Tag: Levy Nzoungou

Preview | Catalans Dragons vs Salford Red Devils | Saturday 21st July

Posted on by Ryan Booth

The Red Devils travel to Perpignan to take on Catalans Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus this coming Saturday, and Ian Watson’s side will be looking to build on their encouraging display during last week’s loss to Castleford Tigers. 
Last time out
Salford head into this weekend’s showdown after producing a creditable display last Friday at the The Salford Stadium.
Despite falling to a 6-24 defeat, Watson’s troops more than matched last year’s League Leaders Shield winners and found themselves on level terms at the interval – though Castleford did take the lead through Jake Webster on 18 minutes.
After persistently piling the pressure amongst the Tigers’ defensive line, Salford’s efforts were rewarded five minutes prior to the break when Jake Bibby latched onto Ed Chamberlain’s low kick to touch down in the corner.


However, the second half didn’t quite live up to expectations and the visitors crossed for three second half efforts as Webster grabbed his second, before Michael Shenton and Kieran Gill also crossed to snatch victory, following an error-ridden affair.
Catalans meanwhile, head into the tie on the back of a thrilling 22-22 draw with Warrington last time out. Despite taking the lead through Benjamin Jullien, the Dragons soon found themselves up against it as the hosts scored three quick-fire tries through Bryson Goodwin, Josh Charnley and Harvey Livett.
However, the French side regrouped and immediately clawed their way back into the contest as Michael McIlorum surged over the whitewash, before Tony Gigot crossed three minutes prior to the break to the level the scores.
Josh Drinkwater – who has been in breathtaking form since signing for Catalans in April – kicked five goals, but neither side was unable to claim a late victory.
Form 
Both sides made slow starts to 2018, Steve McNamara’s Dragons had won just once prior to the Good Friday meeting with Salford at the AJ Bell, whilst the Red Devils had achieved marginally better with two victories.
On that March afternoon, it was Watson’s side who’d triumph as tries from Jake Bibby, Niall Evalds, Greg Johnson, Josh Jones and Kris Welham along with six goals from Robert Lui ensured The Red Devils secured a comfortable win.
That fixture appeared to spark a French revolution. Since then, Catalans have played an intriguing brand of Rugby and have managed to conjure up 8 wins from 14 games and reach the semi-finals of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.
During their recent run, the Dragons overturned Salford 26-12 at the Magic Weekend, as former red Jodie Broughton crossed for a hat-trick.
Salford have swept aside Huddersfield Giants, Wakefield Trinity and Widnes Vikings in the same period but have suffered frequent injury blows. The Red Devils will be hopeful of producing another battling performance this time out, after nullifying Castleford’s attacking power for much of last week’s tie.
Head-to-Head
In this week’s head-to-head we pit versatile backs Ed Chamberlain and David Mead against each other, as we highlight the pair’s influences within their respective sides.
Chamberlain – who joined the Red Devils permanently on Wednesday – has certainly caught the eye since arriving initially on-loan from Widnes last month. Naturally a centre, the 22-year-old is also capable of filling the void on either wing or at full-back, with the latter being his primary position for Salford thus far.
Ed has made three appearances for the club during his loan spell and particularly impressed in recent defeats to Hull Kingston Rovers and Castleford.
It was during his home debut versus the Tigers where the youngster truly shone though, the former Widnes man produced a classy display throughout and provided a delicate kick to assist Jake Bibby’s first-half effort.


