Macarthur RL: East Campbelltown Eagles to host touring French U19s, Waminda Oval
International rugby league comes to Campbelltown this Friday night when the French tackle East Campbelltown Eagles in an under-19s clash at Waminda Oval. See why, FULL STORY.
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International rugby league arrives in Campbelltown this Friday, when a French under-19s team kicks off a three-game Australian tour against East Campbelltown.
In an effort to elevate the standard of play in France, the country’s top young talent will tackle the Eagles ahead of next Tuesday’s clash with the Wests Tigers Cubs at Camden, before heading to Newcastle, where they will concluded the trip against a local representative team the following Saturday.
Speaking ahead of the first match, French coach Remi Casty explained how the tour came about.
“In order to raise the level of performance on a permanent basis, it’s important for each generation to face opposition from the southern hemisphere, to test our potential against tougher opponents,” said Casty, a former French prop in 23 Tests who played one season at the Sydney Roosters in 2014.
“The idea is to be far from our home base and test ourselves where rugby league is king. The experiences will be beneficial for future major events where the level will rise significantly.
“It will also give the boys a close-up view of professionalism at the highest level. What’s more, the best among the group will be able to build bridges to the professional world of Australian rugby league.”
With deep-seated French connections, East Campbelltown club president Dan Draper was more than happy to accommodate the tourists and rekindle some friendships forged during his playing days.
“The connections came about from my playing days in France, and I returned there to play alongside my son at Cahors in 2018,” said Draper.
“Since then, we’ve had seven French players come over and play for East Campbelltown, and about 13 of our players have gone over and played for clubs including Toulouse and the Pia Donkeys.”
In what promises to be a carnival atmosphere at Waminda Oval on Friday evening, East Campbelltown - with a rich history in developing NRL talent - will field a strong side led by Wests Magpies representative stars Brooklyn Milford and Matt Lucas.
On a night where the club’s under-5s to 7s will provide the pre-game and halftime entertainment, Draper said it will be an occasion cherished by both senior teams.
“Each player will be able to walk away with a jersey courtesy West Leagues, Ashfield. The French players will be presented with an East Campbelltown jersey, while the Eagles players will collect a French jumper,” he said.
Still in its infancy, long term plans are already underway to make the tour a biannual event - one that Draper is happy to accept with open arms.
“We had a great experience over there, and so have many other Australians,” he said.
“It would be great for the standard in France to reach a level on par with Australia. And I think these young guys coming over puts them on the right path.
“It’s definitely an important stepping stone. On this trip, they’ll actually field three players from New Caledonia for the first time.”
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