Toulouse v Fev: Teams and Scorers
Monday 31 July 2017
Tuesday 18 July 2017
fevnut's blog: Toulouse (away)
Match 27: Toulouse Olympique (Away)
fevnut's musings
Vince Farrar - absolute
legend
There is a novel by Ray Bradbury with the title Fahrenheit 451.
451 refers to the temperature at which paper will automatically catch fire. It’s
a good novel but of even greater interest is Featherstone 451, 451 being the
heritage number for Vince Farrar!
Featherstone Rovers has had some wonderful people, many in the
Hall of Fame, but there is something which marks Vince Farrar out at the very
pinnacle of the club. It is a real pity that something as transitory as the
changing of the coach has occupied the minds of Fev fans when for years to
come, the passing of Vince Farrar, will be an even more significant moment in
the history of the club.
What was so special about Vince? A budding young hooker who
transformed himself into a prop-forward because that was what the club needed.
That was maybe the first example of Vince always being prepared to do what was
needed by Rovers. Of course, he went on to score a try at Wembley in the 1973
Challenge Cup final. Vince was the captain of the team that won the
Championship in the 1976-1977 season. Then, having left Rovers for Hull where
he captained their team to BBC Floodlit Trophy victory and winning the Second Division championship.
He returned to Rovers as coach in January 1981 and managed to steer Rovers
clear of relegation.
Vince would and did do virtually anything for the Rovers cause.
We used to wonder if there was a secret bedroom where Vince lived under the
main stand because he seemed to be always at the ground, ready to help with
anything and everything that needed to be done.
Vince had every reason to be proud of his achievements but he
was also the sort of man who would always chat to fans and we have so much
reason to be grateful to him for the time he gave talking to us, and educating
us about rugby league.
We believe that there should be a permanent tribute to Vince
at Post Office Road. Maybe one idea would be to rename the Post Office Road
end the ‘Vince Farrar Terrace’. It would be particularly appropriate bearing in
mind the timeline of Rovers history that is on the railings there. We have been
told (and we are not going to disturb the family to get verification at this
time) that Vince had his Featherstone Rovers Heritage Number certificate with
him in hospital during his final illness.
Rest in peace Vince Farrar, #451 and #1 in contribution made to
the club.
*************************************************
Like most Fev fans we were appalled by the performance against
Halifax last weekend and we couldn’t even bring ourselves to have a cup of
coffee out of a Fev mug that night! Sometimes it is necessary to remind the
team what Rovers fans will do. On Sunday a whole host of us will be making the
trip to support the team in Toulouse. A trip that costs a lot of money and we
know that there are some who are sacrificing having a summer holiday in order
to afford to go to Toulouse!
We
write that because the team and the coaching staff should be aware and make
absolutely sure that they put in the level of commitment to match those of the
travelling fans. We want to turn up at the Stade Ernest Argelès knowing that win or lose, we’ll get a performance worth watching.
Toulouse will be going at it with everything they can muster. We need to be at
the top of our game to match them. Any lack of commitment and we could get
slaughtered.
*************************************************
Welcome
to John Duffy. Been listening to the press conference announcing his
appointment and I am excited that we have a young coach whose playing career
was at half-back. I hope his experience will get our attack functioning and
bring out from the players their very best. Something hat seems to have been
lacking this year.
Monday 17 July 2017
T’Other Side: Toulouse Olympique
T’Other Side: Toulouse Olympique
Head Coach:
Sylvain Houles
Sylvain Houles began his tenure as head
coach of Toulouse Olympique for the 2011 season. That was the final year of
their previous three year participation in the ‘English’ Championship league.
Most of his playing career was as a centre or winger although towards the end
he moved to half back or loose forward. He started with XIII Catalans (the
former name of Catalans Dragons) and then in 2000 entered Super League with the
Huddersfield and Sheffield Giants. He then moved to London Broncos. Houles also
played for Dewsbury Rams and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats before returning to
France with Toulouse. He played 14 times for France.
Captain: Sébastien
Planas
Sébastien Planas is now in his 11th season playing for
Toulouse. He appeared in all three previous seasons (2009-2011) in the
Championships. For most of his career he played in the three-quarters but
recently he has played primarily in the second row with occasional appearances
at hooker. He is a French international.
At the Back
Bastien
Ader
started with Toulouse. He was originally a winger but this season he has been
regularly playing at centre. Earlier this year he scored a hat trick against
Rochdale and last week got two against Hull KR. Last year Mark Kheirallah was a points scoring phenomenon last year,
achieving a total of 470. He scored 32 tries (5 hatricks) and kicked 171 goals.
On 10 separate occasions he scored at least 20 points and against Keighley in
June he scored 4 tries and 12 goals for a total of 40 points. He is an Australian
of Lebanese descent. Papua New Guinean winger, Kuni Minga, is an even more prolific try scorer than Kheirallah.
