Catalans Dragons
Encyclopedia
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league
club based in Perpignan
, Pyrénées-Orientales
. They currently play in the Super League
, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom
. The Dragons play their home games at Stade Gilbert Brutus
.
The club was formed in 2000 by a merger of XIII Catalan
and AS Saint Estève
into Union Treiziste Catalane (UTC). They won the 2005 French Rugby League Championship
and the Lord Derby Cup
in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, they were granted a Super League license, taking the name Catalans Dragons. UTC continues to compete in the French Championship's Elite One Championship
as a feeder club for the Dragons.
, Pyrénées-Orientales
, in France's Països Catalans region: XIII Catalan
and close neighbours AS Saint Estève
. The merged venture took the name Union Treiziste Catalane, often abbreviated to UTC.
XIII Catalan were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French Championship. During their run they won eleven French Championships as well as eleven Lord Derby Cup
s. AS Saint Estève were founded in 1965. They won six championships and four Lord Derby Cups. There were two other clubs in the twelve-team competition in the Pyrénées-Orientales area, Pia XIII
and Saint-Cyprien. In 2002 Saint-Cyprien joined the merged UTC side. UTC proved successful, winning the 2005 French Championship and the 2004 and 2005 Lord Derby Cup
s.
In 2005 UTC applied to join the UK-based Super League
, the highest tier of professional rugby league in Europe. They were selected ahead of Toulouse Olympique
and Villeneuve Leopards to enter the league for the 2006 season
. The franchise was named Catalans Dragons, with UTC remaining in the French Championship to serve as a reserve club.
The club set its target that 75% of the players will be qualified to play for France
. This is not be the first time that a French side has played in the Super League, though the first attempt, Paris Saint-Germain, lasted only two seasons. Part of Paris' problem was that both codes of rugby
have their stronghold in the south of France, while the north of France is more soccer friendly. Another problem was that their players were on loan from French league clubs and had to play for their own clubs as well, training in the south before undertaking the long journey to Paris or England for matches.
To ensure that Catalans Dragons had the best French players available to them the French rugby league decided that they could sign players from other French clubs without paying a transfer fee. They were also been promised that they will not be relegated from the Super League for three years even if they finish bottom. Many believe that Catalans Dragons will be joined by other French clubs in the Super League though the whole idea of expanding into France is not without its critics. Catalans Dragons won their first ever Super League match 38-30 against Wigan Warriors
on Saturday 11 February 2006 at Stade Aimé Giral
. The club encountered a predictable steep learning curve in their first season in Super League with many of the less experienced French players running out of steam towards the end of a gruelling, injury marred campaign. A particular loss was that of key playmaker and Captain Stacey Jones who missed much of the season with a broken arm. They eventually finished bottom of the table, but due to their 3-year exemption from relegation remained in Super League.
2007 saw strong recruitment by new coach Mick Potter with a string of high-profile signings from Australia including Clint Greenshields, Casey McGuire, Jason Croker and Aaron Gorrell, all seasoned NRL campaigners. Gorrell, a goalkicking hooker, in particular impressed in the first month but unfortunately sustained a bad knee injury in February's win over Leeds and missed the rest of the season. On 10 March 2007 it was announced Newcastle Knights hooker Luke Quigley
would cover Gorrell's absence for the remainder of the campaign but a number of players sustained injuries throughout the campaign. Young stars Dimitri Pelo and Vincent Duport in the backs impressed, and show real promise for the future and for young talent in France in general. Recent addition to the fold at the Catalan Dragons is former Canberra Raiders, Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels Halfback Andrew McFadden who is now their Assistant Coach. Andrew said upon signing with the Dragons that he was doing it for his cousin, former prop Joe McCarthy, who was his "shining light".
On 29 July 2007, the Dragons became the first French
side and first non-English side to reach the final of the Challenge Cup
after beating Wigan Warriors
37-24 in the semi final. Catalans lost the 2007 Challenge Cup Final
with St Helens at Wembley Stadium
on 25 August 2007. They also managed to finish the 2007 season
off the bottom of the table, ending the season in a respectable 10th place.