David Mead is one of the most influential players in the world scene of Rugby League, the Papua New Guinea captain shone for his country at the 2017 RLWC ‘down under’ and has carried this form into his spell with the Dragons.
The 29-year-old is the Dragons’ top scorer with 8 tries and possesses a similar versatility to Chamberlain, which makes him a formidable threat. Mead is more than handy at full-back, wing or centre – with Catalans boss McNamara opting to play him in the former for much of the campaign.
Team News
Jackson Hastings – who joined the Red Devils this week – misses out on the 19-man squad and will not arrive in the UK until next week, injured duo Greg Johnson and Logan Tomkins remain sidelined for the trip to Perpignan.
On a positive note, Full-back Niall Evalds returns to the squad following a nine-week spell on the sidelines after breaking a bone in his leg during April’s victory over Wakefield Trinity.
24-year-old Evalds replaces Luke Burgess in the squad who is still suffering from a recurring knee injury. Prop Craig Kopczak is named in the squad but is unlikely to feature as the forward hasn’t fully recovered from a quadricep injury.
French forward Levy Nzoungou made his second appearance – and his home debut – last Friday against Castleford Tigers and will be looking to make it back-to-back appearances this weekend as he returns to his homeland.
As for the visitors, former Red Devil Jodie Broughton has been given the go-ahead to feature and will be looking to haunt Salford once more, after grabbing a sublime hat-trick as Catalans triumphed over Salford in May’s Magic Weekend. The winger replaces Mickael Goudemand in what is the sole change to the French side’s squad from last week’s battle with Warrington.
Squads
Catalans: David Mead, Jodie Broughton, Brayden Williame, Fouad Yaha, Samisoni Langi, Rémi Casty, Sam Moa, Louis Anderson, Benjamin Garcia, Greg Bird, Julian Bousquet, Mickael Simon, Jason Baitieri, Michael McIlorum, Lewis Tierney, Benjamin Jullien, Tony Gigot, Josh Drinkwater, Kenny Edwards.
Salford: Junior Sa’u, Niall Evalds, Rob Lui, Craig Kopczak, Josh Jones, Mark Flanagan, Lama Tasi, Ryan Lannon, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Josh Wood, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Jake Bibby, Levy Nzoungou, Daniel Murray, Jake Shorrocks, Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke.
Table Permutations  
Salford have the opportunity to move to within a point of Hull Kingston Rovers in the Betfred Super League table, providing the Robins fail to secure any points when they host Warrington Wolves at KCOM Craven Park this evening.
A Catalans victory would see the Dragons move above Wakefield into 6th place, at least until Trinity entertain Hull FC on Sunday afternoon.
Ready for the Rhinos!
Purchase your tickets for our game with Leeds on Friday 27th July from the Club Ticket Office, on 0161 786 1570 or by simply clicking HERE.

Squad | Ian Watson names 19-man for trip to France

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad that will travel to Perpignan to face Catalans Dragons on Saturday.
Fullback Niall Evalds returns to the squad following a nine-week spell on the sideliens after breaking a bone in his leg in April’s victory over Wakefield Trinity.
Ed Chamberlain – who has started at fullback in the past two fixtures – retains his place in the side for the trip to Catalans.
French forward Levy Nzoungou made his second appearance – and his home debut – last Friday against Castleford Tigers and could make it back-to-back appearances this weekend.
Ben Nakubuwai returned to the team last weekend and will be looking to retain his place in France.
Craig Kopczak is named in the squad but is unlikely to feature as the forward hasn’t fully recovered from a quadricep injury. Luke Burgess is the one change to the side as he is still struggling with a knee injury.
The full squad is as follows:
Junior Sa’u, Niall Evalds, Rob Lui, Craig Kopczak, Josh Jones, Mark Flanagan, Lama Tasi, Ryan Lannon, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Josh Wood, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Jake Bibby, Levy Nzoungou, Daniel Murray, Jake Shorrocks, Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke.
Ready for the Rhinos!
Purchase your tickets for our game with Leeds on Friday 27th July from the Club Ticket Office, on 0161 786 1570 or by simply clicking HERE.
 
 

Preview | Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers | Friday 13th July

Posted on by Ryan Booth

The Red Devils host Castleford Tigers at the The Salford Stadium this coming Friday as Ian Watson’s men look to return to winning ways following last week’s disappointing defeat at Hull Kingston Rovers.
Last time out
Salford dominated the early stages at KCOM Craven Park and raced into a 6-0 lead as Greg Johnson bulldozed his way over the whitewash. Ed Chamberlain marked his first start for the club with three goals, but Johnson’s effort proved to be the visitors’ sole score in the first period.
After the break, Junior Sa’u managed to claim two well worked tries before Jake Bibby crossed in the dying minutes of the contest.


