Eight-try Wakefield outclass Catalans

Lachlan Walmsley's two first-half tries helped Wakefield cruise to victory

Betfred Super League

Wakefield (28) 44

Tries: Jowitt, Walmsley 2, Rourke 2, Griffin, Lino, Johnstone Goals: Jowitt 6

Catalans (0) 6

Tries: Pangai Jr Goals: Makinson

A classy Wakefield Trinity display lifted them into the top six in Super League as they claimed a thumping 44-6 win against Catalans Dragons.

The hosts ran in eight tries as they dominated their tame opponents from the first whistle, ending a 14-game losing run against the French side.

Two tries each from Lachlan Walmsley and Josh Rourke helped send Wakefield on their way against the beleaguered Dragons whose chances of making the play-offs took another hit.

Further tries from Max Jowitt, who also kicked six goals, Josh Griffin, Mason Lino and Tom Johnstone added to the scoreline for Trinity, who were playing in front of their biggest home attendance, of 8,625, since 2013.

The hosts got off to a flying start after just 90 seconds when Corey Hall raced clear of Catalans' Leo Darrelatour and found Rourke to set up Jowitt to dot down and open the scoring.

In the 15th minute, the hosts turned on the style as Pitts' superb offload found Walmsley on the right and he weaved inside and out of veteran back Sam Tomkins to finish brilliantly.

Two minutes later, Lino's accurate up and under was claimed decisively by the galloping Rourke above Tomkins and the Wakefield full-back extended his arm to finish on the line.

Walmsley then added his second try of the game after he caught another good up and under from Lino before interchanging with Pitts and Rourke to finish a move his own hard work started by spectacularly diving in at the right corner.

Careless play on his own goal-line from Catalans' Clement Martin then allowed Griffin to touch down and after Jowitt added the easy extras, the hosts were 26 points clear with just over half an hour gone.

At the end of a rampant first half, Wakefield's Cameron Scott collected a kind bounce of the ball following a kick and chase and Tomkins was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul on Johnstone before Jowitt kicked another goal.

Just 75 seconds after the restart, the hosts continued where they left off as Rourke eased past some non-existent defending from the visitors to score under the sticks.

Still down to 12 men, Catalans got their only score of the match when a floated kick from Luke Keary was claimed by Tevita Pangai Jr to put the visitors on the board.

Substitute Thomas Doyle's punchy line break then allowed him to move through midfield and he unselfishly set up Lino who dotted down Wakefield's seventh try of the evening underneath the sticks.

Wakefield had to wait until three minutes from time before they scored their final try when another Lino kick was collected at the second attempt by Johnstone, who dotted down against his former club to add further gloss to a comfortable victory.

'Some players not up to the job' - reaction

Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell:

"If we keep playing like we did in the first half, then we'll be pretty tough to beat.

"We're at the start of our journey. We're in a good position, probably a better position than anybody apart from us thought we were going to be.

"The players are just cracking on. We break the season down into blocks anyway, so they know what they've got to do.

"I think we're in a good position, but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge and a lot of tough challenges."

Catalans interim boss Joel Tomkins:

"We started really poorly. They scored early doors with a really poor one-on-one missed tackle.

"Whether we have a mental block or not, it seems to me, whenever we go behind on the scoreboard our energy just drops through the floor.

"We've probably got some players out there at the minute who are just not quite up to the job, realistically.

"We'll keep striving for the play-offs until it's mathematically not possible, but that can't be our focus. Our focus has just got to be on improving individually."

Wakefield: Rourke; Walmsley, Hall, Scott, Johnstone; Jowitt, Lino; McMeeken, Smith, Hamlin-Uele, Vagana, Pitts, Griffin

Interchanges: Hood, Doyle, Croft, Faatili.

Catalans: Tomkins; Makinson, Martin, Darrelatour, Cotric; Keary, Rouge; Navarrete, Da Costa, Maria, Seguier, Sironen, Partington

Interchanges: Pangai Jr, Bousquet, Satae, Balmforth.

Sin-bin: Tomkins (40 mins)

Referee: Tom Grant.