Wigan beat Catalans to go level on points at top

Betfred Super League

Catalans (12) 18

Tries: Yaha, Fages, Romano Goals: Mourgue 3

Wigan (12) 26

Tries: Field, Forber, Nsemba, Keighran Goals: Keighran 5

Wigan Warriors maintained their growing dominance over Catalans Dragons as they scored four tries in Perpignan to move level on points at the top of Super League with leaders Hull KR.

Rovers and Wigan are tied on 38 points from 24 matches - four clear of their nearest rivals Warrington - and only the Hull side's superior points difference will separate them heading into Friday's meeting of the top two at the Brick Community Stadium.

After going behind to a converted Jai Field try, the Dragons briefly turned things around with converted efforts from record try-scorer Fouad Yaha and Theo Fages.

But three converted tries in nine minutes either side of the break from Tom Forber, Junior Nsemba and Adam Keighran were key for a Wigan side boosted by the return of talisman Bevan French after eight games out.

Keighran added a penalty for an individual 14-point haul and a three-score cushion for his team at 26-12 before Catalans took advantage of Kruise Leeming's late yellow card to cross again through Arthur Romano.

But, although Arthur Mourgue landed his third conversion and the Dragons countered strongly again, Wigan held firm to earn their fourth straight win in this fixture - and leave Catalans stll outside the top six with three games left.

Wigan - who last lost to Catalans at Magic Weekend in Newcastle in June 2023 and won 34-0 in Perpignan a year ago - edged the Grand Final 10-2 at Old Trafford last October then won 30-8 at home when the two sides met in early May.

The visitors were also closer to full strength as they brought in winger Abbas Miski, stand-in captain Kaide Ellis, on his 100th appearance, and key Australian half-back French.

It was Ellis who set things in motion with a great offload before Jake Wardle darted away to trigger the opener on nine minutes, as Keighran supplied the linking pass inside to set Field clear to gallop over.

But just six minutes later Yaha went on a 60-yard jinking solo run to score in the left corner and, by the 20th minute, Catalans led when Liam Marshall appeared to be tackled early by ex-Wigan wing Davies as he fielded a bomb - and that freed St Helens old boy Fages to run in and score.

A neat piece of opportunism from scrum-half Forber tied it up again when he darted over from a play-the-ball for his first Wigan try to level at the break.

Nsemba then showed typical solo power to go over from close range, to which Keighran added the extras before crossing the line himself.

A neat move involving Field and Marshall, who coolly passed back inside, freed Keighran to go under the posts.

He kicked both that and a penalty to seemingly settle it before the Dragons' late flurry – but Wigan had already done enough.

Wigan have now won all their last four meetings with Catalans, including last year's Grand Final

Catalans coach Steve McNamara:

"It was a really hard game as we expected. We lost it just before and just after half-time but I can't fault our effort.

"We were six points up and suddenly we were six points down so it was a 10-minute spell that took the game away.

"We got closer in some areas to where we need to be but we're clearly lacking a bit of quality at the moment.

"We're still in the race, we've just got to win our next games and if we do that we're in with a chance. There are a lot of twists and turns to come but the reality is that we have to get into top-six form if we're going to do it."

Wigan coach Matt Peet:

"It's an exciting place to come to and it's great to see players respond to the challenge. Both teams went at it hammer and tongs. It ebbed and flowed and we came out on top, but there are times when we make things difficult for ourselves.

"It was great to have Bevan French back. He does so much for us and he got better and better through the game. For his first game back from injury he stood up well in such an intensive game.

"We'll be back to our first-choice spine against Hull KR but I cannot fault the effort of the young players who have stepped up for us.

"We've got three home games in front of us and I hope the supporters who turned up in huge numbers bring us home with a wet sail."

Catalans: Rouge; Davies, Romano, Laguerre, Yaha; Mourgue, Fages; Navarrete, Da Costa, Bousquet, McMeeken, Sironen, Garcia.

Interchanges: Seguier, Satae, Dezaria, Aispuro-Bichet.

Wigan: Field; Miski, Eckersley, Wardle, Marshall; French, Keighran; Havard, Leeming, Thompson, Walters, Nsemba, Ellis.

Interchanges: Byrne, Mago, Dupree, Forber.

Sin-bin: Leeming (72)

Referee: Chris Kendall.