In 2008
, the Dragons secured their first play-off berth, finishing third on the league ladder largely on the back of a ferocious forward pack. They smashed Warrington
46–8 in their first-ever play-off match on 13 September in Perpignan, but on 20 September saw Wigan
blow open what had been a close game in the second half of their elimination semifinal, with Wigan ultimately winning 50–26.
Coach Mick Potter left the Dragons at the end of the 2008 season to replace Daniel Anderson at St Helens. He has been replaced by fellow Australian Kevin Walters
. Recruitment for 2009 has been the most exciting to date of the Super League clubs and includes Stephen Bell and Kangaroo Jason Ryles, replacing the retiring John 'Sargeant' Wilson and Alex 'Super' Chan. The Dragon also recruited Greg Bird
who was due to sign with the Bradford Bulls
after his visa got refused by the UK authorities.
In 2009, the club was involved in two historic milestones for the sport of rugby league in Europe. During their match away to the Welsh
club Crusaders on 23 May, the two clubs played the first European Super League match to not feature an English
team. History was also created on 20 June when the club played in the first Super League game ever to be played in Spain, at Barcelona
's Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
, the venue for the 1992 Summer Olympics
, against the Warrington Wolves
. The Dragons led 10–6 at half-time, but Warrington finished as the winners 12–24. The purpose of the latter fixture was to promote the sport in Catalonia
, with around one thousand tickets being sold in the local area, and the game itself being televised on the Catalan channel El 33. Immediately after the game, Walters commented that the event to Spain could possibly become an annual one, apparently complimenting comments made by the club's general manager about using a new high-speed link
between Perpignan and Spain, which was due to commence running some time in the two years after.
{| class="wikitable" width="65%" style="font-size:90%"
{| width=95%
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!width=5%|Nat
!width=30%|Name
!width=30%|Moved From
!width=15%|Contract Length
!width=30%|Date
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Louie Anderson
!width=30%|Warrington Wolves
!width=15%|3 Years
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Damien Cardace
!width=30%|FC Lezignan
!width=15%|1 Year
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Julien Bousquet
!width=30%|FC Lezignan
!width=15%|1 Year
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Leon Pryce
!width=30%|St Helens
!width=15%|3 Years
!width=30%|August 2011
|}
Outs
{| class="wikitable" width="65%" style="font-size:90%"
{| width=95%
|- bgcolor=#FF0000
!width=5%|Nat
!width=30%|Name
!width=30%|Moved To
!width=15%|Contract Length
!width=30%|Date
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Ben Farrar
!width=30%|Manly Sea Eagles
!width=15%|
!width=30%|August 2011
|}
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club based in Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
. They currently play in the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Dragons play their home games at Stade Gilbert Brutus
Stade Gilbert Brutus
Stade Gilbert Brutus is a rugby league stadium located in Perpignan, in the south of France. Even though the stadium currently has around 9,000 seats installed, it can accommodate around 1,000 fans more due to standing room...
.
The club was formed in 2000 by a merger of XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship...
and AS Saint Estève
AS Saint Estève
AS Saint Estève were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1965...
into Union Treiziste Catalane (UTC). They won the 2005 French Rugby League Championship
French rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
and the Lord Derby Cup
Lord Derby Cup
The Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, they were granted a Super League license, taking the name Catalans Dragons. UTC continues to compete in the French Championship's Elite One Championship
Elite One Championship
The Elite One Championship is the top tier French professional domestic rugby league competition....
as a feeder club for the Dragons.
History
The club was founded in 2000 following the merger of two successful teams based in PerpignanPerpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
, in France's Països Catalans region: XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship...
and close neighbours AS Saint Estève
AS Saint Estève
AS Saint Estève were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1965...
. The merged venture took the name Union Treiziste Catalane, often abbreviated to UTC.
