Last updated 11:32, Friday, 25 April 2008

LEZIGNAN’S pink jerseys were not the only shocking aspect of the French side in last week’s dismal display at Whitehaven.

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French pastries: Haven’s Saia Makisi gives Lezignan’s powder-puff defence the runaround

It hoped been hoped the French Elite League leaders would produce a competitive display but it was not to be.

Any rival below Super League level would struggle to leave the Recre with a win at present.

But Lezignan were not even remotely competitive. They were not the only French side to fail to fly the flag on Challenge Cup weekend, either.

It took a failed 77th-minute Iestyn Harris conversion attempt to stop Bradford Bulls running up a century of points against Super League aspirants Toulouse.

Harris still finished with 15 goals, a new club record, and the 92-point winning margin equalled their best ever. Pia were demolished 74-4 at Wigan.

Only last season’s Wembley finalists Catalans Dragons earned a last-16 place, with a hard-fought 22-12 success at Featherstone.

Of course, the French had to win through to round four. Pia did it by edging past Gateshead by two points. Toulouse beat Keighley by three, while Lezignan had a great day, beating Sheffield 37-22 at the Don Valley Stadium.

So what went wrong last week? Well, the opposition was stronger, of course.

And as far as Lezignan were concerned, neither Aussie full-back Jared Taylor, scorer of 32 tries this season, nor winger Olivier Janzac, with 26, featured at the Recre. Half-back Nicolas Munoz, who notched a superb hat-trick at Sheffield, also missed out.

It’s going to be difficult to attract many column inches, or spectators, for whoever draws a visiting French team in the cup next season, unless perhaps it’s the Catalans.

Toulouse’s battering at Bradford has surely done nothing for their Super League application for 2009.

Their club chairman this week declared that four or five of Toulouse’s current team, at most, are Super League standard.

That would leave the Frenchmen facing a massive recruitment drive should their application prove successful. I cannot see it.

nPREMIERSHIP football clubs have worked hard to earn their money-grabbing reputation. Thankfully, top-flight RL clubs are made of better stuff.

Hull KR’s gesture to donate their share of gate receipts from last Sunday’s Challenge Cup to opponents Workington Town was fantastic.

Rovers were model professionals – on and off Derwent Park. The match was played in a sporting fashion, with only three late tries from the Super League outfit giving a lop-sided 68-12 scoreline.

Coach Justin Morgan, pictured, again proved a great ambassador for his club and the sport with his positive post-match comments on Town’s performance. He was even heard to say what a beautiful part of the world we live in.

The positive impression created by the Robins even extended to their fans, who were heard to chant for their opponents.

And this week Town received correspondence from a Rovers supporter who, with his family, had made the 445-mile round trip at the weekend.

He wrote: “ The problem is that whenever a Super League team faces one from the National Leagues, the lower team generally resorts to spoiling tactics which turns the game into a non event.

“We were worried that we would have wasted not only a day but nearly £100, not to be entertained but to be frustrated by slowing down the play-the -balls, head-high tackling and general poor quality rugby.

“How wrong we were. All 17 of your players require complementing for their attitude throughout. They not only never gave up but played the game in an ‘old fashioned’ sporting manner. They were a credit to the sport and the reason that people like myself, who appreciate the grass roots, still watch the game even after 50 years.

“The banter between the supporters was great. . .we really miss this in segregated grounds and the fact that so many stayed on after the end of the game to applaud each other, shows that so much is lost with some of the bigger teams.

“Please convey my thanks to the players for a sporting day, the coach for encouraging open rugby and the fans for reminding me that this is how true good natured rugby league banter should be.”

What a class outfit. Rovers for the cup.