Catalans Dragons head coach Joel Tomkins has given his verdict after his side overcame a ‘nightmare journey’ to beat Leigh Leopards 22-16 on Friday night.
The odds are regularly stacked against Catalans in respect to the travel they have to undertake to every away game, however, this week’s travel was even more taxing than normal.
Les Dracs’ journey to Manchester took over 16 hours with the plane that the squad travelled on having to make an emergency landing due to a mechanical issue, extending the club’s journey time and the stress levels of Joel Tomkins.
Speaking post-match on Sky Sports, he said: “I’m really, really proud of the boys. I think you just touched on it that we had a bit of a nightmare journey yesterday.”
Expanding further, he said:”Obviously it’s not perfect preparation, but we never have perfect preparation. We average eight to ten hour travel the day before and day after any away game, so we have to factor that into our preparation.
“That’s part of playing for Catalans and being part of the staff at Catalans. It’s a special group to be a part of. Living in the south of France and playing in the English Super League, if we have to travel a few hours before the game and after the game, we’re happy with that. We don’t whinge about it. We use it as a connection piece for the group.”
He even joked: “We might do some connecting flights for a few more away games if we turn up and play like that.”
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The performance was that good and that gritty that Tomkins will want to harness whatever made it so effective and utilise it for the rest of their season.
Praising the performance, he said: “Some of the character that they showed. A lot of stuff went against us then but the scramble, the desire, and just the work for each other. They never gave in, and I thought we got what we deserved tonight.”
Having watched his side fold against St Helens at home last week, Tomkins hailed the effort once again, particularly in light of the players missing.
He said: “We’ve got a few injuries at the minute, but what we have got is we’ve got a group of lads who are willing to work hard.
“We might not be the most experienced group, but they’re going to come in, they’re going to work for each other, and then on the back of that, we’ll get results like that.”
Only last week had he accused his players of giving up, something he says has now been thrown back into his face.
“They probably heard my interview and then they’ve thrown it back in my face this week because I can’t question their efforts tonight and their attitude,” said the Catalans boss.
He did concede: “Through the week, we had some honest conversations and it’s going to be a long season for us if we turn out performances like we did last week.
“If we turn out performances like we did tonight, then it’ll be a really enjoyable one. Whether we get results or we don’t, if we perform like that, I’ll be happy.”
A big win away for the Catalans Dragons 🐉 pic.twitter.com/l0CcmHFPGo
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) March 6, 2026
Catalans Dragons
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