XIII Catalan were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French Championship. During their run they won eleven French Championships as well as eleven Lord Derby Cup
Lord Derby Cup
The Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
s. AS Saint Estève were founded in 1965. They won six championships and four Lord Derby Cups. There were two other clubs in the twelve-team competition in the Pyrénées-Orientales area, Pia XIII
Pia XIII
Salanque Méditerranée Pia XIII or SM Pia XIII are a French professional rugby league team from Pia in the Pyrénées-Orientales département. The club was formed in 1960 and now plays in the Elite Championship, the highest tier of French domestic rugby league....
and Saint-Cyprien. In 2002 Saint-Cyprien joined the merged UTC side. UTC proved successful, winning the 2005 French Championship and the 2004 and 2005 Lord Derby Cup
Lord Derby Cup
The Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
s.
In 2005 UTC applied to join the UK-based Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
, the highest tier of professional rugby league in Europe. They were selected ahead of Toulouse Olympique
Toulouse Olympique
Toulouse Olympique are a French professional rugby league team from Toulouse, in the southwest of France. They were founded on 22 October, in 1937 two years after the founding of the French Rugby League Federation. Between 1995 and 2002 the club were known as Spacers de Toulouse, due to links with...
and Villeneuve Leopards to enter the league for the 2006 season
Super League XI
Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X....
. The franchise was named Catalans Dragons, with UTC remaining in the French Championship to serve as a reserve club.
The club set its target that 75% of the players will be qualified to play for France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
. This is not be the first time that a French side has played in the Super League, though the first attempt, Paris Saint-Germain, lasted only two seasons. Part of Paris' problem was that both codes of rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
have their stronghold in the south of France, while the north of France is more soccer friendly. Another problem was that their players were on loan from French league clubs and had to play for their own clubs as well, training in the south before undertaking the long journey to Paris or England for matches.
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
on Saturday 11 February 2006 at Stade Aimé Giral
Stade Aimé Giral
Stade Aimé Giral is a multi-purpose stadium in Perpignan, France. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of USA Perpignan...
. The club encountered a predictable steep learning curve in their first season in Super League with many of the less experienced French players running out of steam towards the end of a gruelling, injury marred campaign. A particular loss was that of key playmaker and Captain Stacey Jones who missed much of the season with a broken arm. They eventually finished bottom of the table, but due to their 3-year exemption from relegation remained in Super League.
2007 saw strong recruitment by new coach Mick Potter with a string of high-profile signings from Australia including Clint Greenshields, Casey McGuire, Jason Croker and Aaron Gorrell, all seasoned NRL campaigners. Gorrell, a goalkicking hooker, in particular impressed in the first month but unfortunately sustained a bad knee injury in February's win over Leeds and missed the rest of the season. On 10 March 2007 it was announced Newcastle Knights hooker Luke Quigley
Luke Quigley
Luke Quigley was an Australian rugby league reserve grade player who has previously played five seasons for the Newcastle Knights 2nd division team...
would cover Gorrell's absence for the remainder of the campaign but a number of players sustained injuries throughout the campaign. Young stars Dimitri Pelo and Vincent Duport in the backs impressed, and show real promise for the future and for young talent in France in general. Recent addition to the fold at the Catalan Dragons is former Canberra Raiders, Melbourne Storm and Parramatta Eels Halfback Andrew McFadden who is now their Assistant Coach. Andrew said upon signing with the Dragons that he was doing it for his cousin, former prop Joe McCarthy, who was his "shining light".
On 29 July 2007, the Dragons became the first French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
side and first non-English side to reach the final of the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
after beating Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
37-24 in the semi final. Catalans lost the 2007 Challenge Cup Final
2007 Challenge Cup Final
The 2007 Carnegie Challenge Cup featured teams from across Europe including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. The final was played by the holders St Helens and Catalans Dragons at the new Wembley Stadium on the 25 August 2007. The Dragons were the first French club ever to take part in...
with St Helens at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on 25 August 2007. They also managed to finish the 2007 season
Super League XII
Engage Super League XII is the official name for the year 2007's Super League season in the sport of rugby league.The 2007 season kicked off on the weekend of 2 February 2007 at the Galpharm Stadium. For the first time, the league had a staggered start due to the World Club Challenge between St...
off the bottom of the table, ending the season in a respectable 10th place.
