Catalans Dragons V Wigan Warriors preview: Here's the key information ahead of Saturday's game

Heading into the round 23 set of fixtures, the two teams currently occupy first and second in the Super League table.

The Warriors will be looking for an improved display from their last outing, where they overcame Hull FC with a drop-goal in the latter stages of golden point in the game at the DW Stadium.

Here’s some of the key information ahead of Saturday’s match at the Stade Gilbert Brutus:

The opposition

Catalans Dragons have been the standout team in Super League this season, and currently look like the favourites to enjoy Grand Final success in October.

They have won 17 of their 22 games, and have only been defeated on five occasions.

They are the top scorers in the competition, with 606 points for.

Meanwhile, in defence, only the Warriors (340) and St Helens (316) have better records than the Dragons (342).

They head into Saturday’s game with only one defeat in their last 12 Super League outings.

That loss came against Huddersfield Giants at the start of July, which they have recovered from with four consecutive victories.

Their most recent outing came against Adrian Lam’s Leopards at Leigh Sports Village on Saturday.

Mitchell Pearce, Paul Seguier, Tom Davies, Tyrone May and Manu Ma’u all went over in the 30-14 win.

The coach

Steve McNamara has been Catalans head coach since 2018.

In his first season at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, he guided the club to their first ever Challenge Cup, beating Warrington Wolves at Wembley.

Prior to his time in France, his previous Super League position was with Bradford Bulls between 2006 and 2010.

The 51-year-old also spent six years as England head coach, guiding his country to a World Cup semi-final in 2013.

Key men

Tom Johnstone currently leads the scoring charts in Super League, with 24 tries under his belt so far this season.

Meanwhile, on the other wing, Davies has crossed 12 times, and will be looking to go over against his former club.

The 26-year-old isn’t the only ex-Wigan player in the Catalans squad, with Sam Tomkins and Romain Navarrete also present in McNamara’s 21.

May has been the Dragons’ main creative spark this season, and has 17 assists this year.

Elsewhere, Adam Keighran, who will join the Warriors for the 2024 campaign, has scored eight tries and set up 10.

Previous Meetings

Wigan have already faced Catalans twice this season.

Their most recent meeting came at the Magic Weekend at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park, where Catalans claimed a 46-22 win.

Johnstone went over for a hat-trick in the North East, while Matt Whitley crossed for a brace.

Tries from Jake Wardle, Bevan French, Abbas Miski, Liam Marshall and Morgan Smithies were nothing than consolations in the heavy defeat.

Meanwhile, in the game at the DW Stadium back in March, the Dragons also came on top.

Maʻu scored twice as the French side produced a 18-10 victory, following a disappointing performance from the Warriors.

The two teams also met twice last season.

Catalans were the winners when Wigan travelled to Perpignan last season, winning 28-0 at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, in what was Peet’s first defeat as Wigan coach.

Meanwhile, when they met at the DW Stadium, McNamara named a youthful side, as the Warriors came away with a 48-4 victory.

Liam Marshall and Bevan French both scored braces, while Harry Smith, Kaide Ellis, Ethan Havard and Jake Bibby all crossed for tries as well.

Super League history

The Warriors have overcome the Dragons 30 times in Super League history.

Meanwhile, the Perpignan club have 13 wins to their name against Wigan.

There has also been one draw between the pair.

Form guide

Catalans Dragons- W W W W L

Wigan Warriors- W W W L W

Where to watch

This Saturday’s match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Arena, with coverage getting underway at 5.55pm.

Elsewhere this weekend

The Warriors’ academy side are also in action this weekend.

They will be looking to win their eighth consecutive match when they travel to the Totally Wicked Stadium to take on St Helens, who currently sit top of the table with a perfect record.

A victory would see Wigan move level on points with their rivals.

Last weekend, seven players from the Wigan academy were involved in the concluding game of the Origin series.

Kian McDermott, Nathan Lowe and Noah Hodkinson all went over for tries, while Jack Farrimond kicked four conversions, in Lancashire’s 44-16 victory over Yorkshire at Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium.

This result saw the Red Rose claim a 2-0 series win, after previously overcoming their opponents 42-20 at Castleford and drawing 32-32 at Hull KR.

The Lancashire side were coached by Wigan’s Shane Eccles for the three fixtures throughout the summer.

Apart from the first team game in Perpignan, the academy game against St Helens is the Warriors’ only other fixture this weekend.

The women’s side are only next in action on September 3, when they take on Huddersfield Giants at Robin Park Arena.

Their last outing ended in a 36-4 home defeat to York Valkyrie.

A first minute try from Sinead Doria proved to be nothing more than a consolation for Kris Ratcliffe’s side.

Final thoughts

As proven by their previous games against Catalans this season, Saturday’s trip to Perpignan will present a difficult challenge for Peet’s side.

The Dragons have been the best team in the competition, and don’t look like slowing down.

A win for the Warriors would be important in terms of the race of the League Leaders’ Shield, as well as trying to pick up some confidence for a potential play-off meeting with the French side later this year.