Dragons fans ready to roar

The Catalans Dragons stunned the rugby league world by becoming the first French side to reach a Challenge Cup final.

Now, thanks to their surprise victory over Wigan in the semi-finals, they are preparing to take on defending champions St Helens at Wembley on Saturday.

But what has the club's achievement meant to the Catalans fan? And more importantly what has it meant for the game of rugby league in France?

BBC Sport's Elizabeth Hudson has spoken to two Dragons supporters to find out.

Ironically, one is an Englishman living in Huddersfield. The other is an Australian living in Perpignan with his French wife.

JOHN DOBSON

I've always been a fan of French rugby league and when Leeds played a Super League game against the London Broncos in Perpignan a couple of years ago I went along to the game.

After that, I said I would go and watch the Catalans Dragons in the Super League as long as it didn't clash with Leeds home games.

But a couple of games into last season I had to choose between seeing Leeds at home or going to Salford to watch Catalans. I went to the Catalans game and never looked back. Now I run a Catalans fans website.

I've been to all of the Catalans games in England this season - most times my wife and I have been the only Catalans supporters there - and I'm going over to Perpignan in September to see a game.

I went to the old Wembley for the 1999 final between Leeds and London, so coming back to the new Wembley and supporting Catalans brings it full circle.

Realistically, I never thought I would be going to Wembley this year to see the Dragons in a Cup final. I wasn't planning to go to the final and I hadn't bought tickets until after the semi-final win.

The Super League Grand Final is big but the Challenge Cup is known worldwide and has so much history attached to it. The atmosphere is special, regardless of who you support, and there is nothing else like it.

It's extra special this year because it is the first time back at Wembley and there has never been a French side there before.

I'll be sitting with the Dragons fans and it will be fantastic to share experiences with them, like the match build-up. 'Abide With Me' and hopefully the Catalans and French anthems.

Most of them won't have experienced anything like it before.

There is the inevitable criticism that the Dragons are just a team full of Australians, but we now have some really good kids coming through, like Vincent Duport, who came from nowhere and has made a huge impact.

I'd like us to put in a good performance and hopefully the team won't freeze on the big occasion.

We are playing some good football and if we can play the first 20 minutes the way we did in the semi-final against Wigan that will give us a chance.

DAVID FOTI

In the month since the semi-final win over Wigan, we have seen a huge increase in interest in rugby league in France

There has certainly been a lot more newspaper and television coverage.

It's hard for the French to understand how big the Challenge Cup is in England, but for the past month the Dragons have been trying to tell people just how important it is.

Around Perpignan there are a lot of people with Catalans stickers on their cars and more and more children are wearing jerseys and getting to know the players and the game.

When Stacey Jones first arrived here, nobody knew who he was but now he and the other players get recognised all over town.

We think there are probably around 2,500 or 3,000 fans coming from the Catalan region for the final.

Trying to get a flight out of any airport in the region - like Perpignan, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Montpelier, Nimes, Girona or Barcelona - on Thursday or Friday is either impossible or very expensive.

Some of those who can't get a flight will travel by bus, which means a 15-hour journey - one way!

Many people from rural backgrounds like farmers and winery workers who had never been out of France before are finding ways to get to Wembley because they want to be there.

It will also be on pay-TV in France and there will be a big screen at the Stade Gilbert Brutus for those who can't make it to England.

The Dragons seem to be everyone's second-favourite team, so I think there will be about 50,000 fans supporting us at Wembley and being a Catalan for a day.

I'm coming over in a party of about 100.

Although I've been to Challenge Cup finals over the last couple of years, I've not had the chance to go to Wembley since I moved to France from Australia seven years ago and I'm really looking forward to hopefully seeing the Dragons win!

Source: BBC Sport