VIVE LA FRANCE
Dragons skipper says Cup win can fire game’s renaissance
ReMI CASTy captained Catalans Dragons to history — and then vowed to make some more. The French club on Saturday became the first from outside england to lift the Challenge Cup amid emotional scenes after a gruelling contest with Warrington at Wembley. Tears and tickertape followed what was the greatest day for a sport that has endured a long and painful history in France.
And proud Casty, at times stopping to clear his throat, believes that the impact of Catalans stunning victory must not be wasted. ‘We have to surf on this wave,’ he said. ‘ It’s an opportunity we cannot miss.’
Casty’s fired- up Dragons, coached by former england boss Steve McNamara, grabbed the lead in the second minute of the game and defended valiantly to protect it until the final hooter.
Tries from Lewis Tierney — son of league and union legend Jason Robinson — Ben Garcia and Brayden Wiliame and four goals from Josh Drinkwater put Dragons 20- 6 up, with four pointers from Ben MurdochMasila and George King and three Tyrone Roberts conversions not enough to keep the trophy on these shores.
Today, the silverware will be paraded around Perpignan, but Casty is already looking for the after-party. ‘It’s important to build on it, to keep going, to keep growing and to be in contention for the Challenge Cup and Super League every year,’ he said.
‘ We have to progress. For French rugby league it’s a huge opportunity.’
The game has seen plenty of false dawns in a country where football and rugby union dominate the headlines.
Following its introduction in the 1930s, ‘ rugby a treize’ initially became incredibly popular in France. However, after the German invasion in the Second World War, union-loving Nazi sympathisers from the Vichy government banned the sport in 1940.
There was a revival after the war, but a failure to grasp the opportunities presented by television was one of a number of instances of self-inflicted harm