Catalans Toulouse “derbies” on Thursdays & when every Super League club heads to France
The first ever all-French Catalans Toulouse Super League fixtures will both take place on Thursday nights, which has received a mixed response.
Following Toulouse’s promotion to the top flight, Catalans will have company across the Channel in 2022.
It is 16 years since the Dragons entered Super League and they reached a maiden Grand Final, losing to St Helens.
Everything you need to know about 2022 Super League fixture schedule
Catalans Toulouse meetings
Although there had been some talk of taking a game on the road to a big football ground, the two meetings in 2022 are expected to be held at their regular home grounds.
That means the Stade Gilbert Brutus will host the first meeting – on Thursday April 14.
The reverse fixture will take place at Stade Ernest Wallon on Thursday August 25.
Both fixtures sit on double-header weekends, which coincide with Bank Holidays in the UK.
There are fears that it will reduce the attendances at both games.
Perpignanais and Toulousains won't have too many troubles to attend the games. But the rest of France will. Difficult to plane a trip to those cities in the middle of the week . In weekend all French RL would attend both games. 🤔
— Treize Édito🏉📝💉💉 2025 🏆 (@pierrecarcau) November 25, 2021
Double-header weekends are necessary once again in 2022 due to the World Cup being re-arranged for the end of the year.
Loop fixtures are also being persisted with, including the Magic Weekend on weekend of July 9/10.
The two French sides have been kept apart at Magic Weekend, with the fixtures now based on a formula determined by club’s finishing positions the previous year.
The schedule sees Toulouse have a tough run-in, which includes five away games in their last six – the home one being the French clash with Catalans.
Four clubs have three trips to France in the season – Huddersfield, Hull KR, Leeds and St Helens.
Leeds face Toulouse and Catalans a fortnight apart, with a game in between.
Only Wigan have back-to-back trips to France, and they’re dubbing it the “tour de France”.
There have been calls from some to double up the fixtures involving the French sides, so that clubs stay across the Channel in between.
I still haven’t heard a single logical reason why the two French teams’ fixtures haven’t been grouped together. It’d be much better for travelling fans and would halve the number of flights for competing teams across the season.
— Rob Potts (@RJP_LEARNS) November 25, 2021
The argument is that it could help with costs of flights, but also enable fans to take in both games with one holiday.
However, the good news either way appears to be more television coverage – with Toulouse’s opening home game with Huddersfield kicking off their Sky Sports exposure for the year.
Castleford
- Apr 29 – Catalans
- Jun 12 – Toulouse
Huddersfield
- Feb 12 – Toulouse
- Jun 3 – Catalans
- Jul 22 – Catalans
Hull FC
- Jun 11 – Catalans
- Jul 29 – Toulouse
Hull KR
- Mar 18 – Catalans
- Apr 18 – Toulouse
- Jul 2 – Toulouse
Leeds
- Jul 16 – Toulouse
- Jul 30 – Catalans
- Aug 29 – Catalans
Salford
- Jul 23 – Toulouse
- Aug 20 – Catalans
St Helens
- Mar 19 – Toulouse
- Jun 4 – Toulouse
- Jul 2 – Catalans
Wakefield
- Feb 19 – Catalans
- May 15 – Toulouse
Warrington
- Feb 26 – Toulouse
- May 14 – Catalans
Wigan
- Mar 5 – Toulouse
- Mar 12 – Catalans
