Third placed Wigan Warriors made the long trip to the south of France to take on a Catalans Dragons who started the game in sixth spot but who knew that a win would lift them to fourth, and a win by twenty-seven or more points would lift them above their opponents and into third.
The Dragons had a handful of their stars back including their talisman Sam Tomkins who was back in their starting line-up, while the Warriors welcomed back Willie Isa, Jake Bibby and Tommy Leuluai.
Our pre-game Twitter poll showed that 86% thought that the Dragons would get the win, but the bookies were less convinced as they gave the Warriors just a two-point start on the handicap coupon.
It was a rough and tough opening seventeen minutes with the Dragons on the offense and the Warriors somehow managing to keep them at bay. After the Warriors lost the ball on their own twenty the Dragons finally got over with Mitchell Pearce stepping left and then right to avoid a pack of Warriors tacklers and go in. Sam Tomkins added the conversion, and the home side had a 6-0 lead, although it was little to show for their early dominance.
Tomkins added a twenty-metre penalty on twenty-two and another on twenty-five to extend the lead to 10-0.
Three minutes from half time Mickael Goudemand picked up a Michael McIlorum grubber which had rebounded off Wigan legs to dive over the line for the second Dragons try of the half and Tomkins added the extras to send the Dragons into the sheds with a 16-0 lead.
A mix up in the Wigan defence gifted Pearce his second of the night on forty-five when Cade Cust was unable to deal with a Josh Drinkwater grubber under the sticks and the Dragons scrum half pounced to ground the loose ball. Tomkins added the conversion for 22-0.
On sixty-one Samisoni Langi chased down another pinpoint Drinkwater grubber to dive and get his hand on the ball in goal as Zak Hardaker failed to cover back and make the ball dead. Tomkins kicked his sixth goal of the night for a 28-0 lead.
Tempers frayed on sixty-nine with punches thrown resulting in red cards for Kaide Ellis and Jordan Dezaria as the two sides played out the remaining minutes with no further score.
If there were any questions about Catalans Dragons in 2022 they answered a lot of them tonight as they took apart a Wigan Warriors side who were previously unbeaten this season, and who had spent the week in France preparing for the game. Tomkins tormented his old side and Drinkwater´s pinpoint kicking was the visitors biggest undoing. The game ended with frayed tempers and a couple of red cards, with the disciplinary likely to have a busy time scrutinising the closing stages.
The Dragons above the Warriors into third spot as they look for a Grand Final repeat.
Catalans Dragons: Tomkins (6G), Romano, Langi (T), Whare, Davies, Drinkwater, Pearce (2T), Dezaria (SO on 69), McIlorum, McMeeken, Whitley, Jullien, Garcia. Subs: Dudson, Goudemand (T), May, Chan J.
Wigan Warriors: Field, Marshall, Bibby, Pearce-Paul, Hardaker, Cust, Leuluai, Singleton, Powell, Ellis (SO on 69), Farrell, Bateman, Isa. Subs: Mago, Smithies, Byrne, Shorrocks.
Half-Time: 16-0.
Full-Time: 28-0.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 8-0, 10-0, 14-0, 16-0 : HT : 20-0, 22-0, 26-0, 28-0, (SO), (SO) : FT .
Referee: Rob Hicks.
