Castleford Tigers Women break new ground on the continent

Castleford Tigers Women have confirmed a “ground-breaking” loan move with French side Déesses Catalanes.
Jasmine Cudjoe.Jasmine Cudjoe.
Jasmine Cudjoe.

Castleford’s Jasmine Cudjoe, Lucy Eastwood, Esme Reynolds and Hollie Dodd will spend three weeks in Perpignan but they are scheduled to return ahead of the start of the Women’s Super League.

The four players will train with the French league leaders and will be available to feature in their upcoming games.

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Head coach Lindsay Anfield has hailed this as a first for women’s rugby league, saying: “This is a historic move not only for Castleford but for the women’s game as a whole.

Esme Reynolds.Esme Reynolds.
Esme Reynolds.

“This will be a fantastic experience for our girls and I hope they will learn a lot from it.”

The Castleford boss also praised the French side for their help with the move. She said: “We have a strong relationship with them [Catalans], having already played them twice – once over in France and the rematch here in England. I’d like to thank them for helping to organise this ground-breaking move and for maintaining our special relationship.”

Déesses Catalanes are one of the rising forces in French women’s rugby league. Similarly to Castleford, they come under the umbrella of their main club, the Catalans Dragons.

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Led by 2017 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup winning captain, Cyril Torres, the ‘Goddesses’ play their home games at the home of local side St Esteve XIII Catalan.

Hollie Dodd.Hollie Dodd.
Hollie Dodd.

When asked about the move, Castleford’s Jasmine Cudjoe said: “Basically, we’ve been asked to go over there and play some games. We’re going out there on the February 8 and we’re going for three weeks.

“With the language barrier, it’s going to be difficult. I know they have limited English so we’ll see how we can communicate with them. But, I’ve seen them play, they’re a really good team and they’ve got some really good players.”