Wigan Warriors thrash league leaders Catalans Dragons with 34-0 victory

Warriors’ 34-0 victory at a fungus-mottled State Gilbert Brutus means they join St Helens in being just two competition points adrift of the Dragons on the second rung of the Super League ladder.

The race for the League Leaders Shield has been blown open.

This was one of Wigan’s best performances in recent memory – and one of the worst from Steve McNamara’s French side who will inevitably face speculation of a late-season fadeout with three of their last four away from home.

A ferocious approach in defence coupled with a merciless kicking when in range of the Catalans goal-line gave the visitors their commanding 22-0 halftime lead.

The physical nature of the contest was reflected early with Liam Byrne splitting his nose in the opening two minutes of play and later requiring Hannibal Lecter-style strapping.

And Warriors’ attacking threat was evident 60 seconds later when Jai Field was pulled down just centimetres from the try line.

It took nine minutes for Matty Peet’s men to turn their dominance into points, Bevan French kicking for winger Miski to win the in-goal scramble for the Steeden.

Video ref Ben Thaler had a hard time deciding if Johnstone had been illegally obstructed but eventually decided in the negative.

Kai Pearce-Paul’s bellringer on Mitchell Pearce was further evidence of the defensive intent and when Miski flew high chasing Harry Smith’s bomb, he found centre Toby King waiting for his scraps, the centre bagging Wigan’s second at 22 minutes.

Smith’s conversion made it 10-0 and Patrick Mago came off the bench like a typhoon, sweeping aside three defenders in a powerhouse run.

Scrum-half Smith missed a penalty goal not long afterwards but he made easy meat of difficult conversions later in the half.

Brad O’Neill complained Sam Tomkins had kneed him as he went in for a tackle before French’s blinding pace on the right was too much for Tyrone May and Johnstone as he made it 16-0 with Smith’s extras with four left in the half.

Then Miski secured his second in the shadows of halftime, from stand-off French’s deft hand rather than his boot. Again,

Lebanese international Miski competed his hat-trick a couple of minutes into the second stanza when Dragon Arthur Mourgue fumbled at dummy half.

There was a touch of luck in Wigan's final try, the ball touched in the air by a Dragon, but luck played very little role in this result – as Byrne proved with a hit that finished his game the way he started it.

Teams:

CATALANS: Sam Tomkins (c); Tom Johnstone, Adam Keighran, Arthur Romano, Tom Davies; Tyrone May, Mitchell Pearce; Mike McMeeken, Michael McIlorum, Romain Navarrette, Matt Whitley, Paul Seguier, Ben Garcia.

Interchange: Arthur Mourgue, Julian Bousquet, Suiua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma’u. 18th man: Mickael Goudemand.

WIGAN: Jai Field; Abbas Miski, Toby King, Jake Wardle, Lima Marshall; Bevan French, Harry Smith; Kaide Ellis, Brad O’Neill, LIam Byrne, Kye Pearce-Paul, Liam Farrell, Morgan Smithies.

Interchange: Sam Powell, Patrick Mago, Junior Nsemba, Tyler Dupree. 18th man: Joe Shorrocks.

Referee: Liam Moore.