Catalans Dragons are heading to the hills for a mid-season break to press the reset button on their season so far.
Coach Steve McNamara is using the pause for the Challenge Cup semi-finals as an opportunity to assess his squad’s performances after eleven rounds of Super League and a team-bonding trip to a Pyrenean ski resort has been arranged.
Speaking after Friday night’s 44-12 win over Castleford Tigers, McNamara told League Express, “We’re going into a break, so we’ll have four days off and then we’re having a mini camp at Font Romeu just to reset ourselves and see where we’re at, moving forward.”
McNamara admitted his squad had been hot and cold in the early stages of the competition but he felt performances were improving, even in defeat against Hull recently.
“I know we lost at Hull but I cannot understand why some people thought we played badly,” he said.
“That game was one of the highest quality games you will see, we went set for set, we had high completion rates from both teams in an attritional game.
“It was a play-off or Grand Final type of game with no penalties and just two tries each.
“I don’t know what people are looking for at times, it was such a tough game.
“It had the highest number of plays in any Super League game this season and it went right down to the death.
“For us to play like that then return here and play five days later in hot conditions and put in a good performance is a real credit to the playing group and staff. To play like that is remarkable.”
McNamara feels his players were responding to some tough demands at this stage of the season and paid tribute to one of his coaching assistants.
He added, “Matt Parr has come in as our Head of Performance and he has increased our intensity.
“We looked worse against Toulouse in our second game in 20 days than we did in our third. We seem to have got stronger, fitter and faster as the games have gone on and we’ve taken another step further than where we were against Hull the other week.
“Our players are standing up, Micky Mac did seventy minutes against Castleford, we went with an extra middle on the bench and I sensed Micky would go long minutes tonight.
“We have some senior players out but the squad is confident. Arthur Romano was good for us tonight and Matthieu Laguerre and Arthur Mourgue are improving with every game.
“The biggest bonus was the return of Julian Bousquet, who was brilliant for us, right from the off with two great offloads and a try.
“It was great to feel the atmosphere at the end of the game because we scored a lot of tries and played some entertaining Rugby League.
“And now it’s a good time to take a break.”
McNamara will be hoping the time-off will assist the recovery of several senior players including Sam Tomkins (leg), Samisoni Langi (knee), Mike McMeeken (wrist) and Dean Whare (pectoral).
Another addition to the Dragons’ injury list was made last week when scrum-half Josh Drinkwater had hospital scans which revealed tendon damage in his foot. He will be unable to play for six weeks.
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