Sport : Rugby League

Home comforts for Dragons

29th June 2012, 11:58pm

Richard Agar: Braced for tough game

Richard Agar: Braced for tough game

Catalan Dragons will play their first match in Perpignan for nearly two months when they welcome Wakefield to Stade Gilbert Brutus on Saturday.

The French club's last 'home' fixture was against Wigan but they played the game against the reigning Super League leaders on the road in Montpellier.

At least Trent Robinson's side have returned to French soil off the back of a win, Scott Dureau kicking five crucial points in the closing stages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Hull KR.

For their first game at their usual ground since May 5, Robinson is able to welcome back forward Lopini Paea from injury.

Eloi Pelissier and Mathias Pala are also back in the Dragons' 19-man squad but Louis Anderson and Frederic Vaccari are both ruled out.

"It's good to be at home," said Robinson. "We've had some success here this year, although it doesn't guarantee anything.

"We've had a bit of a longer week and been able to prepare well. We went up into the mountains on Monday and had a night together, which was good."

Wakefield, meanwhile, make the trip to France without back rowers Steve Southern and Frankie Mariano as well as centre Dean Collis after they were injured in the defeat at Bradford.

Lucas Walshaw, who missed last week's 34-26 reverse through illness, returns, along with props Matt James and Paul Johnson.

Wildcats boss Richard Agar knows his side face a tall order at the weekend, particularly as it will be their third away game on the spin.

"It will be a ridiculously tough game on Saturday and I think the travel involved for us this week is not great," he told the club's official website.

"We are playing a team that is very, very powerful. We can take confidence from the fact we beat them when we played them at home and we executed a game plan spot on that day.

"We know the threats they possess and they play a little bit of a different style compared to everybody else but they have got some really powerful weapons.

"They are especially good on their home patch so we know we are going to have to perform well."

Catalan Dragons: Greenshields, Blanch, Pryce, Sa, Bosc, Dureau, Ferriol, Henderson, Casty, Menzies, Mounis, Raguin, Pelissier, Millard, Fakir, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Pala.

Wakefield: Mathers, Fox, Mellars, Cockayne, John, Wood, Raleigh, Lauitiiti, Washbrook, Aiton, Amor, Johnson, Kirmond, Trout, Smith, Wilkes, Sykes, James, Walshaw.

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