FORMER ENGLAND coach Steve McNamara will be wearing a beret and backing France in this weekend’s international at Toulouse as he puts his club’s support behind their national side.
The Catalans coach will have his entire playing squad at Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday, some of the players in the stands but most of them on the pitch.
He told League Express: “We will all go to Toulouse, the ones who aren’t playing will go there to support the ones who are. We’ll be supporting the French team as a whole club because we are a French team.”
McNamara is expecting to see most of his first team in action on Saturday, and he is expecting French coach Laurent Frayssinous to take his pick this morning (Monday) after checking fitness for duty following a bruising night at Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Catalans held on to a 22-18 win over Huddersfield after surrendering a 22-0 half-time lead and McNamara will assess his squad before releasing players.
He added: “We’ve got lots of bumps and bruises and we will have a conversation with the French camp tomorrow (Sunday) because next week’s international is very important, most of our players will be playing in that.
“We’ll have to make some decisions in the morning, we’ve got a lot of tired bodies, a lot of stressed and fatigued bodies and we’ve felt the pressure over the last few weeks but thankfully we’ve got the win.
“We’re not like the other teams in Super League, we will separate now for the international, we’ll have nearly everybody away and just eight or nine of the playing group training.
“It’ll be great for us (the international experience) and then we’ll get back into action next week ready to go to Hull KR.”
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