JAMAL FAKIR, a try-scorer in Catalans Dragons’ 38-30 upset of Wigan Warriors, was yesterday cleared by an RFL video review panel to play against Salford City Reds, the other surprise package of the opening round of the engage Super League season, at The Willows on Friday.
Fakir, the France forward, avoided a date with the disciplinary committee when he was told he had no case to answer for a high tackle on Wayne Godwin, the Wigan hooker. Salford’s 24-6 defeat of Warrington Wolves has teed up an intriguing encounter with the Dragons, the first of successive away trips for the French side.
They then play Castleford Tigers on Sunday week before Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos visit Perpignan, where Saturday’s victory, in front of a partisan 11,122 crowd, made front-page news. “It’s up to us to capitalise on that publicity and goodwill,” Grant Mayer, the chief executive, said.
The 65,634 aggregate attendance for the six matches was the fourth-highest for an opening round in 11 years, but as only Leeds of the best supported clubs were at home, League officials were pleased with an average crowd of nearly 11,000.
Despite NRL clubs threatening to scupper plans to stage the next World Cup in Australia as a pre-season event in March 2008 — they favour an autumn slot — the first qualifying games between Georgia, Holland, Russia and Serbia will be played between this April and June.