Paris rely on France for Super League

The bulk of the French national team, plus a cosmopolitan sprinkling of players from elsewhere in the world, are in the Super League squad named by Paris St-Germain.

The French club, upon whose ability to compete much of the credibility of the European Super League rides, have named 25 players, all with clubs in the French domestic competition.

They include the former Hull and Leeds scrum-half, Patrick Entat, their likely captain, as well as three other players with English club experience in Frederic Banquet, Laurent Lucchese and Regis Pastre.

The rest of the squad include a Polish rugby union international, a member of the Moldovan rugby league side and players of Finnish and Moroccan extraction. Paris will kick off the whole Super League season with their match at home to Sheffield Eagles on 29 March.

The holders of the Challenge Cup, Wigan, will continue their quest for a ninth successive trophy with an away tie at Salford in the fifth round.

The amateur club, West Hull, will be at home to the winners of the tie between Carlisle and Wakefield - one of 12 still outstanding from the fourth round. York, beaten by West Hull on Friday night, have put their entire squad on the transfer list in response.

PARIS ST-GERMAIN SQUAD (Super League, March): D Adams (Paris), F Banquet (Wakefield), T Brown (St Esteve), D Cabestany (XIII Catalan), G Cannon (Limoux), P Chamorin (St Esteve), D Coote (Carpentras), D Despin (Villeneuve), F Devecchi (Villeneuve), D Divet (Limoux), P Entat (Avignon), P Fages (Pia), L Herbert (Pia), K Jaavuo (Pia), P Jampy (XIII Catalan), G Kacala (Lyon-Villeurbanne), B Lacombe (Villeneuve), L Luchesse (Carcassonne), R Pastre-Courtine (Villeneuve), J Pech (Pia), M Piscunov (Villefranche), J Sands (Limoux), F Teixido (Limoux), I Turner (XIII Catalan), E Vergniol (Tonneins), B Yaha (Lyon-Villeurbanne).

SILK CUT CHALLENGE CUP Fifth round: Hull K R or Leigh v Bradford or Batley; Salford v Wigan; Dewsbury or London v Workington or Widnes; Rochdale or Thatto Heath v Castleford or St Helens; Whitehaven or Halifax v Sheffield; Oldham or Warrington v Swinton or Leeds; West Hull v Carlisle or Wakefield; Hull or Hunslet v Keighley or Barrow. (Ties to be played on the weekend of 10th/11th February).