Steve McNamara over the moon with Catalans Challenge Cup win

Catalans coach Steve McNamara was delighted to be part of the first team to win a major trophy for the club.

The Dragons won their first ever major trophy as they beat Warrington 20-14 in a thrilling Challenge Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.

Catalans are the first ever non-British team to win the prestigious competition, and McNamara was blown away after the full-time whistle.

He said: “Winning the Challenge Cup is incredible for us, I’m over the moon.

“The boys played really well for 55 minutes and we nearly blew it but it was just incredible. Our people made such a huge effort to get over to Wembley and I’m very pleased for the club.

“The players deserve this victory. We have been underdogs all year and we have been through so much and we have now won a Challenge Cup. It is the first trophy for the club and hopefully it is great for everybody back in France as well.

“We were just aiming to be in the top eight this year. We just wanted to make sure we were safe from relegation but we have made the most of it and we are now part of the team who won the first piece of silverware for the club. It is incredible.”

France international Tony Gigot became the first ever Frenchman to win the Lance Todd Trophy following an impressive display at full-back.

The 27-year-old hopes the Challenge Cup win can help rugby league grow in France.

Gigot said: “We were unbelievable, we played a very tough team but we are just so happy for everyone and especially our French fans.

“We worked so hard and you could see that it wasn’t our best game of the season but we played together as a team and as a family.

“It will give French rugby league a big boost now and we want to show to everyone that we can play rugby league in France.”