On Saturday, the Catalans Dragons will face Wigan Warriors at the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris for their first Super League contest after 20 years in the competition.
Born and raised in Perpignan, Jerome Guisset traveled all the way to Canberra, Australia to pursue a career in the sport he loved, representing Warrington Wolves (2000-2004) and Wigan Warriors (2005) for six consecutive seasons in the Super League.
When the Catalans Dragons were founded in Perpignan in 2006, Guisset went on an emotional journey, seeing his remaining matches for the club until 2010.
So who better to talk to about the rise of the Catalans and the challenges they face in France?
“We joined Super League in 2006 and the training facilities were, to put it very politely, far below standard,” Guiseet said. sky sports. “But in some ways that was part and parcel of the dragon’s exoticism.
“We had a lot of amateur facilities, but there was definitely no lack of willingness to train hard and I think that definitely created a culture and mentality that everything had to be earned.
“We trained in a gym that was probably the size of a small changing room. The training facilities weren’t that great, but I don’t think that was a problem in terms of building the culture and strength going forward.
“And the last thing English clubs can’t experience is travel. The intensity of the travel and the fact – I’m talking about 20 years ago now – there were hardly any flights from Perpignan.
“So we had to get on a bus to Barcelona and drive for about two and a half hours, then wait at the airport. It was a two-hour flight mostly to Stansted, and from Stansted we had to drive all the way north.
“The trip took almost 12 hours, and we made about 15 to 20 trips a year.
“The downside to him is that it was tough. The good thing is that you end up spending a lot of time together, building culture and team morale.
“That was the bridge that made the team.”
In the years since Guisset retired from the sport, the Catalans have achieved Challenge Cup glory at Wembley in 2018, won the League Leaders’ Shield in 2021 and qualified for the 2021 and 2023 grand finals. They also took on Barcelona’s iconic Nou Camp in a Super League match in 2019.
Bearing in mind the Super League club’s origins and beginnings, did Guisset see such success coming?
“I actually did,” he says. “Because, pure and simple, I think you have to give a lot of credit to Bernard Guasch, the owners and the board. I think Bernard Guasch is a man of vision. He has the right mindset.
“If you look at the way he has led the club over the last 20 years, I think the Catalans have always been a club destined for glory at some stage.”
“He always had a vision to get the club bigger and grow the club. His growth strategy was always great.
“When I see them getting silverware along the way, I think it’s a matter of time rather than whether they understand what I mean.”
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Highlights from Catalans Dragons’ Super League win over defending champions Hull KR
‘French rugby league is difficult’
In France, sporting success is a rite of passage.
Their international football team is consistently one of the best in the world. They have won the World Cup as recently as 2018, were finalists in 2022, and at club level PSG have now won the Champions League twice.
In rugby union, France have won the last two Six Nations titles and their club teams have won the last six Champions Cups – Toulouse (2021, 2024), La Rochelle (2022, 2023) and Bordeaux-Begles (2025, 2026).
That’s a very difficult market to exist in.
“The Catalans have been involved in Super League for 20 years and are the driving force behind the revival of French rugby league,” Guisset said.
“It’s a difficult existence, because I don’t think the rest of the world understands how big the sport is in France and the level of talent and capabilities we have.
“You see in football, there are so many talented players. If you look at basketball, there are so many talented players. In rugby union, there are so many talented players. They are all world-class players.
“Obviously that means as soon as you get it it attracts a lot of money and all the players want to play there.
“When you’re in a second or third tier sport like French rugby league, it’s really, really difficult to have a presence. Catalan Dragons, as a club, has always been a driving force for the entire sport in France.
“I think if we show that we can go to big stadiums, we can attract big crowds. I think there were over 35,000 in Barcelona. It shows that the crowd is there. There is work to be done.”
With that in mind, how does the sport of rugby league continue to grow in France, according to Guisset?
“There’s the competitive aspect, but there’s also the aspect of playing an attractive brand of rugby league.
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Highlights of this season’s Super League clash between Catalans Dragons and Warrington Wolves
“Rugby is very popular in France, especially in southern France, so people know what rugby league is, but if you look at rugby union, there are superstars – players like Toulouse and Antoine Dupont.
“To compete with them and exist you have to play a certain style of rugby to attract crowds.
“If we do that and at the same time increase the number of young French players who can actually play and not just import them, I’m not against imports – that’s not what I’m saying at all – but I think we need a really strong base of young players coming through the ranks and helping them become full-fledged Super League players and international players.”
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Highlights of the Rugby Super League match between York Knights and Catalans Dragons
2026 Super League – Key dates and things to watch out for
- Paris Super League: Saturday June 6th: Catalan Dragons v Wigan Warriors (Paris)6:30 PM in the UK (sky sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4th – July 5th
- Rival Round Reversal: July 23rd – July 26th
- Elimination playoffs: September 19th – September 20th
- playoff semifinals: September 26 ~ September 27
- Grand Finals: October 3, Old Trafford
sky sports We will be broadcasting live again every Super League match this season. Two matches from each round will be broadcast exclusively live, while the remaining five matches will be shown weekly on Sky Sports+.
