Catalans Dragon Greg Bird is expecting a tough test when his side come up against Widnes Vikings, without Denis Betts, in Perpignan on Saturday.
This weekend’s game will be the first the Vikings have played since their head coach Denis Betts left the club and Bird knows that can make teams up their game.
“Teams always, after they’ve had something like this happen, come out and play their best footy,” said Bird.
“Losing a coach, it can bind a team together as players. We know they’re going to come out.
“I guess we’ve got to play the same sort of football as we have against the top teams and not fall back into our ways of last season and earlier this season.
Because his side is in good form after booking a Challenge Cup Semi-Final against St Helens and winning two Super League games, Bird believes it’s a good time to be playing a team in and around them in the league at home.
“It is a good time to play them. These games are the ones that we must win against teams who will be fighting for those spots in sixth, seventh and eighth.
