Ex-Wigan Warriors prop now starring as a WINGER in France

Former Warriors prop Joe Bretherton has experienced a French revolution – having transformed into a winger.
Joe Bretherton in FranceJoe Bretherton in France
Joe Bretherton in France

The Wiganer, who played 17 games for his hometown club between 2016 and ‘18, surfaced on many fans’ radars when a clip of him scoring a wonder-try last weekend was posted on social media (see embedded tweet).

His effort, in Toulouse’s 58-6 win over Oldham in the Championship, saw him chip over the full-back to finish to a sweeping ball-handling attacking move.

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The try was one of many that lit up Stade Ernest Wallon, the new home of Olympique, and it illustrated perfectly the kind of free-flowing French-style that coach Sylvain Houles is promoting.

Arriving at the club on loan in 2018 as a 6’5” front-rower, Bretherton is now playing on the wing after trying several positions in the team. He signed a full-tine contract for Toulouse last season and has never looked back.

“It was a massive lifestyle change when I first moved out here,” said Bretherton. “But it’s easy to fit in because the people are just like back home in the north west of England they are so down to earth and friendly.

“The biggest shock for me was the way Toulouse approach the game. I was used to the Wigan way and Shaun Wane’s tried and tested training techniques which have obviously been successful over the years.

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“It is totally different here in Toulouse where it’s a very French approach. Sylvain explained to me that he wanted me to bring my experiences from Wigan to help build structure into the team but at the same time he wanted me to adopt to the free-flowing techniques at the club.

“So he’s tried me in the pack, at centre, even out on the wing, and I’m loving it. When you are given the freedom to explore other positions it makes you more aware of what your team-mates do, and more importantly what the opposition are up to.

“It helps with team spirit too because you can’t blame each other when things go wrong. Once you’ve played in their position you understand more clearly what is expected in that role.”

Toulouse are aiming for promotion this season, which would see them join Catalans in Super League.

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“It’s going to be a tough year. It’s now or never for us because every year it’s getting more and more difficult to get into Super League with standards improving all the time,” added Bretherton.

“We’re in a new stadium close to the city centre and the brand of rugby league we intend to play this year is sure to bring in more people to help grow the game in France.

“There’s a lot of optimism over here at the moment, new teams like Valencia in Spain are cropping up and Catalans and Toulouse are continuing to grow.

“I feel very lucky to be part of the game’s development in France.

“Two Super League sides from France would open people’s eyes and encourage more players to try the game.”

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