Fire eaters in Dragons Den
Wolves aim to halt bid by Catalans to become first non-English club to win famous trophy
THERE will be fun and games at Wembley today. Sweat will seep through the pores of every Catalans and Warrington player, blood will be spilt and tears will be shed. History beckons the Dragons as they bid to become the first non-English winners of rugby league’s oldest and most famous trophy in its 122-year existence. Aristocratic Warrington are aiming for a fourth Challenge Cup success in 10 seasons and ninth overall. Intriguing sub-plots centre around the dramatic transformation of both teams by rival coaches Steve McNamara and Steve Price. The contest itself is likely to be decided by two monstrous rival forward packs – the biggest sets in Super League. In the semi-finals, Catalans reduced St Helens to so much rubble by simply steamrollering them. Captain Remi Casty, the sole survivor from the Dragons’ Challenge Cup final defeat to St Helens in 2007, Sam Moa, Mickael Simon and Julian Bousquet are huge, hulking men. Their dominance allows former Wigan hooker Michael McIlorum the space to orchestrate affairs and bring Australian playmakers Josh Drinkwater and Samisoni Langi into play.
Warrington can call on England props Chris Hill and Mike Cooper, 37-year-old warhorse Ben Westwood and Tonga wreckingball Ben Murdoch-Masila, who weighs in at almost 19st.
Wolves hooker Daryl Clark has a greater running threat than McIlorum and, should his forwards gain the upper hand, the England man will revel in the wide open spaces of Wembley.
New Zealander Moa said: “The most physical forward pack will win the game and I don’t think Warrington will underestimate us like St Helens did in the semi-final. Chris Hill is a phenomenal player and Ben Westwood is like a fine wine who gets better with age.
“Daryl Clark is in good form and Murdoch-Masila gives them a bit of an X-factor on the edges.
“They’ve got a good full-back and two good halves in Kevin Brown and Tyrone Roberts, so they’re an extremely dangerous side – but so are we.”
French full-back Tony Gigot is an elusive running threat for
Catalans and the same can be said of opposite number Stefan Ratchford for Warrington.
On the wings, the Wolves boast the freescoring Tom Lineham and Josh Charnley, who has thrived since returning to rugby league from Sale Sharks.
The Dragons will line up with Fouad Yaha, a target for French rugby union clubs, and Lewis Tierney, son of cross-code legend Jason Robinson, on their flanks.
Moa said: “Gigot’s in great form for us and our wingers and centres are carrying the ball with real venom. We’ve got some old warhorses in our forward pack too.”
It has to be remembered that Warrington fought relegation last season under Tony Smith and Catalans survived the drop by the skin of their teeth with victory at Leigh in the Million Pound Game.
England international Ratchford said: “If you look at the expectations we have at Warrington and our facilities, we simply have to be pushing for trophies.
“In two of the last three years we’ve not quite delivered on that, but Steve came in and put us through one of the toughest pre-seasons we’ve ever had. It’s showed.”
After the trauma of last year, Catalans endured a disastrous start to this season, a legacy of having over a dozen players in the 2017 World Cup, and McNamara’s position appeared perilous around the Easter period.
But the ex-England coach has presided over a renaissance in the south of France, guiding the Dragons to Super League safety and to the brink of their first piece of silverware.
McNamara said: “I never feared the sack. Our owner, Bernard Guasch, told me earlier this season, ‘Keep doing what you need to do to improve the team. Once you’ve done that, it will be your balls on the line’.
“It was a really supportive message because he understood the changes that needed to be made on and off the field.
“We are nowhere near the finishing line either – we’ve still got a long way to go.” A French victory today would certainly reverberate far and wide.
The most physical forward pack will win it