Catalans 24-22 Wakefield: Dragons hold on for nervy Super League win over Trinity
Catalans Dragons claim first Betfred Super League win of the season; Mathieu Laguerre, Fouad Yaha and Samisoni Langi score first-half tries with captain Benjamin Garcia scoring their fourth; Tom Johnstone (2) and Tom Lineham with Wakefield tries as late comeback falls short
Last Updated: 20/02/22 12:07am
Catalans Dragons held on for an unconvincing 24-22 win over Wakefield to claim their first Betfred Super League victory of the season.
Last season's Grand Finalists flew out of the traps with two tries in the opening 12 minutes from wingers Mathieu Laguerre and Fouad Yaha and a one-sided home win looked likely.
However, Catalans struggled to convert their dominance into points and although Samisoni Langi cancelled out the first of Tom Johnstone's two tries, a late Max Jowitt effort left Wakefield trailing 16-10 at the interval.
Dragons captain Benjamin Garcia grabbed their fourth try after the restart, with Sam Tomkins converting and also adding a penalty, but they then switched off and allowed Wakefield back into the contest.
Johnstone scored a second try with four minutes remaining to give Wakefield hope before Tom Lineham raced downfield for an intercept try just as the full-time hooter sounded.
The hosts were keen to lay down an early marker following defeat to St Helens last week, but it took seven minutes before they broke the Wakefield line following a sparkling handling movement from Mitchell Pearce and Josh Drinkwater, who combined to put young France winger Laguerre in at the right corner.
The Dragons then turned up the heat, helped by a series of handling errors from the visitors, one of which led to a scrum on the 20-metre line, from which the ball was spun out to winger Yaha, who made it 8-0 with a touchdown in the left corner. Tomkins added the conversion.
Trinity hit back in the 24th minute when Johnstone collected a high kick from stand-off Brad Walker to cross the line unopposed, with Jowitt unable to convert from wide.
However, Catalans' response was instant as Wakefield lost possession from the restart and Tomkins found space for Langi to score, Tomkins converting from the left touchline for 16-4.
Wakefield would not lie down, though, and a side-stepping dash from Jowitt to strike from 20 metres out, before adding the conversion himself, put just six points between the sides at half-time.
Dragons second-row Mike McMeeken was stopped close to the line by a high tackle early in the second half and, from the penalty, the ball was swung left to captain Ben Garcia, who romped over the line. Tomkins added his third conversion from four.
And, when Johnstone knocked on in a heavy tackle by Garcia, Trinity were stretched left then right, but Catalans prop Jordan Dezaria could not hold on to the ball as he seemed certain to score.
Langi was then held short and Wakefield were penalised in front of their posts, leaving a simple conversion for Tomkins to make it 24-10.
However, Trinity's irrepressible full-back Jowitt launched two promising counter-attacks, with winger Tom Lineham unlucky to be bundled into the right touch as he was about to score.
Wakefield gained confidence in the final quarter, forcing a succession of goal-line drop-outs from the home team, but they were unable to find the finishing touch.
The game was then stopped with seven minutes to go for an injury to Wakefield hooker Liam Hood, who left the field holding his arm.
But Trinity were not finished and an enterprising break by Jowitt on the left saw Johnstone side-step over for his second try, with Jowitt adding the conversion, before an audacious length-of-the-pitch strike by winger Lineham, also converted, left just two points between the teams at the final hooter.
