Steve McNamara has silenced any pressure talk after Catalans Dragons defeated Castleford Tigers with Sam Tomkins playing a starring role.
Catalans defeated Castleford with relative ease as the Dragons controlled the game throughout to win 26-4 in terrible conditions at Wheldon Road.
Huge downpour just ahead of the game and for the full 80 minutes meant that playing the opposition was only one half of the equation with both teams having to also play the conditions, something which Catalans did better, as Steve McNamara agreed.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-game, he said: “It was so hard for both teams. I don’t know if you could really see it from the TV but it was just so so difficult.
“I thought we played the conditions really well. Our experienced players stepped up and I thought we had some good energy throughout the game.”
Catalans Dragons coach gives verdict after Castleford Tigers win
Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
One of those experienced Catalans players was Sam Tomkins with the full-back putting in a Man of the Match performance that he capped off with a try as he scored 14 of the Dragons’ 26 points.
Asked if Tomkins was the difference, McNamara said: “Yeah, course. He’s fully fit. He had to stop playing due to his knee but he got that fixed up and he knows the game inside out.
“In these types of games in these types of conditions, those players are really important for you.”
It marked a second consecutive Super League win for Catalans after they fell short in their opening three games but McNamara wouldn’t be drawn on whether it was a season-best performance.
“I don’t know, I think in those conditions it was very hard for both teams,” he admitted.
“I thought we played the conditions better than the opposition and I thought we were reasonably disciplined as well. We kicked the ball well and we found some tries and kicked some penalties when we needed to. It was important for us to come away and get our first away victory of the season.”
“There’s pressure every game” – McNamara not drawn on pressure question
Catalans Dragons ease past Castleford Tigers at The Mend-A-Hose Jungle 💥 pic.twitter.com/6tDbo40ITb
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) March 22, 2025
Prior to the French side’s Round Four win against Leeds Rhinos, the pressure was mounting on McNamara and he was quizzed about whether the past two games have helped to relieve that.
“There’s pressure every game and there’s pressure in Super League. It is what it is,” he said bluntly.
“Clearly, we weren’t quite happy with our start to the season. I thought we actually played really well in Round Two at Warrington but Round One and Round Three were really really disappointing for us so we’ve managed to put in a more Catalans-style performance against Leeds with the way we defended.
“I thought today we did well in defence. Sam is getting a mention but I thought Alrix Da Costa and Ollie Partington, those blokes who play 80 minutes in the middle, led from the front and it’s the type of victory that we want to be proud of.”
Catalans will seek a third straight win next week when they host St Helens, a team who are looking to avoid a third straight loss in the competition, and it’s a game that the Dragons’ head coach is well up for.
“They’re always great games,” he said.
“The rivalry has been huge, probably since the semi-final in 2018 and since then every game has been a war whether it’s been home or away. We expect no different next Saturday night.”
