Match Preview – Catalans vs Toulouse

Nearly a decade on from his relatively brief spell playing rugby union in France, Guy Armitage is back plying his trade across the Channel – but this time trying to help the Betfred Super League’s newest club establish themselves in rugby league’s top flight.

The former Toulon centre has featured in all seven of Toulouse Olympique’s matches so far in 2022, having joined last year when a plan to play for Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the French domestic Elite Two Championship fell through after their season was cancelled due to Covid-19.

It has been something of a baptism of fire for Armitage, who switched to the 13-a-side code with London Broncos midway through the 2019 campaign, and his Toulouse team-mates after winning promotion though, with a 32-6 defeat away to Castleford Tigers last time out being their sixth defeat in seven games.

Catalans Dragons vs Toulouse

April 14, 2022, 7:00pm

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Strangely though, the two best performances from Sylvain Houles’ side have come against Super League’s top two; an agonising 29-28 defeat to Wigan Warriors and an eye-catching 22-20 victory at home to reigning champions St Helens. Those results alone give Armitage plenty of optimism.

“I’m loving being back in France,” Armitage, who also spent part of his childhood in the country, told Sky Sports. “It’s been about 10 years, but I’m older, I feel a lot more comfortable in myself and I feel settled.

“To have the opportunity to be playing Super League again – this time I’d say properly – and to be starting games and being involved in the whole process to see how it works is awesome. I’m grateful to be a part of it.

“As a group, we can feel we are getting better. At Cas, it didn’t go to plan, but we can see we’re improving every week.

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Highlights of the Betfred Super League match between Toulouse Olympique and St Helens

“That Saints game was incredible and shows what we can do, against Wigan we came close as well and we’re here to play rugby, which is good and it’s really enjoyable.”

Injury meant Armitage was unable to play in last year’s Million Pound Game win over Featherstone Rovers which sealed promotion from the Betfred Championship, although he still savours the atmosphere at Stade Ernest Wallon that October night and recalls losing his voice celebrating the 34-12 win with his team-mates and the club’s passionate fans.

Given his previous sporting and cultural experiences of life in France, it is no surprise the 30-year-old has become a go-to for advice from his English-speaking team-mates who have made the move to Toulouse their historic first Super League season too.

But while the likes of Olly Ashall-Bott and James Cunningham are having to get to grips with a new language and a new way of life to integrate themselves into a French club, the native players have reciprocated in appreciation of the efforts they are making.

Guy Armitage settled quickly back into life in France on and off the field

“The normal things you can just do on your own, but I get the odd question from the boys on how you say something or saying that they said something in the supermarket and got looked at like they from somewhere else,” Armitage said.

“But I’m like ‘You’ve only got one word wrong, you’re on the right track’, and just the odd lesson here and there for the boys.

“You can see when the boys start learn and every now and then they’ll build up the courage to throw out a couple of sentences, and the French boys will be like ‘where did you learn that?’.

“But it’s nice because the French players appreciate they’re learning the language, being in France, and the French boys are learning English. So, it’s kind of an appreciation of two languages and I think everyone really appreciates it.”

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Highlights of the Million Pound game as Toulouse Olympique took on Featherstone Rovers for a place in Super League 2022

The former England U20 rugby union international admits he is still learning as a league player too, while the team as a whole have had to overcome the shock departures of Johnathon Ford and Mark Kheirallah on the eve of this season – two players who had been integral for Toulouse since the French club returned to the British professional structure in 2016.

Nevertheless, Armitage is impressed with the willingness shown by everyone in the squad to find ways to work past that and knows that togetherness will be huge on Thursday evening when they travel to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons in the first all-French Super League derby, live on Sky Sports.

Catalans have already made plenty of history since joining the competition in 2006, becoming the first overseas team to win the Challenge Cup four years ago, followed by claiming the League Leaders’ Shield and reaching the Grand Final for the first time in 2021.

The Dragons will, however, be without injured star sextet Sam Tomkins, Gil Dudson, Samisoni Langi, Alrix Da Costa, Dean Whare and Julian Bousquet, while Toulouse welcome back France international Gadwin Springer and Lloyd White.

Tony Gigot is one of several ex-Catalans players now at Toulouse

No matter which individuals are playing, the clash at Stade Gilbert Brutus will mark a huge night for French rugby league as a whole. Ex-Catalans players Tony Gigot, Romain Navarrete and Eloi Pelissier will be eager to ensure it is the new boys who take the bragging rights, however.

“This is a big one – a really big one,” Armitage said. “We’ve played them in pre-season a couple of times, but when you’ve got a full stadium with points on the line and the first derby in history, that’s the one you want.

“You can see that it’s something more important for the French boys out here and a lot of them feel like they’ve got something to prove.

“I’m massively excited. It’s building up and you can feel it. It’s going to be huge.”

Named squads

Catalans Dragons: Arthur Mourgue, Tom Davies, Fouad Yaha, Mitchell Pearce, Josh Drinkwater, Micky McIlorum, Matt Whitley, Mike McMeeken, Benjamin Garcia, Alrix Da Costa, Benjamin Jullien, Paul Seguier, Mickael Goudemand, Matthieu Laguerre, Arthur Romano, Tyrone May, Corentin Le Cam, Dylan Napa, Jordan Dezaria, Joe Chan, Sam Kasiano.

Toulouse Olympique: Junior Vaivai, Paul Marcon, Lucas Albert, Romain Navarrete, Lloyd White, Harrison Hansen, Anthony Marion, Eloi Pelissier, Maxime Puech, Mitch Garbutt, James Cunningham, Ilias Bergal, Chris Hankinson, Gadwin Springer, Justin Sangare, Guy Armitage, Matty Russell, Hugo Pezet, Olly Ashall-Bott, Maxime Stefani, Tony Gigot.