Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos: Memories make Perpignan trip an occasion for Jamie Jones-Buchanan

The 37-year-old will hang up his boots at the end of the season and this could be the final time he makes one of his favourite away trips.

Rhinos’ squad were travelling direct to Perpignan today on a chartered flight.

They will return to England immediately after the match, which kicks off at 5pm French time.

“Historically, this has a bit of significance for me,” Jones-Buchanan said.

“The hotel we are stopping in brings back some memories of me going over there back in 1998 as a Great Britain academy player and sitting on the wall outside the hotel with my nana and Kev [Sinfield] and Lee Radford, as young players.

“There’s some nice memories. My mum has a house over there and she’s only an hour away and Catalans are her second team.

“I’ve also got a half-brother [Jodie Broughton] who plays for Catalans and there’s a real affinity. It is a big ‘occasion’, but in the context of where we are now it is just another game and one we desperately need to win and compete in and play well because we need to start picking up some two points.”

The home loss to London Broncos a week ago was Jones-Buchanan’s first competitive game of the season after recovering from a nerve problem which affected his legs.

“I am all right,” he confirmed.

“I totted it up and I’ve maybe played about 80 minutes of rugby in the last six months so that’s not ideal and I missed a lot of training with my leg.

“Its not 100 per cent, but it’s one of those where you get back to full fitness as time goes along.

“I am actually pretty happy considering all the factors.

“I had a look at the game and some of my individual stuff and I think that enjoyment of being out there with the lads never wears off.

“I was really happy with that side of it, but obviously very, very disappointed with the result.

“We just didn’t compete for the full 80 minutes, we should have come away with a certain two points.”

Leadership and experience are two qualities Jones-Buchanan’s return brings to the squad.

“It is a young group of players,” he said.

“I think the role I’ve got in my last little while at the club is to pass on the winning formulas and part of that DNA that Kev Sinfield talks about as our director of rugby and try and implement that.

“It is tough because they are a new group and they’ve got to go through these experiences.

“In three or four years’ time we will look back and, hopefully, have forgotten this start to 2019 and we’ll know then it was a huge part of their development.

“What I bring to the team first and foremost is to do my tackles and my runs and try and do the hard graft around the middle and then pass on some of that experience to the young boys.”