CATALANS DRAGONS coach Steve McNamara praised two young French players for their role in Sunday’s 38-18 victory over Huddersfield Giants.
Leo Darrelatour and Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet performed strongly in the win at the John Smith’s Stadium, but the former England coach was critical of the “unrealistic expectations” of the Dragons carrying the French national side.
McNamara said, “Leo has played really well in our reserve grade and he’s come in on debut today and scored a try and done really well at a level that he’s not used to.
“And Guillermo has big shoes to fill standing in for Sam Tomkins, but he performed really well and there are three or four young players of the same standard that are ready to step up for us.”
McNamara added, “It’s an interesting stat and one that we need to make clear that we have played more of our own homegrown talent than any other club bar Salford, who had to play a full Academy side in Round One because of their situation.
“But other than that we are at the top of the competition in terms of playing our own products and we are very proud of that.
“Leo and Guillermo are just part of that.”
McNamara believes, however, that the Dragons face “unfair expectations”, adding, “One of the criteria when Catalans entered the competition a long time ago was to help improve the French national team. I think it has and the French players are a lot better now, but the English are better and so are the Aussies.
“Some people say France has to beat England to prove they have improved, well England have to beat Australia too in that case, it’s all relevant.
“It’s so unfair for one club to have the responsibility of improving a national team, it’s like saying to Huddersfield today it’s your job to improve England.
“We may have accepted those terms to get us in the competition but I don’t think you can hold that against one club now.
“We’re sometimes perceived as a team that just signs overseas players, but that perception is not reality right now.
“The stats prove that we are number one at the moment in bringing through our own players, it’s a fact.”
McNamara said centre Arthur Romano picked up a hamstring injury at Huddersfield and was unlikely to feature in Saturday’s home game against Salford.
But the coach expects Sam Tomkins to have recovered from rib cartilage injury for next week.
“Sam has been very important for us so far this season but he picked up a painful rib injury against Salford last week and it was important that we left him at home to rest.
“But knowing Sam, he’ll be ready ahead of schedule and eager to play.”
