Catalans Dragons legend Remi Casty will leave the Super League club with immediate effect to take on a new challenge, coaching in the Super XIII.
Casty, the leading appearance maker for Catalans, has been coaching the Super League club’s reserve side, St Esteve XIII, but he will leave to take on the head coach role at Lezignan XIII instead.
The 41-year-old is widely considered to be one of the best rugby league players that France ever produced with Casty splitting his 336 Catalans appearances with a short stint in the NRL at Sydney Roosters.
There, he played under former Catalans coach Trent Robinson but Casty would return to Perpignan after just 14 games with his second spell at the Dragons seeing him play a further six seasons before a move to Toulouse Olympique capped off his career.
He now swaps St Esteve, who placed sixth in the Super XIII this past year, for eighth-placed Lezignan, who play in the region where Casty was born.
The 41-year-old leaves with the well wishes of all those at Catalans, as explained in a statement that the Super League club shared to confirm his departure.
That read: “The club confirms the departure of Rémi Casty who has chosen to take on a new challenge by joining FC Lézignan as coach.
“Having joined the St Estève XIII Catalan staff in 2023 as an assistant coach and then as head coach the following season, he won a French Cup last season and managed to qualify the team for the play-offs this year.
“The club fully respects his decision to continue his career at his formative club.
“The entire club wishes to thank him for his work and involvement and wishes him every success in his new role as well as much success for the rest of his coaching career.”
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