Halfway between the feat of the semi-final won last Friday against the Saints (12-6 at home) and this weekend’s final at Old Trafford, captain Benjamin Garcia is impressively calm in the the bowels of the Gilbert Brutus stadium in Perpignan where he gave a press conference. The Catalan rugby union club Dragons is playing the Superleague final this Saturday evening at the Manchester stadium.
“We are no longer in the emotion of this victory in the semi-final. We watched then rewatched the semi-final of Wigan, our opponent this Saturday. We are aware of the importance of the physical challenge that we will have to take on. But we draw on the experience of the final lost in 2021 by two points,” confides Benjamin Garcia.
“Now we know the Manchester stadium and the very particular context. We have already experienced it. Including the fact that the officials forgot to give us the finalist medals. The whole group, I mean, the whole group and not just the 17 players, is in this total motivation. When Sam Thomkins planted the winning try on Friday night, everyone jumped on him, including those who weren’t playing,” continues Benjamin Garcia, who is counting on the newfound discipline of his teammates with only two penalties conceded against the Saints of St. Helens, near Liverpool.
“We are ready, clearly, we are really ready to play this final and win it,” adds Steve Mac Namara, the English coach of the Dragons who intends to use the valuable information from the lost match. And the sinking of his home team against Wigan last September (0-34). “I’m doing this career to experience this, these moments, this final at Old Trafford. I’m not worried about playing in this stadium. On several occasions, I attended finals with my grandfather and my mother when I was a child and young supporter of the Leeds Rhinos” says Tom Johnstone, English winger of Scottish origin for the Catalan Dragons of Perpignan, top scorer of the regular season, with 27 tries.
While the players have entered their bubble of serenity and preparation, first in Perpignan then, since Thursday, in England, the Catalan country is in absolute meltdown. “We doubted the supporters’ ability to mobilize to cross the Channel, given the very short deadline, one week, and the price of plane tickets. But there will undoubtedly be more than 5,300 Catalans at Old Trafford. It’s something we’ve never experienced,” exclaims Olivier Gondrand, president of the Regional Association of Catalan Dragons, which brings together all the penyas.
He and his partner had to pay €1,600 for plane tickets, plus airport parking, food and drinks. “Our friends decided to also take their little daughter Lilou, herself passionate about this fantastic adventure of the Catalan Dragons. And, for them, it’s an air budget of €2,400…” he continues.
For those who don’t fly, there are multiple opportunities: in Perpignan, a giant screen in the fan zone on Boulevard Leclerc (before the Ireland-New Zealand rugby union world match). In Ille-sur-Têt and in many villages, a mini-fan zone or a bar zone has been planned to follow the peak of the season live. And the Everest of the Catalan club in the European Superleague championship. The return to Perpignan of players and supporters is planned for the night.
Wigan Warriors-Catalan Dragons, at 7 p.m. (French time) at Manchester Old Trafford. live on Team Live TV and on TV3, the Catalan channel.
