Pardon my French!
It might be allez les Dracs over in Perpignan after Catalans coach Steve McNamara signed a two-year contract extension.
But zut alors won’t be sufficient to sum up what Toulouse fans must be thinking following the departure of Johnathon Ford.
The halfback has been a key part of the club for more than ten years, and is not only a really good player, but was skipper into the bargain.
There has also been some doubt over the future of Mark Kheirallah, and such talk isn’t a great sign as Toulouse prepare for their first Super League campaign.
Given their lack of significant additions, they already faced a tough task to avoid finishing bottom, and the loss of Ford, which the club put down to “family and personal reasons”, is a real blow.
It will be interesting to see what happens next in terms of both the club and the player.
Toulouse certainly need a replacement, but will they be able to attract someone of similar or even higher stature at this late stage of pre-season?
There are no such worries for Catalans, who last week paraded their new halfback Mitchell Pearce before the media as they confirmed Steve will be in charge for a while yet.
I’m pleased for both him and owner Bernard Guasch, who has been patient and backed his coach to bring in some key signings, not least Sam Tomkins.
Steve has a lot of experience from his time at Bradford and in charge of England as well as working over in Australia, where he will have picked up so much.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing in Perpignan, but Bernard has remained patient and stuck with Steve, who has now taken the club to Challenge Cup success as well as a maiden Grand Final (after lifting the League Leaders’ Shield).
He has done a lot to sort out the ill-discipline which has proved a problem over the years, and while Catalans have usually been strong at home, he’s also made them more consistent on their trips over to England.
He’s been able to attract some really good players such as Michael McIlorum, James Maloney, Josh Drinkwater and now Mitchell, but for me, Sam has made the most difference due to not just his ability, but his professionalism, which will have had an impact on the whole squad.
Catalans have also brought through some French talent and have got themselves into a position where they go into the new season with a genuine chance of landing a trophy.
How I see Super League unfolding
I’ve already tipped Toulouse to be wooden spoonists, with Salford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Castleford and Hull above them in ascending order.
I will reveal where I think Catalans will finish next week, but for now, here are my predictions for Super League slots six to four.
6 HULL KR
I really can’t speak highly enough of Tony Smith and the way he has raised Rovers’ fortunes.
Some might have said he was past his best on his arrival in 2019, when the Robins were one of several teams whose survival in the top-flight went right to the wire.
The 2020 campaign was also tough going, but Tony certainly proved his doubters very wrong last season and getting his side to within 80 minutes of the Grand Final was a fantastic achievement.
Of course that has raised expectation levels, but a coach of his experience can deal with that, and while I have them down to finish sixth, that will get them back into the play-offs, and they have shown they can compete in knockout football.
On that subject, I could also see them doing well in the Challenge Cup, and after their torrid time at Wembley at the hands of Leeds back in 2015, actually winning the competition.
As well as bringing on younger lads, one of Tony’s talents is in squeezing that little bit extra out of his experienced players, such as Shaun Kenny-Dowall, and it’s going to be interesting to see how new signings Lachlan Coote from St Helens and Sam Wood from Huddersfield go.
5 WIGAN
Lee Briers has got a big job on at the DW Stadium.
It’s not just about getting the best from Harry Smith in what is a key season for a young English player who at one stage looked the bee’s knees but hasn’t quite progressed as well all hoped.
Because as far as I’m concerned, assistant coach Briersy is the best hope the cherry and white faithful have of seeing some fluent, entertaining and successful rugby.
Adrian Lam’s replacement as head coach, Matt Peet, and Sean O’Loughlin are both steeped in the philosophies and methods of Shaun Wane, who is, of course, back on the scene as ‘leadership and management director’.
So it’s hard to see a sea change in the Wigan approach, which in terms of trophies over the last three years, has only delivered the League Leaders’ Shield in 2020, a meagre haul for a club that likes to think of itself as the biggest in the country.
I think the lack of appeal of the Wigan way of doing things is reflected in the level of player they can persuade to join, because signings like Kaide Ellis, Patrick Mago and Cade Cust are solid enough, but not sparkling.
4 WARRINGTON
Another year has gone by without bringing the prize Warrington really want, and haven’t won, since 1955, when they were league champions.
So there’s no pressure whatsoever on new coach Daryl Powell!
In the likes of Joe Bullock, Peter Mata’utia and Oliver Holmes, Warrington have made some useful signings to help make up for losing last year’s top try-scorer Jake Mamo.
But the two men who are key to the chances of primrose and blue ribbons being tied to the Super League trophy come September are Gareth Widdop and George Williams, the man Warrington pushed the boat out to bring in after his high-profile departure from Canberra last year.
They are both quality players with plenty of experience at the highest level and they will be operating alongside a good pack. But will their partnership click?
Daryl and his right-hand man Ryan Sheridan will definitely have Warrington playing in an attractive style, because that’s central to their coaching approach and beliefs. Like Hull KR, with a fair wind and favourable draws, they could have a good chance of Challenge Cup success, even if that title continues to prove elusive.
Praise for Rovers
I’ve mentioned Bernard Guasch – now I’m going to give some praise to Mark Campbell, whose commitment to finally getting Featherstone into Super League can’t be questioned.
Rovers got another three players through the door last week in former Melbourne Storm halfback Ryley Jacks and props Adam Cuthbertson and Ben Mathiou, the son of ex-Leeds frontrower James Mathiou.
They’ll further beef up a squad coached by Brian McDermott and you get the feeling that after two Million Pound Game losses, Mark is determined to do everything in his power to achieve top-flight status.
Derek Beaumont has the same ambitions for Leigh, and these two owners and big-name coaches Brian and Adrian Lam going head-to-head adds even extra interest to the second tier.
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