France assistant coach Jerome Guisset has stressed the importance of a good showing by the French national team in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

“We have stressed to the players just how important doing well in this tournament is,” said the 13-year veteran of Les Bleus. “I am telling the players: the world cup doesn’t come around every year so if you’re lucky enough to be in the squad you must do everything to be in the best condition.”

Around 40 players were shortlisted for the opening two preparatory camps before coach Richard Agar selects his 24-man squad on 1 October.

“In the first two camps the players met at length with the staff in order to target their goals for the World Cup,” continued the former Canberra, Wigan and Dragons front row. “They are aware of the importance of this competition. They trust Richard Agar to lead us far as possible.”

France will play the USA in a warm-up on October 18 in Toulouse before heading to Hull for an extra week of work before the critical first match of the world cup against Papua New Guinea, with Guisset stating that, due to the strength of the opposition, a quarter-final berth is a realistic target.

“Our strongest point is that we have a team that knows each other very well, mainly because the group is made up largely of players from Catalans Dragons. The weak point may be the freshness of our players. Our preparation will be focused on ensuring we have fresh players, both physically and mentally.”

The bond and spirit in the squad is strong, continues Guisset, who captained France in the last world cup in 2008: “We’re serious when we need to be we have fun with everything we’re doing . We need the group to enjoy spending time together and enjoy working together. The match against the USA will allow us to do review the three weeks’ preparation. We can also work combinations.”