Super League’s new frontier takes the next step with first Catalans-Toulouse derby
ARTHUR Mourgue and Fouad Yaha are ready for Super League to add some French fervour in Le Derby – so is Sylvain Houles.
Tonight sees the moment rugby league expansionists have dreamed of – and traditionalists have dreaded.
Catalans Dragons v Toulouse in Perpignan certainly does not sound like something from an M62 sport.
Trek around Perpignan, 800 miles from rugby league’s heartlands, and you cannot escape the build-up, with billboards around the city advertising the historic clash between two French teams.
And those born and brought up across the Channel cannot play down what it means. There is also respect for what Catalans have done for the 13-a-side code in France, putting it on the national scene rather than being locked away in a small corner of the country.
Toulouse boss Houles said: “Having Catalans v Toulouse means a lot. It’s also the first one so we need to make a mark.
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“I’ve spoken with the players about what this match means for both them and us. We need to create a little bit of history – it’s about finding the right balance between playing the game and the occasion.
“The game won’t change but the occasion is a little different. It’s creating something special and we need to have a special day.
“For French rugby league, it’s good to have Catalans in the top two or three teams at the moment. They inspire us and we want to catch them very quickly.
“We want to be the best team in France, that’s why it’s healthy to have them at the top and the talk around Toulouse is huge.”
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Catalans may be the higher-ranked of the two but league and cup losses to St Helens have taught them what it takes to win trophies.
Mourgue said: “Playing Toulouse is a big occasion for us, as well as a big game.
“But after playing St Helens in the Challenge Cup, we maybe need to improve and change our mentality a bit and be more like last year – especially in defence.
“And this is the first opportunity we’ll have to improve on what went wrong against St Helens.”
Team-mate Ben Jullien added: “Having two French teams in Super League is huge for rugby league in France.
“This will be a big game as Toulouse have improved a lot recently but we also know a lot about their French players, they’re good and we expect them to have big performances.”
It would not be a French rugby match if it did not have a maverick player, step forward Tony Gigot.
A Lance Todd Trophy winner as Catalans won the Challenge Cup in 2018, he is now the man who can torment the Dragons.
Even winger Yaha – approaching the record for being Catalans’ record try scorer – concedes he can be a threat, telling SunSport: “Tony’s a very skilful player and is hard to predict what he’ll do with the ball.
“He can create danger at any moment in the game and can conjure something from nothing.
“This match is a big opportunity for French rugby league. The country’s produced some elite players and to have two teams in Super League allows more to play at the highest level.”