France coach Richard Agar has named a 40-strong elite squad as he begins his preparations for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. The director of the French national team, Jean Alonso, explains what steps the federation has taken so far.
“Several criteria are taken into account [when selecting the elite squad],” he said. “The sporting side, on the one hand, with an assessment of the quality of technical and physical play, where his performances with his the club are also important. From a more "human" point of view, we focus on the capacity to integrate the player into the group.
Alonso revealed that Directeur Technique National Patrick Pedrazzani is the first person to recommend players, using his corps of scouts and elite coaches. Agar will then trim the squad to 23 or 24 by the 1 October deadline. That squad might include players currently playing abroad, such as the NRL trio Dimitri Pelo, Clint Greenshields and impressive back row tyro Ben Garcia, as well as Salford’s Theo Fages.
“We are currently in discussion with the coach to see if we focus initially on the players playing in France, or if we invite some boys from abroad,” continued Alonso. “This decision is not yet finalised, but we’ll certainly keep an eye on them.”
The elite camps will take place in world cup territory, with the squad congregating in Avignon and the Dragons’ hometown of Perpignan, where most of the players reside, as the federation pushes the brand of le Treize de France. After a tough opener in Hull against the Kumuls, France face the daunting prospect of facing off against Samoa and New Zealand, with at least one victory necessary to advance.
“The objective is to progress past the first round,” revealed Alonso. “If you look at our opponents, it is the toughest pool in the tournament. Anything after that will be a bonus.”
FRANCE 40-MAN SQUAD
Rachid Ahlalou, Jean-Philippe Baile, Morgan Escare, Jamal Fakir, David Guasch, Thibault Margalet, Hakim Miloudi, Mathias Pala, Sebastien Raguin, Mickael Simon, Gadwin Springer (Saint Estève-XIII Catalan), William Barthau, Thomas Bosc, Julian Bousquet, Damien Cardance, Remi Casty, Vuincent Duport, Olivier Elima, Kevin Larroyer, Antoni Maria, Greogry Mounis, Eloi Pelissier, Frederic Vaccari (Dragons Catalan), Andrew Bentley, Kane Bentley, Maxime Greseque, Clement Soubeyras, Cyril Stacul (SM Pia XIII), Joris Bissiere, Joris Cagnac, Younes Khattabi, Martial Romano (SO Avignon XIII), Bastien Canet, Jonathon Soum (AS Carcassonne XIII), Theo Fages (Salford City Reds), Theo Gonzalez-Trique, Sebastien Planas, Florian Quintilla (Toulouse Olympique XIII), Matthieu Griffi, Vincent Michau (FC Lézignan XIII)