Wigan Warriors: Five things we learned from the defeat against Catalans Dragons (A)

Amos Wynn reflects on the key talking points from Wigan Warriors’ 28-0 defeat against Catalans Dragons.
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1. Errors proved costly

Wigan were architects of their own downfall on Saturday night against Catalans Dragons.

There is no denying that the French side are a top team, who executed a superb game plan, but the Warriors made it far too easy.

Wigan Warriors were defeated 28-0 by Catalans Dragons in PerpignanWigan Warriors were defeated 28-0 by Catalans Dragons in Perpignan
Wigan Warriors were defeated 28-0 by Catalans Dragons in Perpignan
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Matty Peet’s side continually gave the ball away near their own line, simply looking like they couldn’t deal with the conditions or the slippery ball.

The more they struggled, the more Catalans increased the pressure, as they could sense their opponents were finding it difficult.

Grubber kick after grubber kick caused problems, and for some of the tries there will be a lot of frustration looking back.

2. Inviting pressure isn’t a new problem

This isn’t the first time this season that Wigan have invited pressure onto themselves.

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From the first gameweek they’ve allowed opponents to get close to their own line following an error.

Initially this wasn’t a problem as they were remaining defensively strong enough to hold out and not be punished.

It started to look more problematic in the Toulouse game last week, as they needed to come from behind against the bottom placed side in Super League.

Peet said before the Catalans game they needed to produce their best performance of the season to not get turned over, and instead it was probably their worst.

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3. Wigan needed to play the conditions better

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While the game took place in the South of France, it was certainly North West conditions.

It was a damp day at the Stade Gilbert Brutus which certainly would’ve impacted the way Wigan wanted to play.

The squad needed to adapt much better to the conditions.

At times they were trying too hard to play certain passes in difficult situations, which led to them making costly mistakes.

They’ve been so good in attack this season but just couldn’t click in this game, and not to get on the scoreboard is a major disappointment.

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Meanwhile, Catalans dealt with the weather well and used it to their advantage.

4. Lack of discipline at the end

Tempers certainly flared at full time, as two players were shown red cards for throwing punches.

Wigan’s Kaide Ellis was one of the offenders, and it was disappointing to see.

After the match Peet said: “I’m particularly disappointed with that. He knows and all of our players know that won’t be accepted, I don’t like it and they need to learn fast that it won’t be tolerated. There’s no excuse.”

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The biggest frustration is he will now be missing for the next few games.

It was certainly another sour note to a poor game.

5. Reaction will be key

Wigan face Castleford Tigers at the DW Stadium on Thursday night in their next game.

A short turnaround probably isn’t the worst thing, as it gives them a chance to quickly turn things around.

So much work has been put into the culture at the club, and this is the time when the benefits could be seen.

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They need a positive reaction to get themselves back on track.

One bad result doesn’t derail the good work that has been done, but it needs to be put right quickly.

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