Whitehaven full-back Louis Jouffret says he will return to France a better rugby player after completing his stint with the West Cumbrian outfit.

Jouffret was signed on a short-term contract at The Recreation Ground and made nine appearances for James Coyle’s side scoring two tries and kicking 28 goals.

His final appearance came in Sunday’s 29-0 win against Featherstone in Haven’s last regular season game ahead of the Super 8s which begin on the weekend of August 8 and 9.

“I will go back to France as a better player,” the youngster said. “Championship rugby was a real step up from the French Reserve grade.

“The Reserve grade is a little slower because there are more mistakes. There are a lot fewer mistakes in the Championship and it’s been good to play in this league.

“The next step for me is to play Super League. I will now go back to Catalans’ Reserve side and hopefully get the chance to play with them.”

Jouffret admitted that he hadn’t played full-back before turning out for Whitehaven in that position and was now open to the possibility of moving to that role full-time.

“I’d never played full-back before coming here,” he said. “But I worked a lot with the team and I’m used to it now – I may end up playing there, who knows.”

The Frenchman said he couldn’t have asked for a better ending to his time at Whitehaven after kicking four goals and helping his side’s defensive effort as Featherstone failed to register a single point on Sunday.

“It was a great way to finish. It was good to get the win and even better keeping them nilled. I’ve enjoyed everything about my time here; the lads and the atmosphere on and off the pitch. It’s good to help the team get back to winning ways and it was an outstanding performance.”

Coach Coyle reserved special praise for Jouffret and the impact he had on the side during his stay.

“Louis will be missed, he helped kickstart our season and how we have played over the last few weeks. It’s no secret that us picking up these wins coincided with his arrival. He understood what we wanted from him straight away and he was then showing the other players, it made it easier for us coaches.”