Last year he crossed for 35 tries in just 27 matches and this year he has
scored 13 tries in 14 matches. He has been out injured recently but returned to
action last Sunday against Hull KR. Although originally from Papua New Guinea, he
has now been selected in the French train-on squad for the World Cup.
In
the Halves
Following the injury to
Toulouse’s star stand-off, Johnathan
Ford, who tore Fev apart in March, Toulouse had problems finding a new successful
halfback pairing. They seem to have sorted the problem by bringing in Louis Jouffret on dual registration
from Catalans. In 2015 and 2016 Jouffret played for Whitehaven but spent most
of his time at fullback. He is a French U18 international. The regular
scrum-half for Toulouse this year has been Stan
Robin. He played for Catalans in 2015 and 2016, spending the later part of
the 2016 season on loan with Sheffield Eagles. He is a French international.
In the Pack
For the large majority of games, Clément Boyer and Bastien Canet have been
the starting props for Toulouse this season. Boyer was French U18 international
in 2013 and played in the full French team in 2015. He had a brief spell with
Halifax in 2015 before becoming a regular for Toulouse last year. Bastien Canet
was also a regular member of Toulouse’s League One winning squad last year.
Australian, Rhys Curran, is a second
rower who is a consistent try scorer. He scored 14 tries last year and has
already scored 12 this year.
The
Fev Connection
We found one, albeit a very
tenuous connection! Back in 2000, Brad Hepi came to Fev and played 7 games
before moving on to Salford. His son, Tyla, is a regular prop for Toulouse.
Brad played for 12 different English clubs and Toulouse is already young Tyla’s
fourth club having previously appeared for Gloucestershire All Golds (with Brad
as coach), Hull Kingston Rovers and Whitehaven.
Today: Previously - July 22nd
Today: Previously - July 22nd
Today: Previously - July
22nd
Rugby League
Fev have been playing professional
matches ever since 1921 but they have only once played a match before on July
22nd. That was just five years ago in 2012. The match was a home Championship
match against Batley. In the 72nd minute Liam Finn scored a drop goal to take
the score to 31-24. But then in the 79th minute Batley’s Alex Brown scored a
try. Batley didn’t attempt the conversion in their attempt to grab a last
minute victory but it was to no avail, Fev winning 31-28.
Subs: Dominic Maloney, Michael Haley,
James Lockwood, Jack Bussey
*********************
Other matches on July 22nd include
Bradford beating Leeds in Super League at Odsal by 44-22 in 2001. On the same
day another current Championhip club recorded a Super League win with London
beating Warrington 31-28 at the Halliwell Jones.
In 2007, Castleford, the current
Super League leaders, were in National League 1 and beat Batley 42-6 at Mount
Pleasant.
*********************
GB lost another test match on July 22nd 1984. This time it was against
New Zealqand in Christchurch with a 28-12 scoreline.
In 2006 there was a European Developing Nations Tri-Nations series and
Germany beat Estonia 38-24.
In 2009 Papua New Guinea played a Test Match against Fiji in Port
Moresby and won 54-10.
World Events
 |
| Bradley Wiggins |
In 1306,
King Phillip orders expulsion of Jews from France
In 1933,
Wiley Post completes 1st solo round the world flight
In 1942, 300,000 Jews from
Warsaw Ghetto sent to Treblinka Extermination Camp
In 1983, World Record temperature
of -89.2°C
recorded in Antarctica
In 2012, Bradley Wiggins
wins the Tour de France
Birthdays
 |
| Bonnie Langford |
1510 Alessandro de
Medici, Duke of Florence
1882 Edward
Hopper, American painter
1898 Alexander
Calder, American mobiles sculptor
1926 Bryan
Forbes, English film director
1964 Bonnie
Langford, English actor
1972 Barrie
McDermott, English rugby league player
Past Matches against Toulouse
Past Matches against Toulouse
Look at the table above and you will see that the seven previous matches between Fev and Toulouse have been high scoring affairs with 48 points the lowest aggregate score!
Championship Talk: Thunder inflicting Payne on League 1
fevnut's blog is absolutely delighted to have received permission to bring you a regular column from Gareth Walker.
Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.
Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.
Gareth is a top rugby league journalist who has one very exceptional distinction. He chooses to write about matters pertaining to the Championship and League One.
Although this blog is devoted to Featherstone Rovers it is always good to read opinions about matters relevant to us, but not specifically about us. We hope you enjoy reading Gareth's column each week.
Thunder inflicting
Payne on League One
NEWCASTLE Thunder may have lost
their first game in seven in a late defeat at Hunslet on Sunday - but they are
still providing one of the stories of the 2017 season.
When
the club parted company with Australian coach
Mick Mantelli
in May, they sat 12th in League One after five straight defeats. Fast forward
two months and they are now challenging the top four.
Interim
coach and Thunder stalwart Jason Payne is the man who has helped breathe life
into their 2017 campaign to mount what could be a promotion push.
Payne’s
side is firmly in the race to finish in the top five, which offers a route into
the Championship via the four-team play-off under the division champions.
And
that seemed a world away when Payne took the reins back in late May.
