Former Catalans Dragons coach slams treatment of French rugby league
Steve McNamara pictured during his time as Catalans Dragons head coach
Former Catalans Dragons coach Steve McNamara has accused rugby league’s powerbrokers of trying to ‘choke out’ French clubs in an impassioned defence of the sport in the country.
The future of both Catalans and Toulouse will fall under the microscope this summer as part of a Nigel Wood-led strategic review that will seemingly look at all aspects of the sport.
But McNamara has come out swinging in defence of French rugby league. Speaking on Sky Sports on Thursday evening before Wakefield Trinity’s game with Leeds Rhinos, he insisted that he believes Wood and those in charge are simply trying to squeeze the French clubs out.
Wood, in a teaser of an interview that will air next week, questioned the terms on which French clubs are operating on within the game, before Jon Wilkin referenced various aspects including the development of a strong French national side.
And McNamara said: “I’ll be the biggest supporter of French rugby league until the day I die. How can one team in Super League be responsible for the whole of Super League? It’s like Wakefield, saying they’re on their own to produce a great England team.
“TV revenue.. we had zero to start with but look at the English game, it’s come from £40million down to £20million.
“Fan experience.. wow. Come on. They’re just trying to choke them out. It’s as simple as that. You’ve got to be in the Challenge Cup, paying for the flights and taking gate revenues off the team, I’m not sure how much further they can go.”
McNamara has championed the case for French teams ever since arriving in Perpignan in 2016. He helped oversee huge success including an historic Challenge Cup win, and taking the Dragons to two Grand Finals.
The debate about whether or not the Dragons and Toulouse have a future in the sport is likely to rumble through the coming months.