Unfortunately for Salford though, the hosts proved too hot to handle. Danny McGuire claimed a sublime hat-trick, Will Oakes crossed for a double, whilst Ryan Shaw, Adam Quinlan, James Greenwood and Joel Tomkins also touched down to condemn the Devils to defeat.
Castleford meanwhile, head into the showdown in fine form after pummelling Leeds Rhinos at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle in their last fixture. Highly-rated youngster Jake Trueman scored twice whilst Jesse Sene-Lefao also crossed for a brace of his own.
Leeds – who were under the stewardship of new management team Kevin Sinfield and James Lowes for the very first time – did manage to conjure up 10 points thanks to Tom Briscoe’s double and a goal from Liam Sutcliffe but Cas proved too superior.
Daryl Powell’s side were in a ruthless mood and found themselves over on three further occasions as the recently injured Greg Eden, Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e and Matt Cook all touched down. Leeds did lose captain Stevie Ward to injury early in the second half, but by then, the damage has already been done.
Form 
Salford have endured mixed fortunes in recent weeks, first the Red Devils returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion after triumphing 26-12 over Widnes Vikings to earn a crucial victory at the The Salford Stadium.
Two weeks later, Watson’s side travelled to nearby Warrington and competed with the Wolves for the majority of the fixture. Jack Littlejohn had arguably his best performance in a Salford shirt, after crossing for two tries, but the Australian’s night would end in disaster after rupturing his bicep.
Jake Bibby finished off a stunning team move by diving over in front of the travelling Salford faithful, but Warrington struck five times in the final 30 minutes to put the game to bed. Salford then conceded 9 tries at Hull KR just over a week later.
Castleford on the other hand, have lost just two of their last eight fixtures. The Tigers ran riot over Leeds at the Magic Weekend, secured further victories over Hull KR, Warrington, Wigan Warriors, before sentencing the Rhinos to another defeat last weekend.
The Tigers are an unpredictable side though, Powell’s men have been heavily beaten by both St Helens and the Catalans Dragons over the last two months, with each racking up 40 points or more against last year’s League Leaders Shield winners. Cas also drew 24-all with Hull KR four weeks ago and will be wary of the various threats Salford could potentially impose on Friday Evening.
Head-to-Head
In this week’s head-to-head we pit forwards Mark Flanagan and Grant Millington against each other as we take a closer look into the pair’s impact within their respective sides.
Flanagan – who joined the Red Devils in 2016 from St Helens – has heavily impressed during his time at the The Salford Stadium. Despite missing the majority of the Super 8s last season through a shoulder injury, ‘Flash’ is a highly influential player within the squad and his ball-playing style sees him act as a third half-back in the majority of the Red Devils’ plays.
The 30-year-old is a creative player who brings a level of class and experience to the team’s attack and defence, which has seen him emerge as a consistent performer for yet another season.


Millington joined the Tigers from the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2012, the 31-year-old is of a similar mould to Flanagan and despite not always featuring at loose-forward, the Aussie is always involved in his side’s plays.
Both Flanagan and Millington are highly experienced veterans and whichever side comes out on top on Friday evening, it is almost a certainty that one of the duo will have been heavily involved throughout.
Team News
Greg Johnson – who opened the scoring for Salford during last week’s defeat to the Robins – misses out on this week’s squad after being leaving the field prematurely last time out. Hooker Logan Tomkins also leaves the 19-man squad after picking up an injury in the same clash.
The duo are replaced by Luke Burgess – who has been out of action since the 30-0 defeat to Wigan in early May – and Craig Kopczak.
As for the visitors, Jamie Ellis is replaced in the Tigers’ 19-man squad and is replaced by promising back-rower Kieran Gill. Gill, 22, has spent time on-loan at League One side Oldham in recent times and impressed enough to earn a recall. In other news, Joe Wardle returns to the fold at the expense of Nathan Massey.
Squads
Salford: Junior Sa’u, Robert Lui, Craig Kopczak, Josh Jones, Mark Flanagan, Lama Tasi, Ryan Lannon, Luke Burgess, Tyrone McCarthy, Ben Nakubuwai, Josh Wood, Derrell Olpherts, Lee Mossop, Jake Bibby, Levy Nzoungou, Daniel Murray, Jake Shorrocks, Ed Chamberlain, Greg Burke.
Castleford: James Clare, Mitch Clark, Matt Cook, Greg Eden, Tuoyo Egodo, Kieran Gill, Oliver Holmes, Quentin Laulu-Togaga’e, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Junior Moors, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Michael Shenton, Gadwin Springer, Jake Trueman, Liam Watts, Joe Wardle, Jake Webster.
Table Permutations  
A Salford Red Devils victory could see them climb a place to 10th in the Betfred Super League table, providing Hull KR fail to secure any points at Widnes. 9th place Leeds entertain local rivals Wakefield Trinity at the Emerald Headingley Stadium – and alongside a Red Devils win – a Trinity victory could see Salford move to within a point of the Rhinos.
Castleford currently occupy third spot in the table, three points adrift of Wigan. However, a win for Powell’s side could see them reduce the gap between the sides to a single point, if the Warriors lose at Huddersfield.