In 2008
Super League XIII
Engage Super League XIII was the official name, due to sponsorship, for the 2008 Super League season by Engage Mutual. Twelve teams competed for the Minor Premiership over 27 rounds after which, the top 6 finishing teams entered the play-offs where they competed for a place in the Grand Final and...
, the Dragons secured their first play-off berth, finishing third on the league ladder largely on the back of a ferocious forward pack. They smashed Warrington
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
46–8 in their first-ever play-off match on 13 September in Perpignan, but on 20 September saw Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
blow open what had been a close game in the second half of their elimination semifinal, with Wigan ultimately winning 50–26.
Coach Mick Potter left the Dragons at the end of the 2008 season to replace Daniel Anderson at St Helens. He has been replaced by fellow Australian Kevin Walters
Kevin Walters
Kevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
. Recruitment for 2009 has been the most exciting to date of the Super League clubs and includes Stephen Bell and Kangaroo Jason Ryles, replacing the retiring John 'Sargeant' Wilson and Alex 'Super' Chan. The Dragon also recruited Greg Bird
Greg Bird
Gregory Bird is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently contracted to the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
who was due to sign with the Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
after his visa got refused by the UK authorities.
In 2009, the club was involved in two historic milestones for the sport of rugby league in Europe. During their match away to the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
club Crusaders on 23 May, the two clubs played the first European Super League match to not feature an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
team. History was also created on 20 June when the club played in the first Super League game ever to be played in Spain, at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city , it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics...
, the venue for the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, against the Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
. The Dragons led 10–6 at half-time, but Warrington finished as the winners 12–24. The purpose of the latter fixture was to promote the sport in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, with around one thousand tickets being sold in the local area, and the game itself being televised on the Catalan channel El 33. Immediately after the game, Walters commented that the event to Spain could possibly become an annual one, apparently complimenting comments made by the club's general manager about using a new high-speed link
LGV Perpignan-Figueres
The LGV Perpignan–Figueres is an international high-speed rail line between France and Spain. The line connects two cities on opposite sides of the border, Perpignan in Roussillon, France, and Figueres in Catalonia, Spain. It consists of a line which crosses the French–Spanish border via the ...
between Perpignan and Spain, which was due to commence running some time in the two years after.
2012 Squad
2012 Transfers
Ins{| class="wikitable" width="65%" style="font-size:90%"
{| width=95%
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|Nat
!width=30%|Name
!width=30%|Moved From
!width=15%|Contract Length
!width=30%|Date
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson
Louie Perry Anderson is an American stand-up comedian. Anderson created the cartoon series Life with Louie, has written three books, and was the initial host of the second revival of the game show Family Feud, from 1999 to 2002....
!width=30%|Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
!width=15%|3 Years
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Damien Cardace
!width=30%|FC Lezignan
!width=15%|1 Year
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Julien Bousquet
!width=30%|FC Lezignan
!width=15%|1 Year
!width=30%|July 2011
|-
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Leon Pryce
Leon Pryce
Leon Pryce is an English professional rugby league footballer of Jamaican descent for the St. Helens club of Super League...
!width=30%|St Helens
!width=15%|3 Years
!width=30%|August 2011
|}
Outs
{| class="wikitable" width="65%" style="font-size:90%"
{| width=95%
|- bgcolor=#FF0000
!width=5%|Nat
!width=30%|Name
!width=30%|Moved To
!width=15%|Contract Length
!width=30%|Date
|- bgcolor=#FFFFFF
!width=5%|
!width=30%|Ben Farrar
Ben Farrar
Ben Farrar is an Australian professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League competition....
!width=30%|Manly Sea Eagles
!width=15%|
!width=30%|August 2011
|}
Honours
- French ChampionshipFrench rugby league championshipThe French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
: 1
-
- 2005
- Lord Derby CupLord Derby CupThe Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
: 2
- Lord Derby Cup
- 2004-04, 2004-05
- 2005