Catalans Dragons vs Hull FC Predictions: Mourgue to shine in Catalans stroll

Catalans Dragons aim to bounce straight back from their surprise defeat at Leeds Rhinos when they welcome an out-of-sorts Hull FC to the Stade Gilbert Brutus on Saturday evening (17:30 GMT) 

Tony Smith’s Black and Whites may have grabbed their first win of the season against London Broncos last week, but they came so close to losing a game that Smith described as a “bit of a heartstopper”. The Dragons, meanwhile, will be smarting from their first loss of the season at Headingley, and our Catalans Dragons vs Hull FC predictions reflect an expectation that the French side will bounce back.

Team news

Catalans have been able to name an unchanged squad after none of their three sin-binnings last week in Leeds incurred a ban. French prop Paul Seguier returned from suspension last week but was not involved at Headingley, and will be pushing for inclusion on Saturday.

Hull make one change to their squad, with forward Herman Ese’ese back available following his two-match ban. Jack Brown is the man to miss out as he serves his own one-game suspension. The Black and Whites are missing 13 senior players either injured or suspended, so loan pair Matty Russell and Joe Bullock keep their places. Russell impressed on the wing last week.

Tex Hoy was left out against London but is included in the initial squad, while after making his first-team debut off the bench against London Jack Charles keeps his place. Carlos Tuimavave returned from his calf injury last week and felt no ill effects.

Catalans Dragons -20.5 Handicap 2-Way @ 20/21

In many ways this feels like the perfect fixture for Catalans to bounce back from their first defeat of the season. They won both games against Hull FC last year, including a 38-6 thumping in this home fixture, and I have seen nothing so far from Hull to suggest they can find a way to win this game.

Sure, the nervy win over London last week will have settled a few early-season jitters, but even Smith himself would admit that there was a lot wrong with that performance. The injury and suspension list has not helped of course, but if I was a Hull fan travelling to Perpignan this week I would be doing so to enjoy the scenery rather than in expectation of a positive result on the rugby pitch.

A wounded Dragons side is often a dangerous one and I expect the home team to respond well, and cover the handicap.

Arthur Mourgue anytime tryscorer @ 6/4

The Catalans Dragons full-back had a couple of nibbles at a try in last week’s defeat to Leeds, but will find far more opportunities to justify his value with a try against Hull FC this week.

Mourgue scored in the opening-round home win over Warrington Wolves and is likely to be heavily involved in the final third again here. The Dragons are yet to fully cut loose this year and this weekend might just present the perfect opportunity, and 6/4 implies a 40% hope of Mourgue crossing.

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