Squad | Ian Watson names his 19-man squad for visit of Castleford

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Salford Red Devils Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad to take on Castleford Tigers at the The Salford Stadium on Friday evening, 8pm kick-off. 
Ed Chamberlain retains his place in the squad after making his first start for the Red Devils at Hull Kingston Rovers last Sunday. Levy Nzoungou is also named in the 19-man squad again and could feature on Friday evening.
Ben Nakubuwai – who was the 18th man against Hull Kingston Rovers – could move back into the team after being listed in this week’s squad. Josh Jones and Tyrone McCarthy will continue in the squad after making a successful returns last weekend.
Greg Johnson misses out after picking up a foot injury this past weekend against Hull Kingston Rovers while Logan Tomkins has also picked up a foot injury and will be absent for Friday’s game.
Jack Littlejohn is out with a ruptured bicep but did undergo successful surgery last Saturday. Niall Evalds and Kriss Brining are also still recovering from injuries.
Craig Kopczak and Luke Burgess are both named but are unlikely to feature after carrying knocks in recent weeks.
The Tigers are in Town, but we’ll roar louder! 
Tickets for our next home game against Castleford Tigers on Friday 13th July are available to purchase at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone or online here.
The full squad can be seen below:

Squad | Ian Watson names 19-man to take on KR at KCOM Craven Park

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad for Sunday’s Betfred Super League tie with Hull Kingston Rovers at KCOM Craven Park.
Ed Chamberlain could be set to make his first start since arriving at Salford last month. Josh Jones returns to the side following an ankle issue while Tyrone McCarthy is also named after a stint on the sideline.
Levy Nzoungou is named in the squad and could make his second Betfred Super League appearance for the Red Devils. Greg Johnson may also return to the starting seventeen.
Jack Littlejohn is absent and is set to undergo surgery on a ruptured bicep on Saturday while Kris Welham is recovering from surgery on a finger injury.
Craig Kopczak is still struggling with an injured quadricep as confirmed by Ian Watson in last week’s post-match press conference which can be seen here.
Niall Evalds and Kriss Brining both remain sidelined.
Here is the squad in full:

Squad | Levy Nzoungou joins Swinton on loan

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Salford Red Devils forward Levy Nzoungou has joined Betfred Championship side Swinton Lions on a one-month loan deal. 
Nzoungou has spent time on loan with the Lions earlier in the season appearing twice for Swinton against Halifax and Toulouse. The French forward made his Betfred Super League debut last month against Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium.
Levy has also featured for Whitehaven and dual-registration partners Oldham in Betfred League One so far this season.
Nzoungou will be in line to appear in each of Swinton’s upcoming Betfred Championship fixtures against  Halifax, London Broncos and Dewsbury Rams.
Levy Nzoungou is proudly sponsored by Payroll Central UK.  
Tickets for our next home game against Widnes Vikings are available at the Club Ticket Office, over the phone on 0161 786 1570 or online HERE. Purchase yours now and support the lads as they go in search of a crucial two points in the Betfred Super League.

Squad | Ian Watson confirms 19-man squad for Challenge Cup tie at Leigh

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad for Friday’s trip to Leigh Centurions in the Sixth Round of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.
Niall Evalds returns to the squad following a week on the sidelines after failing a concussion test in the defeat against St Helens.
Forward trio George Griffin, Lee Mossop, Mark Flanagan all return to the Salford Red Devils squad.
Gavin Bennion and Levy Nzoungou are the absentees after making their competitive debuts last weekend at Wigan Warriors. Ryan Lannon also misses out.
Halfback Rob Lui is still recovering from a knock picked up against Wakefield but is nearing a return.
Here is the 19-man squad in full:

Three Talking Points | Wigan Warriors 30-0 Salford Red Devils

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

In this week’s ‘Three talking points’ we focus on three 2018 additions who all stood out despite defeat at Wigan Warriors.
Gavin Bennion
The first Salford Red Devils debutant was Gavin Bennion who has been on loan with Swinton for the early part of the 2018 season however the forward was brought into the side for last night’s trip to Wigan.
Bennion was named in the front-row and started the game really well with Head Coach Ian Watson praising his first stint of the field in his post-match press conference. The 24-year-old was a prominent figure in defence throughout the game.
The forward could be looking to cement a spot in the first team in the near future.
Levy Nzoungou 
The other debutant for the Salford was youngster Levy Nzoungou was featured for Whitehaven, Oldham and Swinton before making his first Betfred Super League appearance last night.
Nzoungou came on from the bench for the Red Devils and made an impact taking the ball to the Warriors defence. The Frenchman was taking three and sometimes four Wigan defenders with him and managed to get some quick play-the-balls.
The 20-year-old now offers Ian Watson yet another option in the pack and we could certainly see Nzoungou feature again in the coming weeks.
Derrell Olpherts
He was chosen as the ‘Player in Focus’ in this week’s ‘Stat Pack’ after making a successful move to fullback in the absence of Niall Evalds.
Olpherts now has four Betfred Super League appearances to his name and adjusted to the role of fullback extremely well. He was confident under the high ball, worked hard with ball in hand and made a couple of key tackles for Salford.
Head Coach Ian Watson has a versatile back in Olpherts who has already slotted in at fullback, winger and centre in 2018.

