World Cup sleepers: Robbo's plan to transform France

2 years ago 72

Trent Robinson has called for France to get much opportunities to play Tests against the world's apical teams, portion stressing the request for rugby league to person a greater home beingness arsenic well.

Speaking after France's large triumph implicit Greece, Robinson, who was appointed the nation's manager of rugby league successful 2020, said they were already gathering for the adjacent World Cup.

"There's a lot of guys successful their mid-20s there, a mates of truly young guys that are successful our squad that are 19, 20 arsenic well," helium said.

"There's immoderate aboriginal there, obviously, with Toulouse playing successful the Super League this year, and Catalans."

The 2025 tourney volition beryllium held successful France, giving it immoderate other value for a federation whose rugby league pedigree survived immoderate unsocial obstacles - astir notably an effort to wholly eradicate the athletics by the Nazi-aligned areas of the state successful the 1940s.

"What we're trying to bash is make our ain benignant of French squad identity, and make thing that's rather peculiar starring up to the World Cup that they consciousness similar they're playing for their state and this is their home," Robinson said.

"We're moving hard connected that, the federation's moving hard. We've had a bully campy truthful acold and each we tin bash is laic down immoderate truly bully performances successful the World Cup."

France finished runners up successful the inaugural World Cup in 1954, and again successful 1968, but person struggled since.

Robinson thinks that tin change, with a fewer steps required.

"There's a mates of things connected the field; we privation to springiness opportunities to the players, we'd similar to play immoderate much Tests if we can, we privation to get much experience, particularly for the French playmakers, to marque decisions much often," helium said.

"We privation to get that done, and past there's immoderate things that we privation to bash successful the French competition. The tv is precise important for us, it is for each sport, and we request to play rugby league connected tv successful France.

"That would beryllium an nonsubjective either starring up oregon coming retired of the World Cup."

But immoderate their plans for the future, there's inactive the contiguous to interest astir - and adjacent up is simply a clash with England, and his club-level enforcer, Victor Radley.

"Radz, on with a batch of those players, I felt similar they started the contention well," Robinson said.

"I similar to spot Radz singing the anthem and representing his begetter whose from conscionable down the roadworthy here, successful Sheffield. It was large to spot him retired determination playing, and playing well."

England volition spell into the crippled arsenic favourites, with whoever winning practically assured of a quarter-final berth.

"We bask playing the English - we cognize they're the bigger squad successful rugby league, conscionable crossed the ditch there, and we privation to play well. These guys are hungry," Robinson said.

"We respect their game, but we privation to spell aft the crippled successful Bolton connected Saturday."

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