If there was once ever an afternoon for rugby league’s maximum a hit enlargement membership to put down a marker for the Super League name, in all probability it was once as of late. With IMG pronouncing extra about their plans to revolutionize the game, and enlargement golf equipment on the middle of that aspiration for expansion, there arguably wasn’t a greater time for Catalans Dragons to jot down their very own slice of historical past within the procedure.
For the primary time since arriving within the Super League in 2006, the Catalans have began a season with 4 successive league victories. Throw in the truth that this newest triumph – their first at Wigan since 2011 and handiest their 3rd in this floor – was once accomplished in depressing stipulations, the type that Dragons appeared incapable of successful in only some years in the past, and it’s tough to not be inspired. As begins pass, that is as encouraging as you might be more likely to to find.
It was once additionally accomplished amid an important damage disaster with arguably their maximum vital gamers, together with the England captain, Sam Tomkins, and their celebrity half-back, Mitchell Pearce, injured. They misplaced two extra gamers to damage all through this contest, but nonetheless got here up at the proper aspect of the end result. It might handiest be 4 wins, and Steve McNamara was once made up our minds to stay grounded post-match, however there are some very thrilling early indicators.
“You won’t get me mentioning anything like that,” McNamara mentioned when requested about Catalans’ name possibilities. “We may have misplaced a few the ones video games however our self-discipline stored us in the ones video games. Tonight in opposition to high quality opposition, it was once excellent sufficient with out being impressive given the stipulations.”
There is no doubting the Catalans handled the wintry conditions better than Wigan, a sentence that almost defies belief given what weather the Dragons are used to at home in Perpignan. With heavy snow throughout, errors were always going to be decisive. It was Wigan who made more mistakes in crucial moments, and their opponents took full advantage. They broke the deadlock when Manu Ma’u crossed from close range, with Adam Keighran converting before adding a penalty to make it 8–0. With the Warriors wasting a number of good chances to reduce the deficit, the Catalans made them pay again when Arthur Romano finished a smart move to extend their lead to 12.
A penalty from Harry Smith narrowed the gap to 10 at the break, but it was clear by then that Wigan were having an off night. “Our execution allow us to down,” the Warriors’ coach, Matt Peet, said. “In big games against good teams, those are very crucial. It was a frustrating evening. They have only won two of their first four games and, unlike the Catalans, are still yet to properly get going in 2023. The Dragons punished them for that, even with such a glut of talent at home in France.
Ma’u was sent to the sin-bin shortly before half-time, allowing Wigan to strike as Harry Smith crossed before converting his own try, but when Ma’u returned so did the Catalans’ defensive structure. They didn’t concede another try all evening, although a second penalty from the boot of Smith clawed the gap back to two and set up a compelling final quarter.
However, the Catalans struck at exactly the right time once again. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, Ma’u collected a clever midfield kick from Tyrone May before rounding Jai Field to give Keighran a simple conversion to open up an eight-point lead. With conditions so poor and errors aplenty, that moment always felt like it was going to be pivotal.
Wigan threw extra on the Catalans within the final mins to check out to arrange a grandstand finale, however you at all times felt the Dragons, with their newfound resilience, had been going to hold on. Nothing is gained in March, in fact, however the early indicators are encouraging for the lads from Perpignan.