Catalans v Wigan: Paris fixture a chance to grow rugby league – Partington

Super League kicked off in 1996 when Paris St Germain met Sheffield Eagles at the Charlety Stadium and this fixture brings rugby league back to the French capital.

It will also be the first match Catalans have relocated since they faced Wigan at Barcelona’s Camp Nou in 2019, a game which broke the Super League attendance record with a gate of 31,555.

Partington’s team-mate Zach Eckersley believes that Catalans, who are eighth in Super League, two points behind Wigan in sixth, will be highly motivated in front of what should be a decent crowd in Paris.

“It’s celebrating 30 years of them in the league and so they’ll definitely be there to perform well,” he said. “Hopefully we can perform well as well.”

Partington’s return to Wigan came after he made 28 appearances for Catalans in a tough 2025 season for the club, which saw former boss Steve McNamara leave and Joel Tomkins take over for what proved to be a short spell in charge before his exit earlier this season.

Former Hull FC boss John Cartwright has since taken over at the club and will lead them out in Paris.

“They look a lot better. I know Joel [Tomkins] and the staff there worked hard in pre-season to get them fitter and they definitely look fitter,” Partington added.

“They’ve had some good results this year, they beat Hull KR and had some really tough games, including ones they probably shouldn’t have won but they ended up pulling it out of the bag.

“They’re still finding their feet and finding what works for them but they have some standout wins and they’re already doing better than we did last year.

“It’s an exciting time for the club and they’re growing and have a new coach now so they will be looking to perform for him.”