CATALANS DRAGONS are preparing for an explosion of passion and pride at Stade Gilbert Brutus, which could carry the Dragons all the way to Old Trafford.
Catalans secured second spot in the Super League table on Friday night and now have the luxury of a week off as they prepare for a night of fireworks, flares, flags and farewells in Perpignan.
Coach Steve McNamara told League Express: “We all know what that stadium will be like a week on Friday, it’s a pretty passionate place and it will go up several notches for the semi-final.
“There won’t be a seat left in the house; we’ve been there before and the atmosphere will be phenomenal.”
McNamara was unimpressed by his side’s performance in Friday’s 19-8 win over Salford Red Devils but delighted with the result.
He added: “We knew the enormity of the fixture, there was no shying away from it, and we simply had to go and win that game.
“Salford were in exactly the same position, so there was a lot of pressure on both sides and the game reflected that. Neither side will be happy with their performance, there were too many errors and it was one of those nights where maybe the tension took over on a really wet ground and our possession and attack suffered.
“Thankfully our defence was pretty strong and we were just happy to get the win and get home, finishing in second place after such a really tense end to the regular season.
“We’re all very excited, from the very beginning of the season your aim is to finish as high as you can, the top two and a home tie is the target and it gives you the best chance of getting to a Grand Final.
“We’ve been away from home an awful lot in the past two months and finishing second gives us a chance to draw breath and get the right kind of structured training in and refresh ourselves.”
McNamara resisted the urge to included Arthur Mourgue in Friday’s fixture, choosing to give the French international fullback more time to recover from a recent rib injury.
He reported no further injury concerns from the Salford clash as he prepares for the semi-final.
“We have to get the balance right between resting the players after a difficult period of constant travel and getting in the right kind of work that we need at this stage.,” said McNamara.
“We want to be going into this game fully prepared and refreshed. We had plans in place for both scenarios (home or away play-offs) but this is the best one for us, it’s route one and we’ll be ready.
“It’s a massive game for us and we need to prepare correctly for the magnitude of what is ahead of us.
“Added to that we have some players who will be playing their last games at the Brutus and it will be an opportunity for them to say goodbye to the place in the best possible way.”
One of those players will be 27-year-old England Knights second-rower Matt Whitley, who has announced he is leaving the Dragons after five seasons in Perpignan and is expected to join St Helens.
