WHOLE NEW BOULE GAME
Leeds stars’ French connection
PLAYING petanque with Leeds United players is not Leeds Rhinos prop Mickael Goudemand’s usual preparation for a “big fight” against Catalans.
But the tough France forward can turn his hand – literally – to anything.
He and Rhinos team-mate Justin Sangare met up with their fellow countrymen Giorginio Rutter and Illan Meslier at United’s training ground on Thursday.
A press opportunity around their French connection in the city led to them facing each other in the traditional boules game – and not surprisingly things got competitive.
The Rhinos duo edged a 5-4 thriller and Goudemand admitted: “I come from the south of France so, honestly, I’d have been very angry if I’d lost.
“Petanque is big there. I used to play after school every day with my father. But it was very funny taking on those two boys.
“I used to watch them on the TV back home when they signed for United.
“And now for me to be in Leeds and know there’s two French players leading the way in football so close by, it’s good.”
While keeper Meslier and star striker Rutter, both France Under-21s internationals, bid to take United a step closer to Premier League promotion at Huddersfield this lunchtime, Rhinos host Catalans a couple of hours later.
Predictably, Goudemand has had his eye on the Headingley fixture ever since swapping clubs in the off-season.
He played 99 games for the Dragons, winning a Challenge Cup and reaching two Grand Finals in the last three years.
The 27-year-old is expecting his fearsome former pack colleagues to fire into him today. But who’s the most likely to try and knock him off his feet?
He smiled: “I think everyone. I’ve spoken a lot with Justin Sangare and I’ve said I’m sure they’ll want to smash us both.
“But at the same time we both want to smash them. There’s going to be a big fight!
“When I saw the calendar I looked at when we’d be playing the Dragons. For me it will be a bit weird because I played six years in Perpignan.
“But I am happy. I’m a bit anxious. But I am very happy.”
And did the United boys know anything about rugby league?
Goudemand said: “They follow a team near where they are from in Brittany. But it’s union – so we were explaining the rules to them!”
United’s Elland Road stages Magic Weekend on August 17-18 and Goudem-and hopes to follow the football theme by getting back to Old Trafford and finally winning a Grand Final.
Catalans lost to Wigan in October but he said: “Leeds have a very strong squad and now I just want to win trophies.
“I’m sure with the squad we have we can get one.”