France head coach Laurent Frayssinous suggested the growing gap between the NRL and Super League was a huge factor in Friday's 78-4 defeat by Samoa at the Men's Rugby League World Cup. Melbourne Storm winger Sua Fa'alogo came off the bench as a replacement for the injured Deine Mariner to score four of Samoa's 14 tries in an emphatic Pool B-C victory in Parramatta. France's sole try came in the first half from Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet.
Frayssinous admitted his team were "all over the shop" in an opening 20 minutes where Samoa scored five times, with France not helped by head injuries to winger Leo Darrelatour and stand-off Cesar Rouge, although the latter was able to return after an assessment. Asked why France had fallen to an even heavier defeat than the 62-4 loss at the last World Cup four years ago, Frayssinous pointed to the level of NRL talent in the opposing ranks. "Do you think the NRL is far better now than four years ago? Then you have the answer," he said. All but one of the Samoa squad play in the NRL, while France's team is largely made up of Super League players.
Frayssinous said the NRL "keeps growing and keeps getting better every year", adding that Super League is improving but "not as fast". He said the smartness, skill and touches under pressure were areas to improve, and he welcomed the NRL's proposed investment in Super League.
Samoa's strength in depth was also on show through Fa'alogo, whose cameo was not planned so early, according to head coach Ben Gardiner. Meanwhile, Australia were expected to win a fourth successive Women's Rugby League World Cup, and beat Samoa 40-0 in their Pool A opener. Head coach Jess Skinner wants improvement, particularly in starts, finishing and defence, before facing England in Perth.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing