did they seem to have, when they moved it wide?!
Taking the dummy!
Penalty kicks 'gaining' 5/10 metres - compare our efforts with theirs!

One thing that was unusual - we won the penalty count, something like 12-6. However, this extra possession merely added to our embarrassment, by highlighting how clueless we were!

For once, the spirit/enthusiasm/tenacity wasn't there to save us - and we looked very poor.

At the start of the season, I was shouted down, when I expressed fears about relegation. My fears are increasing! We are currently averaging 18 points per game, and seem to go very lengthy periods without scoring. Only three teams have scored less than us - and two of them have played less games!

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:02 pm  

been saying for months yorky boy inst up to it trouble is contract signed or not he will cost too much to get rid of, as for more players and putting more money in get real there aint room under the salary cap and if people cant see that by god your thick.

Kelly out put Rowley in as team coach and bring in a director of rugby (Mr C won't like this ) I'd give the job to John Fieldhouse (as long as his lad signs for us ). Just spak to the players as to who they would like as coach.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:17 pm  

maurice wrote:

I too find it alarming that we cant give away 200 family tickets, how low have we sunk.

You'll be pleased to hear they have all gone Mo - keep the faith.
That should be 500ish in the South stand

[mish]

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:21 pm  

ColD wrote:

You'll be pleased to hear they have all gone Mo - keep the faith.
That should be 500ish in the South stand

That's one bit of good news anyway, I hope they all make a bit of noise.

: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:28 pm  

mishmash wrote:

That's one bit of good news anyway, I hope they all make a bit of noise.

Free or not... will they turn up after that mauling especially as it's on SKY?