Saturday 18th January at 16:30 sees four long, hard, Rugby-less months finally come to an end as the 2020 season kicks-off for both the Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique in a friendly at the Stade Albert Domec de Carcassonne. One thing is for sure, whilst Rugby League fans have been waiting patiently, it’s been a gruelling twelve weeks of pre-season for the players, and Head Coaches, Steve McNamara and Sylvain Houles will be looking to put into practice what they’ve spent the winter working on.

It may well be a friendly, but the match certainly won’t be a walk in the park for the Dragons, as they attempt to take down their ever-hungry, and ever-dangerous neighbours to the North: Toulouse Olympique. Both teams will be looking to start the season with a bang!

The Opposition

Toulouse Olympique are famous for their attacking mindset, bringing some substantial offensive firepower to each and every outing. Speaking last week following a training session at Stade Gilbert Brutus, Steve McNamara stressed the importance of a solid defence, 

“That’s what wins games. It’s ok scoring points at the other end but if you can’t defend your try-line you’re in trouble.”

Toulouse will be starting the season with something to prove, after coming close to reaching the Super League last season before falling to eventual winners Toronto Wolfpack. Nevertheless, they proved that they are a team of the highest quality, and are not to be under-estimated.

Despite coming off one of their best ever seasons, Houles and Toulouse they sought to strengthen their roster over the off-season. Whilst the club remains dedicated to its academy, Houles has brought in a few outside specialists who may be able to bring the experience that Toulouse were missing in the playoffs. Not many people know more about winning than New Zealand’s Harrison Hansen, who won two Super League Grand Finals and two Challenge Cups with Wigan Warriors. Houles is hoping this Kiwi may be the key to going all the way this year.

For the players, it’ll be the 2^nd time seeing each other in as many weeks. The Dragons have already had a good look at their opposition in a shared, opposed training session last Friday - A light-hearted affair, but beneath the laughs the inherent competitiveness inside both teams shone through, knowing they’d be running it back for real just a week later.

History

This Saturday won’t be the first meeting between the Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique, and with Toulouse chasing promotion, it may very well not be the last...

2010: Toulouse 22 - 46 Dragons

2011: Toulouse 0 - 24 Dragons

2017: Toulouse 22 - 6 Dragons

2019: Dragons: 22 - 18 Toulouse 

Looking at the form, Catalans Dragons may feel they have the edge going into Saturday’s match-up, with 3 wins in 4 meetings between the teams - but Steve McNamara will never allow his boys to become complacent, even in a so-called friendly game. The real story here is in the numbers, and the improvement made over the last decade for Toulouse has been incredible. Who knows how high their ceiling will be in the 2020s!

These two great teams have a proud shared history, with quite a few players representing both clubs over the years including:

William Barthau
Andrew Bentley
Kane Bentley
Jodie Broughton
Jordan Dezaria
Vincent Duport
Kevin Larroyer
Antoni Maria
Ugo Perez
Sébastien Raguin
Stan Robin
Arthur Romano
Paul Séguier 

The Coach

Sylvain Houles made his debut for XIII Catalan in 1999 (before they would later go on to become the Catalans Dragons) and made a name for himself in England as a versatile player, capable of performing in the winger, centre, and loose-forward roles. In that time, Houles caught the attention of the French international team, and went on to represent his country for six years. After five years in the United Kingdown, Houles returned to France and finished his playing career at Toulouse Olympique, before eventually becoming their Head Coach in 2013.

Whether as a player or a coach, Houles has continued to push his team, and has willed them to making tangible improvements year on year since taking over. He has fully won the respect and admiration from his club and players, and has his sights firmly set on the Super League.

Houlès is known for an attacking mentality, so Houles’ boys will pose the perfect test for Catalans, who will be looking to test themselves and make sure their defence is locked and loaded.

Key Players

Toulouse Olympique is a well-balanced team, and is full of players who can take over a game if given the chance. Let’s look at just a few of the players Steve McNamara will want to keep an eye on…

Johnathon Ford

The Aussie-born powerhouse is a tough match-up for any team and will certainly give Steve McNamara and the Dragons a lot to think about. A cool, calm, and collected presence for the fiery Olympique line-up, Ford’s biggest strength is his vision, which seems to always put him in the right place at the right time.

Mark Kheirallah

There’s a reason he’s known as “The Killer.” Kheirallah is another top player to have cut his teeth in the NRL before returning to France, where he continued to develop his game year on year and wreak havoc on the league. He solidified himself as a fan-favourite, for his man of the match performance in the Lord Derby Cup final victory over AS Carcassonne, where he scored three tries as well as six goals! This sustained run of form eventually attracted the attention of the French International team. Houles’ is not short of weapons in his offensive arsenal, and the Dragon’s defence will need to be on full alert to stop The Killer from catching fire. 

Paul Marcon

An agile winger who cuts glides through unwary defences like a knife through butter. The 24 year old came a long way last season, giving Coach Sylvain Houles no choice but to sign him to a new deal and keep him in blue for as long as possible. Scoring 11 tries in 22 games last season, Macron is always a threat to goal-lines. Being called up to the French International team for the Nines World Cup will have done wonders for his confidence, and it’ll be exciting to see if he can continue to take his game to new heights this season. 

Harry Dennis - Twitter : @hazdennis