Following a significant 78-4 defeat to Samoa in the Men's Rugby League World Cup, France head coach Laurent Frayssinous addressed the performance gap between the two sides. Frayssinous pointed to the structural differences between the Australian-based National Rugby League (NRL) and the European Super League as a critical factor in the lopsided result.

According to Frayssinous, the intensity and quality of competition found in the NRL provide players with a level of experience that is difficult to replicate within the Super League framework. By highlighting this disparity, the coach suggested that the result was not merely a reflection of individual player effort on the day, but rather a symptom of broader systemic differences in how the sport is played and developed at the elite level. While the scoreline was historically one-sided, the focus of the post-match commentary from the French camp remained on the long-term challenges of bridging the gap between the two competitions rather than specific tactical errors made during the match itself.