1994 France rugby league tour of Oceania

April 2022 The 1994 French rugby league Oceania tour was a three test tour by the France national rugby league team. The French team played single tests against Papua New Guinea, Australia and Fiji, losing all three games. Team The French were coached by Jean-Christophe Vergeynst and captained by veteran halfback Patrick Entat. Patrick Acroue Theo Anast Ezzedine Attia Cyril Baudouin Pascal Bomati Pierre Chamorin David Despin Patrick Entat Franck Esponda David Fraisse Jean Frison Jean-Marc Garcia Charles Giorgi Christophe Grandjean Georges Grandjean Bernard Llong Frantz Martial Christophe Martinez Claude Sirvent Stephane Tena Patrick Torreilles Thierry Valero Jean-Marc Vincent Papua New Guinea vs France This would be Papua New Guinea's 5th test win in their 34th test (and their second win over France) since gaining test match status in 1975. #eeeeee 26 June 1994 PNG 29 – 22 FRA Tries: Tuiyo Evei Stanley Gene David Gomia James Mirivi James Naipo Goals: Tuksy Karu (3) Ric Emmanuel (1) Field Goals: Stanley Gene Try: David Fraisse Jean-Marc Garcia Bernard Llong Christophe Martinez Goals: Patrick Torreilles (3) Lloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby 5,000 Dennis Hale NZL PNG vs France _redborder _Vwidered _redborder _hoops_red FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FF0000 000000 Papua New Guinea _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 FFFFFF 0000CD FFFFFF 0000FF FF0000 France FB 1David BukoRW 2James MiriviRC 3David GomiaLC 4Phillip Boge (c)LW 5Ric EmmanuelFE 6Tuksy KaruHB 7Adrian LamPR 8Ben BiriHK 9Ronald VuePR 10Tuiyo EveiSR 11Max TiriSR 12James NaipaoLK 13James SikaiSubstitutions:IC 14Stanley GeneIC 15Nande YerIC 16Luke WaldiatIC 17Matthew YidiCoach: FB 1Jean FrisonRW 2Frantz MartialRC 3David DespinLC 4David FraisseLW 5Jean-Marc GarciaSO 6Pierre ChamorinSH 7Patrick Entat (c)PR 8Bernard LlongHK 9Patrick TorreillesPR 10Theo AnastSR 11Ezzedine AttiaSR 12Franck EspondaLK 13Thierry ValeroSubstitutions:IC 14Stephane TenaIC 15Georges GrandjeanIC 16Charles GiorgiIC 17Christophe MartinezCoach:FRA Jean-Christophe Vergeynst Australia vs France For the Australians, Brett Mullins, David Fairleigh, Tim Brasher, Paul McGregor and Mark Hohn all made their test debut, though Brasher had been Australia's fullback in the 1992 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium (at the time, tests and World Cup games were counted separately in a players records). Although the name had been used for 86 years, this was the first test other than during a Kangaroo Tour where the Australian team was officially called The Kangaroos. #eeeeee 6 July 1994 AUS 58 – 0 FRA Tries: Steve Renouf (3) Ian Roberts (2) Laurie Daley (2) Mal Meninga Brett Mullins Andrew Ettingshausen Paul McGregor Brad Fittler Goals: Mal Meninga (5/10) Tim Brasher (0/2) Try: Goals: Parramatta Stadium, Sydney 27,318 Dennis Hale NZL Laurie Daley Australia 16 Australia vs France _kangaroos _kangaroos1992 _kangaroos _thingoldsides _2 gold stripes 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 023E00 Australia _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 FFFFFF 0000CD FFFFFF 0000FF FF0000 France FB 1 Brett MullinsLW 2 Michael HancockRC 3 Mal Meninga (c)LC 4 Steve RenoufRW 5 Andrew EttingshausenFE 6 Laurie DaleyHB 7 Allan LangerPR 8 Ian RobertsHK 9 Steve WaltersPR 10 Paul HarragonSR 11 Paul SironenSR 12 David FairleighLF 13 Brad FittlerSubstitutions:IC 14 Paul McGregorIC 15 Tim BrasherIC 16 Brad MackayIC 17 Mark HohnCoach:AUS Bob Fulton FB 1Jean FrisonLW 2Claude SirventLC 3David FraisseRC 4David DespinRW 5Jean-Marc GarciaSO 6Pierre ChamorinSH 7Patrick Entat (c)PR 8Theo AnastHK 9Patrick TorreillesPR 10Bernard LlongSR 11Patrick AcroueSR 12Ezzedine AttiaLF 14Stephane TenaSubstitutions:IC 13Jean-Marc VincentIC 15Cyril BaudouinIC 16Christophe MartinezIC 17Charles GiorgiCoach:FRA Jean-Christophe Vergeynst In the French team's first test in Australia since 1990 and in what would prove to be Australian captain Mal Meninga's final test in Australia after announcing that he would retire at the end of 1994, the Australian Kangaroos racked up a record winning margin in the first ever test match at Parramatta Stadium (and the first test in Sydney played at a suburban ground rather than a major venue) by defeating the hapless French 58–0. The