SL Preview: Catalan v London (Sat)
Catalan head coach Laurent Frayssinous named his 19 man squad for saturday Super League game against London at the Gilbert Brutus Stadium.
Jamal Fakir, Daryl Millard, Brent Webb, Olivier Elima, Louis Anderson, and Jason Baitieri, all injured, will miss the game.
After the big loss at Huddersfield and before the Tetley’s Challenge Cup quarter final, Frayssinous has decided to rotate his squad with Leon Pryce, Steve Menzies and Mickael Simon out for William Barthau, Mathias Pala, Thibaut Margalet and Elliott Whitehead.
The Broncos meanwhile have been dealt a blow in discovering that Kieran Dixon has sustained a broken finger. The injury occurred in training and Dixon is likely to be missing for around six weeks.
Coach Tony Rea has drafted in 19-year-old welsh international Rhodri Lloyd into the squad who joins the club on a one month loan from Wigan Warriors.
Lloyd has played four times for the Warriors first team, making his debut in June 2012. He is the youngest player to ever play for the Wales senior side at 17 years and 76 days v Italy in 2010.
Rea welcomes back a number of first team players who have returned from injury, while Mark Bryant returns from a one game suspension:
Rea said, “We’ve got a few back from injury this week including Tommy Lee, Antonio Kaufusi, Shane Rodney, Michael Witt and Jamie O’Callaghan. Jamie Soward has had a full training week with us so we have a lot of work to do to get our combinations right and get ourselves into the ball game.
“There are some real challenges going to France together, against a team that plays well at home. They’ve had some results they’ve not been happy with but they are back at home and conditions are going to be hot and challenging.”
Catalan 19-man squad: Blanch, Taia, Bosc, Dureau, Henderson, Casty, Mounis, Barthau, Maria, Pelissier, Larroyer, Pala, Bousquet, Paea, Duport, Vaccari, Escaré, Margalet, Whitehead.
London 19-man squad: Bryant, Dollapi, Dorn, Fairbank, Fisher, Kaufusi, Lee, Lloyd, Melling, O’Callaghan, Robertson, Sarginson, Shaw, Soward, Rodney, Woodburn Hall, Wheeldon, Wicks, Witt.
Prediction: After a couple of bad results expect a reaction from the Dragons and a maybe a big win.
Stats:
Catalan Dragons have won their last seven meetings with London Broncos/Harlequins (two at home) – with the capital side’s last win coming as Harlequins, 11-4 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on 12 February, 2011.
2013 meetings:
Catalan Dragons 46, London Broncos 18 (SLR16, 25/5/13)
(at Etihad Stadium, Manchester)
London Broncos 24, Catalan Dragons 30 (SLR9, 28/3/13)
(at Molesey Road, Esher)
Super League summary:
Catalan Dragons won 14
London Broncos (including Harlequins, 2006-2011) won 8
Catalan Dragons highest score: 48-22 (H, 2011) (Widest margin: 46-18, MW, 2013)
London Broncos highest score: 38-16 (A, 2007) (Widest margin: 36-14, H, 2006; 38-16, A, 2007)
