I was happy to do a quick season preview for the St Helens website Redvee.net
I managed to get through it without mentioning Scott Dureau's kick from the touchline :)
Click here to read the full piece.
Thursday, 25 March 2021
Monday, 22 March 2021
St Gaudens 20-49 St Esteve
St Gaudens (6) 20
T : Wall, Moliner, Marty
G : Chanet (4)
St-Estève XIII Catalan (12) 40
T : Cozza (3), Le Cam, Llong, Carré, Payrou
G : Brochon (6)
A hat-trick from Mathieu Cozza was enough to get the win in this road game with St Gaudens.
The win keeps us 2nd in in the table hot on the heels of Carcassonne 1 point behind.
Super League confirm French broadcast deal
Super League is pleased to confirm that a broadcast arrangement has been agreed with the premium sports network, beIN SPORTS, for Catalans Dragons home and away Betfred Super League matches in 2021.
The arrangement between Sky Sports, the Dragons, and the French broadcaster will initially see the first five Dragons home games being aired live on beIN SPORTS network in France, with Sky Sports also showing the matches live throughout the UK.
The first match to be broadcast from Perpignan sees the Dragons take on the Salford Red Devils on Saturday April 17 (kick-off, 1800 CET / 1700 BST), followed by televised home fixtures against Warrington Wolves, St Helens, Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos. The Dragons matches in Round 1 and 2, which will be televised by Sky Sports in the UK, will also be shown via beIN Sports in France.
Catalans Dragons Chairman, Bernard Guasch, said: “I would like to thank our broadcast partner Sky Sports for understanding the need to broadcast the competition, and in particular our club, on a French channel.
"The return of beIN SPORTS is excellent news for our fans and sponsors, who will be able to follow our games in France and England during this difficult period, regardless of the protocols in the stadiums. Media exposure was an essential subject for our sponsors and I believe that we have met their expectations with this agreement.
"It will be a significant financial investment for the club, but the end justifies the means. I would like to thank all the people involved in this negotiation, in Perpignan, Paris, London and Manchester.”
Friday, 19 March 2021
Love Rugby League interview Luc Lacoste
French rugby league is enjoying something of a renaissance in these unusual times, and the French Federation’s new president, Luc Lacoste, is determined to build on the momentum.
Wednesday, 17 March 2021
Catalans Dragons 40-28 Toulouse
Catalans Dragons (10) 40
T : Josh Drinkwater, Fouad Yaha 3, Matt Whitley, Julian Bousquet, Mickael Goudemand
G : James Maloney 6
Toulouse Olympique (24) 28
T : Mark Kheirallah 3, Mitch Garbutt, Hugo Pezet
G : Mark Kheirallah 4
A sketchy performance by Dragons saw a second half comeback needed to beat spirited TOxiii at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.
With both sides inexplicably lining up in white kits it was perhaps no surprise to see patchy play early on.
But the ease with which the visitors broke the Dragons line will be a cause of concern for the coaching staff.
Thankfully we got on top in the second half and were able to put a bit more distance between the sides that the play actually deserved.
Thursday, 11 March 2021
Catalans Dragons 50-18 Elite 1 Selection
For all the talk this winter about the strength of the domestic league in France coming on leaps and bounds, the Catalans put them in their place with a comprehensive win.
Catalans Dragons (28) 50
T : Tom Davies 2, Paul Séguier, Sam Tomkins, Mike McMeeken, Robin Brochon, Jordan Dezaria, Romain Franco, Corentin Le Cam
G : James Maloney 4, Arthur Mourgue 3
Sélection Elite 1 (6) 18
T : Lucas Albert, Nitim Pedrero, Tristan Dupuy
G : Lucas Albert 3
It wasn't just the first half top 13 players who bagged the points. The Dracs own Elite 1 players such as Robin Brochon, Romain Franco (long time touted by this website) and Corentin Le Cam also crossed the whitewash.
My feeling is that Toulouse will be a better indicator of how our season will go when we meet them this weekend, live on the clubs Youtube channel.
Friday, 5 March 2021
Thursday, 4 March 2021
Tuesday, 2 March 2021
St Esteve 24 - 28 Carcassonne
St-Estève XIII Catalan (6) 24
T : Flovie 2, Goffin, Dezaria
G : Brochon 4
Carcassonne (16) 28
T : Gambaro, A. Escamilla 2, Herréro, A. Albérola
G : Herréro 4
The Catalans 7 match winning run came to an end late on against another of Elite 1's big guns in Carcassonne.
After a spectacular run of wins that took them to the summit this loss saw them replaced by their vanquishers.
The play off positions look quite tight now, especially the last of the 4 slots with Avignon battling Limuox and Villeneuve.
Table reproduced from Treize Mondial Full table click here.
At the foot of the league Palau finally got off the mark for 2020/2021 beating Toulouse.
We are delighted for our second favourite team !!
First team back in training
After being in a lockdown longer than their English Superleague counterparts the Dragons are finally back in collective training ahead of their first pre-season match this weekend.
A game that due to soccer has been moved from Gilbert Brutus to USAP's Aime Giral Stadium.
Here is a video of the session and a glimpse of new training kit ! hooray!