scoreline could well have been higher (as much as 72–0) had Meninga (5/10) and Tim Brasher (0/2) been more accurate with their goal kicking. Following the disaster of France's 1981 Australasian tour where the standard of the French teams play had dropped alarmingly resulting in poor attendances for the tests at Lang Park in Brisbane and the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Australian Rugby League had ruled that until they improved their game, the Australian team would no longer play tests against the French in the two capital cities. The 1990 test, France's first in Australia since 1981 (following the cancelled 1987 tour) had been played on a freezing night in the New South Wales country town of Parkes in front of a capacity crowd of 12,384 fans at the Pioneer Oval.1990 Australia vs France at Rugby League Project The attendance for that game, and that it was Mal Meninga's last test match in Australia, saw the ARL relax their stance and allow the game to be played in Sydney. Despite the French team not being regarded as a top line international team any more (this was France's 11th loss in a row in all tests since 1992 and their 10th loss in a row to Australia since 1981), the game was played in front of a ground record attendance of 27,318 which as would remain the record attendance for the venue until it was demolished in 2017. This was also the highest attendance for an Australia vs France test since 54,290 attended the 1968 World Cup final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This was the only rugby league test match played in Australia during 1994. At the end of the year the Australian's would embark on their successful 1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France during which they again defeated France 74–0 in Béziers. At the time the 74–0 score was a world record test match victory eclipsing the 58–0 win here in Sydney. Of this test team, only reserve forward Mark Hohn was not selected to the 1994 Kangaroo Tour. France would not play another test against Australia until 2004 while they would not play again in Australia until the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Fiji vs France #eeeeee 9 July 1994 FIJ 20 – 12 FRA Tries: Orisi Cavuilati Ropate Senikuraciri Illiesa Toga Ulaiasi Wainidroa Goals: Noa Nayacaklou (1) Ropate Senikuraciri (1) Try: Christophe Grandjean Claude Sirvent Goals: Pierre Chamorin (1) Patrick Torreilles (1) National Stadium, Suva 5,000 Graham Annesley AUS Fiji vs France _blackborder _bel1415a _whiteborder _hoops_black FFFFFF FFFFFF 000000 000000 FFFFFF Fiji _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 _FranceRL1994 FFFFFF 0000CD FFFFFF 0000FF FF0000 France FB 1Veramu DikidikilatiLW 2Orisi CavuilatiRC 3Livai NalagilagiLC 4Fili SeruRW 5Noa NadrukuFE 6Noa NayacaklouHB 7Ropate SenikuraciriPR 8Voate VasekavuHK 9Mesake SeavulaPR 10James Pickering (c)SR 11Ulaiasi WainidroaSR 12Pio NakubuwaiLK 13Samuela MarayawaSubstitutions:IC 14Illiesa TogaIC 15Jioji VatubuaIC 16Iliesa NakailagiIC 17Kaleveti NaisoroCoach:FIJ Pauliasi Tabulutu FB 1Jean FrisonRW 2Frantz MartialRC 3David DespinLC 4David FraisseLW 5Claude SirventSO 6Pierre ChamorinSH 7Patrick Entat (c)PR 8Bernard LlongHK 9Patrick TorreillesPR 10Theo AnastSR 11Ezzedine AttiaSR 12Christophe GrandjeanLK 13Thierry ValeroSubstitutions:IC 14Stephane TenaIC 15Cyril BaudouinIC 16Charles GiorgiIC 17Pascal BomatiCoach:FRA Jean-Christophe Vergeynst In what was Fiji's first official rugby league test match, they defeated the French team 20–12 at the National Stadium in Fiji's capital city of Suva. Aftermath The French team were in the grip of a 22 match losing streak (which included two drawn tests), not having won a test since defeating Papua New Guinea 28–14 in Carcassonne on 24 November 1991. They would not win another rugby league test match until defeating South Africa 30–17 in Arles on 6 December 1997.France national rugby league team results at Rugby League Project References Category:France national rugby league team tours Category:Rugby league tours of Papua New Guinea Category:Rugby league tours of Australia Category:Australia–France sports relations Category:Fiji–France sports relations Category:France–Papua New Guinea sports relations Rugby league tour of Oceania French rugby league tour of Oceania Fra Category:1994 in Fijian sport FRen