Catalans Dragons coach Steve McNamara was the only person in Perpignan with a smile on his face following the first French Super League derby.
A sloppy and undisciplined performance from both sides left French fans flat on an historic night at Stade Gilbert Brutus, but coach McNamara was beaming in the post-match press conference.
“It’s not always pretty, but I’m more than happy with the two points,” he said.
McNamara feels his players are still on a learning curve and some important lessons were learned from the match against Toulouse.
He added, “For several reasons we have used so many players this year and we’ve not quite found our rhythm and our combinations and connections.
“But I’m quite glad that we are going through this period, which is a tough patch where we have to find ways to win while knowing that we can play a lot better.
“It might not have looked pretty tonight but for the team it will put us in a good position moving forward.”
McNamara’s delight with the win was marred by a serious injury to second-row forward Mike McMeeken who left the field late in the game.
McNamara added, “He’s got a badly broken arm by the look of it, which is a real shame and we hope it’s not as bad as it seems.”
The Dragons’ coach was also disappointed with the red card issued to substitute Joe Chan who was dismissed in the 52nd minute by referee Robert Hicks for a dangerous tackle on Toulouse forward Maxime Stefani.
But McNamara’s overall feeling was positive after returning to winning ways following two recent losses, and he was full of optimism for the future of the first French derby which attracted 8,922 supporters.
He said, “This game will grow much bigger than this, there is no doubt.
“It’s a Thursday night and it’s not a holiday in France the following day (Good Friday) so that will have taken a few people off the gate.”
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