By Dave Woods, BBC Sport

The acquisition of Jones is a major coup for the French

The second French Super League experiment cannot afford to fail - and all the signs are that it won't.

The ill-conceived disaster that was Paris St Germain in the first couple of years of the new summer era has left a stain on the game's reputation, especially in France.

But the latest attempt to give credibility to the Super League Europe name stands a much better chance of success.

Les Catalans will be everything Paris wasn't.

For a start, they have been given time to prepare for the task ahead, rather than thrown in at the deep end with little idea of what they're up against.

The careful planning of coach Steve Deakin and director of football David Waite means they will hit the ground running.

Secondly, they are a French team, run by the French, supported by the French and made up mostly of some of the best young indigenous talent knock around.

Supplemented by hand-picked overseas stars, such as Stacey Jones, their aim is not merely to survive but to make the play-offs in the first or second season.

And that doesn't look like an unrealistic target.

By the way, anyone who thinks that Les Catalans are coming in at the expense of a club from the so-called heartland of rugby league needs to take off the blinkers.

If rugby league wants a truly international feel, the French connection is a key component

Perpignan IS the heartland of rugby league.

When a handful of journalists turned up at the St Esteve ground to see for ourselves, we found hundreds of young French kids playing rugby league.

We found administrators and politicians with a passion for rugby league.

A successful, well-nurtured side in Perpignan could be just the start of things to come.

If rugby league wants a truly international feel, the French connection is a key component.

And so far, Les Catalans - the new name for UTC - have done everything right.

Two of the biggest clubs in the region - St Esteve and Perpignan - have merged to create a powerful force, realising they couldn't make Super League on their own.

With patience and hard work, they have got themselves ready for the rigours of Super League.

Financially, they are sound. They are only budgeting for crowds of 5,000 but expect to get more.

But even if the turnstiles don't click as quickly as they hope, support from local government and sponsors will make them one of the most financially secure clubs in the league.

A trip to Perpignan for an annual game will top the list of many British fans

And they will add something very different, nay exotic, to the Super League fixture list.

Surrounded by some of the most entrancing scenery and picture-postcard locations, a trip to Perpignan for an annual game will top the list of many British fans who have been underwhelmed by the environs of some of our existing clubs.

At the heart of this is the passion of the Catalans - a race apart in both France and Spain.

To call the club Les Catalans will immediately draw empathy from all those in that region of France and parts of northern Spain who consider themselves Catalonians first, French and Spanish second.

The works of the Vichy Government in effectively out-lawing rugby league in the second world war is still a vibrant memory in that part of the world.

Rugby league to them is a metaphor for the fight against fascism, a symbol of how they can overcome the odds.

The signs are they will succeed and bring Super League rugby to an intrigued new audience.