France to play Serbia in May

France are set to meet Serbia in an international match in Saint-Esteve on May, with the team consisting of the best players from the Elite League and the French academies.

The French had been scheduled to play against South Africa in Albi, will now play the Serbs instead, on May 22.

“For the concerns of national contingencies, South Africa has been able to implement the planned tour in Europe in May,” said Carlos Zalduendo, the president of the FFR XIII.

“Therefore, the match scheduled at Albi between France and South Africa, on May 23, will not take place.

“However, we are committed to offering international games for the France team, and for our fans, which is why a match has been arranged for Friday, May 22 at 19.30 in Saint-Esteve, against Serbia.

“According to the international ranking, Serbs, the winners of the 2014 edition of the European Championship B, are sitting just behind Papua New Guinea and Italy.

2Our Bleus will therefore have a strong opposition, providing a good show for spectators, who I hope will be out in good numbers to support our French team.”

The game takes place on the same weekend as Catalans Dragons play Wigan in Perpignan, and the FFR13 is hoping for the games to be the focal point of a real fesitval of rugby league.