JONES CONFIDENT OF DRAGONS CHALLENGE
By Ian Laybourn, PA Sport Rugby League Correspondent
Catalans Dragons are aiming to go one better than last year and become only the second French club to reach the last four Carnegie Challenge Cup.
The Dragons lost 56-10 to eventual winners St Helens in last year's quarter-finals but have high hopes of emulating Toulouse, who were the first French club to reach the semi-finals in 2005 when they lost 56-18 to Leeds.
They have yet to beat Hull after four Super League meetings but managed to draw 10-10 away in the opening match of this season.
Dragons chairman Bernard Guasch said: "This is a very big event for the club and the supporters.
"I think we have already demonstrated that we can compete with the biggest teams of Super League."
The Catalans are without loose forward Gregory Mounis but hooker Luke Quigley is set to make his Challenge Cup debut after being ineligible for the two previous rounds.
Captain Stacey Jones said: "We have a real chance to get a good result. We are really concentrating on this quarter-final and we will do our best to reach an historic semi-final."
The Frenchmen received a boost this week when Jones signed a new contract for 2008 but Hull coach Peter Sharp is refusing to target the influential Kiwi scrum-half.
"Stacey Jones is obviously their talisman, which is why they have been so desperate to get him signed up again for next season," said Sharp.
"He's real class but he's not the only one we have to worry about in their side. Adam Mogg is quality, Casey McGuire played well against us at the KC and Clint Greenshields at the back is also a good player."