Preview | Wigan Warriors vs Salford Red Devils | Friday 4th May

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Salford Red Devils travel to Wigan Warriors looking to make it back-to-back away victories for the first time in 2018.  
The Red Devils suffered defeat last weekend to St Helens but still remain inside the top eight while the Warriors sit in 2nd place two points behind the Betfred Super League leaders Saints.
Form
Salford Red Devils come into the game looking to bounce back following a heavy defeat against current Betfred Super League leaders St Helens last weekend at the The Salford Stadium.
However, the Red Devils had hit a good spell prior to the last Friday’s defeat with back-to-back wins over Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Trinity. The away win against Huddersfield was the team’s first since May of 2017 and they will be looking to earn consecutive wins on the road for the first time this season at the DW Stadium.
Wigan have been in fine form lately losing just one of their last nine games; a Good Friday defeat to local rivals St Helens. The Warriors have overcome the likes of Hull Kingston Rovers, Catalans Dragons, Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers and Widnes Vikings since losing to the league leaders at the end of March.
Head-to-head
In this week’s head-to-head we pit two centres against each other in experienced Salford veteran Kris Welham and young Wigan star Oliver Gildart.
Welham has been one of Salford’s ever-present players this season and has continued to impress after a great debut season in 2017. The centre scored in the meeting between the sides earlier in the season and has crossed for four tries this season.
Gildart – who has spent time on loan at Salford before – has been one of the standout performers for Wigan again this season already scoring eight tries including a brace against the Red Devils.
The meeting earlier in the season saw Wigan cause issues down the left-hand flank and it will be interesting to see which centre comes out on top this weekend as it could have a big influence on the final result.
Team News
Levy Nzoungou and Gavin Bennion are set to make their debuts for the Salford Red Devils at the DW Stadium on Friday evening.
Young forward Daniel Murray also returns to the squad after sealing a new two-year deal at the The Salford Stadium. Lee Mossop, Mark Flanagan and Josh Jones are absent.
Robert Lui is still recovering from a minor injury he picked up in the win over Wakefield while Manu Vatuvei and Kriss Brining are long-term injuries with the latter undergoing surgery earlier this week. Niall Evalds also misses out due to failing a concussion assessment last weekend against St Helens.
Jake Shorrocks could feature against his parent club while Ben Nakubuwai also returns to the 19-man squad.
Joe Burgess is the big absentee for Wigan after he picked up a season-ending injury earlier in the week. Liam Farrell also misses out with an ankle injury.
However, John Bateman returns after recovering from an illness while Ben Flower and Sam Tomkins – who missed out against Widnes last week – both return to the squad.
Squads 
Wigan: Bateman, Clubb, Davies, Escare, Flower, Gildart, Hamlin, Isa, Leuluai, Marshall, Navarrete, O’Loughlin, Powell, Sarginson, Sutton, Tautai, J. Tomkins, S. Tomkins, Williams.
Salford: Johnson, Welham, Sa’u, Littlejohn, Kopczak, L. Tomkins, Hauraki, Tasi, Lannon, Burgess, McCarthy, Nakubuwai, Wood, Olpherts, Bibby, Nzoungou, Murray, Bennion, Shorrocks.
Officials 
Referee: C. Kendall.
Touch Judges: A. Martin & G. Jones.

Squad | Ian Watson could name two debutants against Wigan

Posted on by Luke Wallworth

Head Coach Ian Watson has named his 19-man squad for Friday’s trip to the DW Stadium to face Wigan Warriors.
Off-season additions Levy Nzoungou and Gavin Bennion could both be in line to make their competitive debuts for the Red Devils following successful spells on loan.
Club Captain Weller Hauraki returns to the squad alongside another one of the off-season newcomers Ben Nakubuwai who – before last weekend – had played 11 consecutive fixtures in 2018.
Daniel Murray could also be set to return to the team off the back of a new two-year deal with the Club.
Mark Flanagan, Lee Mossop, and Josh Jones are the forwards who miss out while Rob Lui is still recovering from a minor injury picked up in the recent victory over Wakefield.
Niall Evalds is ruled out due to failing a concussion assessment in last weekend’s defeat against St Helens.
Manu Vatuvei and Kriss Brining remained sidelined with the latter due to undergo surgery in the coming days.
The full 19-man squad can be seen below:

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