“It’s
always tough to put your finger on why things aren’t working out,” Payne
explained.
“Ultimately
it was down to the players and possibly the coaching the way everything was
going, we’re just glad we’ve managed to turn it around.
“The
biggest thing for me and (assistant) Michael Heap has just been trying to get
some enjoyment back into it for the players.
“We’re
a semi-pro team, as most are in our league, and we all have jobs in the day before
we have to come and train - you have to enjoy it.
“We’re
competitive in everything we’re doing and wanted to improve attitudes around
the place.
“We
spoke to the players and tried to get to the root of why people weren’t
performing, and luckily enough we’ve managed to make some things work.”
It
isn’t just at first team level where Thunder
are being successful at present.
“Everything
is there for the club now,” said Payne, a long-term player with the club during
their Gateshead says.
“Our
under-19s got their first win in the Super League academy the other day against
Wakefield, and there’s some great kids working under Michael Heap who is head
of youth.
“He’s
been doing a brilliant job with the next batch of kids, and we’re at the stage
now where they are comfortable coming into the first team if called upon.
“On
the back of that we have some great links with Northumbria University through
my day job, so there is a genuine pathway there for young players in the area.
“I
saw some dark days at Gateshead.
“There
were some great times as well - winning the comp in 2008 was one of the
highlights, but for all of those there was ten fold the bad times.
“Although
I was a bit sad to leave, when we did come to Newcastle things changed for the
better.
“Now
our ambition can actually be realised if we do perform and get promoted - we’re
in a position where we can push on.”
Friday 14 July 2017
REPRESENTATIVE APPEARANCES
REPRESENTATIVE APPEARANCES| Jordan Baldwinson | |
| England Youth | 2011 |
| England Academy | 2011-2013 |
| Sam Brooks | |
| Scotland | 2016 |
| James Duckworth | |
| England Academy | 2011 |
| Darrell Griffin | |
| England | 2005, 2008, 2010 |
| Ash Handley | |
| England Academy | 2013-2014 |
| Ian Hardman | |
| Lancashire U18 | 2003 |
| England U17 | 2003 |
| Frankie Mariano | |
| Scotland | 2016 |
| Richard Moore | |
| England A | 2002 |
| Super League U21 | 2003 |
| Northern Union | 2007 |
| Misi Taulapapa | |
| Samoa | 2008-2009 |
Tuesday 11 July 2017
Fev v Halifax: Referee
fevnut's blog: Halifax (home)
Match 26: Halifax (Home)fevnut's musings
Towards the Qualifiers
Many congratulations to Jon Sharp and the lads on gaining a
place in the Qualifiers for the second season running.
It’s great to have achieved it with two games remaining but I
must admit there is a downside also. In recent years we have had some
incredibly exciting fixtures at the end of the league season, needing to win
either to get into the Middle 8s or to get into play-offs. Even though we have
now qualified I hope the team doesn’t relax in the games against Halifax and
Toulouse. Especially bearing in mind that should London slip up in their games against
Rochdale and Batley there is still a glimmer of a chance of Fev making it to
second place with the bonus of 4 home games in the 8s.
Let’s hope that we can perform better in the Qualifiers than our
dire showing in the Qualifiers last year. I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one
left feeling that it was such a sorry end after the excitement of those last
three Championship games. Even one point from the seven games would be an
improvement!
*************************************************
In March, had any rugby league fan been asked about the
possibility of a French club being in the Qualifiers, I am pretty sure that
they would have said that Toulouse were a certainty and that it was extremely
unlikely that Catalans would be there. After all, Catalans were lying 3rd in
Super League at the beginning of the month and Toulouse were 2nd in the
Championship the end of the month. It’s strange how both French teams have
recently nose-dived and now it is almost certain that Catalans will be in the
Qualifiers and Toulouse look as they might well miss out after their loss
against Halifax last Sunday.
*************************************************
Many of you will have seen Davide Longo’s complaint about the
Rugby League leaving it so late to make decisions about the structure of the
competitions in 2018 and the implications this has for proper planning by the
clubs. I agree with every word that Davide said. My only complaint was that he was,
probably constrained by what he was allowed to say, less harsh than he might
have been. It strikes me that making decisions so late in the season makes our
sport look amateurishly shambolic - and that is a bit harsh on many well run
amateur sports!
For those of us old enough to remember it still rankles about
the way Fev were treated back in the 1994/95 season when at the last moment the
rules were changed so that 6 clubs instead of the expected 4 were relegated
from the top division thus catching Fev and Salford who had finished 11th and
12th respectively in a 16 team league. And what was it for? To clear the way
for Paris and London to enter Super League. Paris folded after 2 years and
London are now striving to get back into Super League but have never generated
a supporter base that would be expected for a top level club even though they
have by far the largest catchment area to draw on.
If Fev can average about 2,200 as an average attendance on a
population base of 15,000 then you could argue that with a 10 million catchment
area London should be averaging over a million spectators per match!!!
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